Gear up to ENTER the campus
Usha Albuquerque
This is the time of the year when you are preparing not only for the major school leaving exams, or the Class XII Board exams, but also for the competitive tests which will follow shortly after.
There are competitive tests for admission to all professional courses whether it be the major ones, i.e. engineering, medicine, law or others like hotel management, fashion design, architecture and so on.
While good marks will get you admission to top colleges for graduation in arts, sciences and commerce, it is the competitive tests which will decide your admission to the course which will train you in the career of your choice. You, therefore, need to be quite clear which field of work you plan to pursue before you start preparing for these tests.
The most sought after entrance tests today, other than the engineering & medicine, include:
HOTEL MANAGEMENT
Hotel management institutes conduct entrance tests to select candidates suitable for taking up these programmes at various institutes.
Eligibility : Plus II with a minimum of 60 per cent aggregate marks.
What does the test include : The two-hour entrance exam comprises English language and comprehension, numerical ability, reasoning, general knowledge and current affairs, science aptitude and service attitude. The written test is followed by a group discussion and a rigorous interview to assess your personality and your aptitude for service in the hotel industry.
The main hotel management entrance test is the All India Joint Entrance Examination conducted by the National Council of Hotel Management and Catering Technology (NCHM JEE), which handles admission to 21 central and 14 state affiliated Institutes of Hotel Management.
There are many other hotel management institutes which hold their own exams for admission. It is best to appear for these tests also. The major entrance tests are:
NCHMCT-JEE: National Council of Hotel Management and Catering Technology Joint Entrance Examination (NCHMCT JEE) is qualifying exam for admission to the Bachelor of Science Programme in Hospitality and Hotel Administration offered jointly by NCHMCT and the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU)
Last date for application : April 11, 2016
Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) 2016 will be conducted on April 30, 2016 at 33 test centres.
Contact : www.nchm.nic.in
The Oberoi STEP (Systematic Training and Education Programme)
The Oberoi School of Hotel Management does not conduct any entrance examinations for the purpose of admissions but admits candidates to the STEP programme on the basis of a group discussion and personal interview. Candidates should be above 18 years and below 20 years of age, as on August 15 of the year of the commencement of the programme, and have passed Class XII from a recognised Board.
On successful completion of the three-year programme, candidates will be awarded a Bachelor of Tourism Studies (BTS) degree from IGNOU and will also receive a "Certificate of Proficiency" from The Oberoi Group.
More details on www.oberoigroup.com
IHM Auranagabad: The entrance exam is conducted by the Institute of Hotel Management, Aurangabad (affiliated to Taj Hotels and Resorts Limited) for admission to the 4-year programmes — B.A. (Hons) in Hotel Management and B.A (Hons.) in Culinary Arts awarded by the University of Huddersfield, UK.
IHM-A conducts the admission process directly, for which you have to register online at www.ihmaurangabad.ac.in.
You should have completed the Class XII or equivalent examination in any stream with English as the medium of instruction to be eligible for this admission process. Selected candidates are called for group discussion and personal interview.
All-India MAHE Bachelor's Admission Test: This is conducted for admission to the Bachelor in Hotel Management programme at the Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration in Manipal, Karnataka. Admission is on the basis of a written test, group discussion and interview.
More details on www.manipal.edu/wgsha.html
DESIGN
Another much sought after career programme is that of Design. Here the dilemma is not only which institute, but also which design programme one should apply for. With design playing such an important part of our lives from fashion and accessory design, to leather, furniture, interior, graphics, web, and newer ones like communication design, transportation design and mobile apps design — making a choice may not be such a simple matter.
So, before you sit for any of the tests, be sure you know which field of design you plan to pursue.
Here there is no main all- India test for design institutes, as most of them conduct their own assessment tests. However, it is useful to be prepared with information on dates and procedure for admissions, and the eligibility requirements. Most of the institutes require that you first qualify through the entrance examination and after which you are called to the institute for tests, workshops, portfolio review or interview, as required.
What does the test include
Art and design entrance exams make an assessment of your aptitude and skills for design by testing your mental ability, creativity, drawing and communication skills and knowledge of current affairs.
The entrance tests to the major design schools are
UCEED is the entrance examination for admission to the BDes programme at the Industrial Design Centre (IDC), Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay. This is the second year of this examination, and a few more institutes are expected to also admit students to their B. Des programmes through this UCEED qualification.
For more details : www.iitb.ac.in/uceed/2016
Industrial Design Centre (IDC), Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay has been running a four -year, Bachelor of Design (B.Des) programme since 2015. The B.Des programme offers a number of electives, including Information Graphics and Visualisation/ Mobility and Vehicle Design/Film-Video Design/Transportation Design/Game Design/Product Ergonomics.
Design Aptitude Test (DAT) is conducted for admission to the Bachelor of Design ( B.Des), the Masters in design (M.Des) and the Graduate Diploma Programme in Design (GDPD) at the National Institute for Design, Ahmedabad and its campuses in Vijawada, Bengaluru & Gandhinagar. The B.Des and M.Des is offered at the Ahmedabad campus, and GDPD at Vijayawada, while M.Des is also available at Bengaluru & Gandhinagar. The Design Aptitude Test (DAT) is conducted at various test centres in cities across India.
More details: www.admissions.nid.edu
The process of admission to NID consists of three stages:
Stage 1: Design Aptitude Test (DAT)
Stage 2: Studio Test
Stage 3: Personal Interview.
Based on the scores obtained in DAT (stage 1), shortlisted candidates for B.Des. and M.Des. have to appear for the stage 2 and 3 exams of the admissions process, at Ahmedabad, Bengaluru and Gandhinagar campuses.
Based on the scores obtained in DAT, shortlisted candidates for GDPD (NID Vijayawada) have to appear for a second round of exams as announced separately by NID, Vijayawada. The final merit list will be generated, based on the sum total of the weighted scores obtained by the candidate in each stage of the admissions
Application deadline (online) : Last week of November.
Exam (DAT) date : January
Interview : April-Mid May
National Institute of Fashion Design conducts its Entrance Test for seats in various fashion and design related courses across 15 campuses at Bangalore, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Gandhinagar, Hyderabad, Jodhpur, Kangra, Kannur, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi, Patna, Raebareli and Shillong. NIFT offers the B Design 4-year programme in fashion, accessory, leather, knitwear & textile design, as well as the B.Fashion Technology in apparel production, and master’s in design in several design disciplines.
The admission test consists of a General Ability Test (GAT), Creative Ability Test (CAT), and a Situation test. On the basis of result of written test GAT and CAT, shortlisted B.Des candidates will be called for second test the Situation Test. For B.F.Tech. candidates, GAT will be the final test for selection
For Bachelor’s in Fashion Technology candidates require to have completed Plus II with physics, chemistry and maths.
For more details: www.nift.ac.in
Application deadline: January
Exam date; February
Interview : Mid May- June
The Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology in Bangalore conducts an entrance test for admission to the 4-year undergraduate professional programmes in Design and Creative Arts — Bachelor of Design, and Bachelor of Creative Arts in several design disciplines, including — visual communication, digital video production, animation and visual effects, furniture and spatial design, textile, product and interface.
Application deadline: March
Exam date : April
Interview : May-June ( Portfolio + Interview)
The Pearl Academy of Fashion conducts the entrance test for admission to its UG, PG and diploma courses in fashion, design and business at its centres in Delhi NCR, Jaipur and Mumbai. Courses at the Pearl Academy include fashion, styling, interior product design, lifestyle accessory design, fashion marketing & management, and luxury brand management.
The admission procedure at Pearl Academy is carried out in three cycles each year in January, April and July. Every applicant has to undergo a 2-stage admission process of written entrance test, followed by a personal interview.
The one-hour duration written entrance test has multiple-choice questions language, maths and logical ability. Those who qualify the written test are called for a personal interview.
Website: www.pearlacademy.com
ARCHITECTURE
The National Aptitude Test in Architecture (NATA) is carried out for the admission of students into the graduate level programmes in Architecture. The National Aptitude Test in Architecture (NATA) is conducted by the National Institute of Advanced Studies in Architecture (NIASA) — a body of the Council of Architecture.
The test measures an applicant’s aptitude for studying Architecture. It measures drawing and observation skills, sense of proportion, aesthetic sensitivity and critical thinking ability that have been acquired over a long period of time, and that are related to the specific study of architecture.
NATA is offered at designated test centers located at colleges/schools of architecture in India. Updated list of test centers is available at the website http://www.nata.in
The NATA test can be taken during April-May and July-August each year as per the pre-decided schedule of the designated test centers. Appointments are scheduled on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Eligibility
Any student having passed SSC (Std X) or equivalent examination and above can appear for NATA. However, you are only eligible for admission to a B.Arch if you have completed Plus II or equivalent examination with mathematics as one of the subjects and qualified with 40 per cent marks in NATA. NATA scores are valid for a period of two years from the year in which one appeared for it.
What does the test include
The test is in two parts. A paper-based drawing test and computer based online aesthetic sensitivity test. The drawing aptitude test of two hours measures a candidates ability to sketch a given object proportionately, a sense of perspective and understanding of scale and proportions, composing of a given three dimensional elements to form a building or structural form, using colours in a given composition, and so on. The aesthetic sensitivity test is a computer based test where candidate has to answer 40 multiple choice questions on imagination and observation, creativity and communication along with architectural awareness analytical reasoning, imaginative comprehension and expression, and architectural awareness.
The B Arch programme is offered by more than 100 institutes in the country as well as some engineering colleges such as the IITs, NITs and Schools of Planning & Architecture. Admission to the Bachelor of Architecture at the IITs, NITs and some other engineering institutes is through the Joint Entrance Examination Main (JEE ) Paper 2, conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). The Paper 2 for admissions to B.Arch/B.Planning courses has one Question Paper consisting of Mathematics, Aptitude Test and Drawing Test. The duration of the paper is three hours
MERCHANT NAVY
All admissions to the various UG and PG programmes of the Indian Maritime University and its Affiliated Institutes is through All-India Common Entrance Tests (CETs) conducted every year. The under-graduate programmes include BSc Maritime Science, BSc Nautical Science, BTech Marine Engineering, BTech naval architecture and several others, as well as MTech and MBA programmes.
Eligibility: Plus II with physics, chemistry and maths with 60 per cent, and certificate showing medical fitness.
What the test will include
The syllabus for CET for UG programmes will be physics, mathematics, chemistry, English, GK and Aptitude at Plus II level (CBSE, ISE and state boards).
This is a computer-based test and all questions are of multiple choice type.
Candidates who are shortlisted based on CET scores will be called for Counselling at designated IMU Campus(es) and will involve verification of original mark sheets and certificates, physical fitness clearance, and allotment of seats in the IMU campuses or affiliated institutes.
Online registration deadline: April
Exam date: May
In addition to the above there are many other entrance tests for admission to professional courses such as mass communication, business management, law, computer applications and so on. Staying focused and knowing what your goal is, can be half the battle. The other half is making sure you prepare well.
