Aspire to be an Architect? Appear for NATA

Confused what to choose after Class XII? Hate Mathematics? All the creative minds can opt for B. Arch program. Even if you have missed JEE Main Paper 2, you needn’t be disappointed as NATA is the saviour. The exam measures the aptitude of the applicants in areas like drawing and observation skills, sense of proportion, aesthetic sensitivity and critical thinking developed over a period.

Council of Architecture (CoA) formed by the Government of India is the conducting body of NATA. The exam has been set as a compulsory criterion to get admission to any Architectural College or program across India. The duration of the course is 5 years. Unlike the entrance exams for NITs and IITs, NATA is the only aptitude test that doesn’t necessarily guarantee you admission to any college.

Apply for the exam by filling NATA Application Form by April 2018. The process is simple- through online mode only. It involves filling of personal details, uploading images (photo, left hand thumb impression and signature) and payment of application fee. The mandatory fields marked with a star must be filled to submit the form completely. Else, you won’t reach your dream!

How much will NATA Application form cost you? The form is cheap but the test can get you to your dream course and college. It costs you INR 1250 only. One change which has stressed the candidates is reducing the number of attempts to 1. By making changes in the exam pattern, syllabus and number of attempts, CoA tried to increase the difficulty level of the exam.

Major Changes in NATA that Stumped Students

NATA is trending to become a popular exam for admission to B. Arch Program across the country. NATA has replaced few state level exam for the admission. However, Tamil Nadu has proposed to conduct a separate exam- TANATA for the admissions due to less applications from students in the state. Applicants who appeared for NATA 2017 can apply for TANATA 2018.

The major changes that stumped the applicants this year were:

CoA declared NATA will be conducted offline. In general, drawing exam was conducted offline while the Aptitude Test was conducted in offline mode. But from this year, both the exams will be conducted in pen and paper mode
The change which startled the applicants was reducing the exam window to just a single day. Earlier the exam was conducted in an exam window of 5 months but it has been cut down to one day.
This year, 40 questions from Mathematics of class XI and XII were asked in the exam while 2 drawing based questions and Aptitude Test comprised 40 questions.

While the changes have stumped the students but they have actually been made to make the entire process easy and feasible. The change of reducing the 5-month window was made to prove the myth of NATA being biased in nature as bigger exam window lead to repetition of questions

Apply for NATA

Contrary to CoA’s declaration of making everything related to NATA an offline process, the application process is online. Candidates have to login as a new user on the official website. The process is simple but requires proper attention as any incorrect information in NATA Application form can lead to cancelation of candidature. Also, it might lead to rejection of your application.

Despite your confidence and accuracy, re-check the form multiple times to avoid any errors. The seven-digit application number generated after registration and your password are your keys for further process and to check admit card and result for NATA.

Next stage is to upload the images of your photo, left hand thumb impression and signature in prescribed format. Make sure the size of the image doesn’t exceed 100 KB as the image will not be uploaded then or won’t be accepted.

After that pay, the application fee in online and offline mode. Debit Card/Credit Card/ Net Banking is the medium for online payment wherein candidates have to pay processing charges along with the same. To avoid discrepancies in online payment, you can rely on the offline payment modes as well. Pay the fee at ICICI bank branch near you either in cash or by challan.

Get your desired exam center assigned to you by taking the printed copy of your submitted NATA Application Form from the authorities at nearest activated centers. Reach in time to get the center near you or of your choice as the centers will be assigned on the basis of their availability.

Inculcate Traits of Good Architect in You

One’s aim should not be limited to clearing the exam and get admission to their desired college but one must aim at becoming a successful architect after graduating.

The works of great architects have shaped cityscapes around the world. Some of the world’s most impressive architecture attracts visitors far and wide and can evoke a range of emotion. What does it take to become a successful architect? Here are few traits that one must inculcate to become an asset to the country:

Has Good Communication Skills: A great architect has excellent written and verbal communication skills and can hold effective discussions with clients and builders to ensure client has sufficiently communicated their wants and needs for the project.
Employs Excellent Listening Skills: An architect must have superb listening skills in order to fully grasp what does the client’s preferences, as well as to effectively understand the needs of builders and other parties involved in executing an architect’s design.
Shows Strong Drawing/Sketching Skills: A great architect must have high quality drawing and sketching skills, either via computer program or by hand.
Has an Excellent Sense of Design: Great architects have an eye for good design and can translate ideas onto paper to show clients and builders.
Possesses Solid Technical Abilities: Great architects are able to successfully integrate mechanical, electrical, and structural elements into their designs as well as account for the unique requirements of particular building materials.
Is Able Problem Solve: A great architect must have sharp problem-solving skills. They need to be able to identify problems as soon as they arise (or before they arise) and develop rapid solutions to address them.
Has a Good Sense of Business: Architects should be keenly aware of the business side of the design world in order to develop practical design solutions.
Believes in Collaboration: Architects must be able to work in a team environment – many designs are the work of more than one architect. The entire design-build process, as well, is a collaboration between architects, engineers, designers, and builders.
Can Visualize a Project: A great architect has a good sense of vision. They are able to visualize the end results through all steps of the designing and building processes.
Has a Passion for Their Work: The most accomplished architects are the ones who work in the field because they love it. Passionate architects tend to have a tremendous drive and work ethic, as well.