The Council of Architecture has been constituted by the Government of India under the Architects Act, 1972. The Act was enacted by the Parliament of India and came into force with effect from September 1, 1972. It provides for registration of architects, standards of education, recognised qualifications, and standards of professional conduct and etiquette to be complied with by the architects.
The Council of Architecture (CoA) had introduced the National Aptitude Test in Architecture (NATA) in 2006. The main objective was to avoid great hardships and incurring huge costs by the hapless candidates seeking admission in architecture courses.
NATA evaluates the aptitude of a candidate to study architecture. It measures the aptitude through assessment of cognitive skills, visual perception and aesthetic sensitivity tests, logical reasoning and critical thinking ability, et al, besides the learning that the candidate has acquired over the past few years and is related to the specific field of study.
Unlike any other entrance examination, NATA assesses a candidate’s innate ability through a variety of formats. It cannot be taught, learned, or induced. Attending coaching classes or similar training may not substantially improve the aptitude of a candidate.
Given the pandemic, the Council, with approval of the Central Government, has also relaxed the eligibility for admission to 1st year of 5-year B-Arch degree course, as prescribed by the Council under Regulation 4 (1) of the Council of Architecture (Minimum Standards of Architectural Education) Regulations, 2020, for the academic session 2021-2022.
Now, candidates who have passed an examination at the end of the 10+2 scheme of examination with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics subjects or 10+3 Diploma examination with Mathematics as a compulsory subject, are eligible to seek admission for the academic session 2021-2022.
After the conduct of NATA 2021, admissions shall be carried out by the concerned competent authorities of the respective states/institutions based on merit as per a valid NATA score.
Given the ongoing pandemic, the Council has decided to conduct one more NATA Test in August for the candidates who could not appear this time due to various reasons.