Cracking NIFT – A detailed review of CAT and GAT | The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) is any aspiring designer’s dream destination before they launch into the competitive and exciting world of design. Recognised for its thought leadership in design across academia worldwide, NIFT now has 16 campuses across the length and breadth of India. OPUS has been in the forefront of preparing the Manish Malhotras, Anita Dongres and Sabyasachis of tomorrow.
While fashion and design may sound glitzy and glamourous, it requires hard work and intense attention to detail to crack the entrance tests to NIFT that OPUS equips aspirants with.
For starters, the NIFT entrance written examination syllabus is broadly divided into two aspects: Creative Ability Test (CAT) and General Ability Test (GAT).
Contents
About CAT
As the name suggests, Creative Ability Test (CAT) deploys the examinee’s designing ability, illustration skills, knowledge and use of colour palette, ability to be intuitive and observation skills. It is a given that you are expected to be good with sketching. Drawing and sketching are key skills if one is looking for a career in fashion and design. It is important that whatever you visualise in your head and imagine in your mind, you should be able to put it on paper with utmost detail.
If you need to pick up drawing and sketching skills, enroll in a class, pay attention to the proportions of people and objects
Question types in CAT
Here are some indicative questions you may have to answer during CAT
Question 1. 25 marks (Use a box of 7inc x 7inc) (Colour it) Design a scarf by taking inspiration from any of the following: a. Indian Craft or b. Indian Festival
Question 2. 25 marks (Use a box of 7inc x 7inc) (Use only PRIME Colours) Using any one of the following shapes, (Square/ Circle/ Triangle), Make a ‘Rangoli’ showing any one of the following: a. Symmetry or b. Focus
Question 3. 30 marks (Strictly – Line Drawing only) In a box of dimensions 7 x 7 inch, make a composition on a. A Picnic Scene or b. Life in a Metro
Question 4. 20 marks (Use a box of 5inch x 5inch) (Only Pencil Shading) Make a calendar for the honourable Prime Minister
QUESTION 5 : 30 MARKS , 1 hour design one letter head , visiting card and a pen designed for the tourist guide who is representing your state . Use three separate boxes of 4.5 x 4.5 inches each to design these three drawing.
Colour all the questions, do not colour only where it is mentioned.
Day 1: Colour all the three questions (Monday) design a poster on demonetisation design a poster on incredible India design a poster on digital India
Day 2: do not colour anything today (Tuesday) draw a composition showing the benefits of clean India draw a composition showing a weavers training centre draw a scene , showing bank of river ganga to support tourism .
Day 3: Colour the entire four works (Wednesday) draw a product which will make your life easier while driving draw any three product which will make the life of a blind and a deaf person easier. (Draw it in 3 boxes of 5×5 inches) design a multi utility table for the architect.
Day 4. Colour all the questions in 7×7 box (Thursday) design a new logo for Swwach Bharat Mission design a mascot for digital India and one for India handloom week design a post card (front and back) for come make in India design a cover for English magazine showing the rise of young India design a memento for the president of united sates coming on the republic day parade in India
Day 5. Colour all the questions (Friday) design a bed for the bedroom for kids , teenage girl , teenage boy , a corporate man , an old person , a handicapped person who cannot walk. (Show all the beds in the proper surrounding)
CAT consists of 50% of the NIFT entrance examination. However, there are no negative markings.
Question types in GAT
Here are some indicative questions you may have to answer during GAT. GAT scores make 30% of the exam paper. OPUS prepares you well to crack GAT, which usually precedes the CAT portion of the NIFT entrance examination.
GAT comprises of the following sub-sections. However, the number of questions and assigned marks may vary year to year.
Quantitative ability: This is designed to test the quantitative ability of the candidates, consisting of questions on addition, multiplication, division, fractions, percentage, rate of interest, work & task, ratio & proportion and distance.
Communication ability: This sub-test is aimed at testing the language skills of the aspirants in day-to-day communication in English. This sub-section has questions on synonyms, antonyms, words with corresponding meanings, singular, plural, one word substitutes, idioms & phrases, correct spellings, etc.
English comprehension: This will test the candidate’s ability to comprehend a situation from a given passage and will ascertain whether they understand basic English language.
Analytical ability: This will test the candidate’s capability for inference and logic from the given information.
General knowledge and current affairs: This sub-test is designed to test the candidate’s general knowledge and current affairs.
Sample of GAT question
Passage:
An old man with steel-rimmed spectacles and very dusty clothes sat by the side of the road. There was a pontoon bridge across the river and carts. Trucks, and men, women and children-were crossing it. The mule-drawn carts staggered up the steel, bank from the bridge with soldiers helping to push against the spokes of the wheels. The trucks ground up and away heading out of it all. The peasants plodded along in the ankle-deep dust. But the old man sat there without moving.
What was the old man wearing?
a) Steel-rimmed spectacles b) An old shirt and pant c) Very dusty clothes d) Steel-rimmed spectacles and very dusty clothes
Mention those which crossed the bridge besides human beings.
a) Mules and horses. b) Men, women and children c) Carts and trucks d) Soldiers and carts
Who were helping to push the mule-drawn carts?
a) Mules b) The villagers c) The horses d) Soldiers
Where was the old man sitting?
a) In the cart b) Over the bridge c) By the side of the road d) On the banks of the river
Why was he sitting there?
a) To admire the natural scenery. b) To watch the people passing by. c) Because he was so tired that he couldn’t go any further. d) Waiting for somebody.
Arjuna Award is given for
a) bravery on battlefield b) outstanding performance in sport c) exceptional service in emergency d) exceptional service to slum dwellers
Who wrote the line: ‘A thing of beauty is a joy forever’?
a) P. B. Shelley b) William Wordsworth c) John Keats d) Robert Browning
Who is the first Indian sportsperson to win an individual Gold Medal in the Olympic Games? a) Leander Paes b) Vijender Kumar c) Abhinav Bindra d) Vikram Rathore
If the outer radius of a metal pipe is 2.84 inches and the inner radius is 1.94 inches, the thickness of the metal inches is
a) 0.75 b) 0.80 c) 0.90 d) 0.95
A shopkeeper marks the price of his goods 20 per cent higher than the original price. After that he allows a discount of 10 per cent. What profit or loss did he get?
a) Profit 10 per cent b) Profit 8 per cent c) Profit 5 per cent d) Profit 7 per cent
Key tips to crack NIFT exam
Some of the tips to crack GAT and CAT is to look up previous years’ pares which OPUS helps students with. Pay attention to creative skills and comprehension skills. Remember the test is not looking for a painter or artist alone; it is looking for people who are creative and yet can create successful design and fashion products and interact with the world at large with definitive social skills.