Is COACHING Necessary for NATA ?

Today we will discuss this topic in detail. A short story first.

Once upon a time, there were two friends:

A and B, Both were studying in Std. XII and decided to appear in a competitive exam, lets say X.

To start the preparation, A enrolled in a reputed coaching institute for an year long course.

On the other hand, B opted for self–preparation.

Time passed, both appeared for exam X and soon the results were declared.

To everybody’s surprise and against what was expected, B passed the exam with flying colours whereas A failed to do the same.

Many of us can relate to the above story and the characters in real life too.

So what does this imply?

Are coaching classes useless?

No, this is not 100% true.

Today we will discuss the role, need and importance of coaching classes for NATA preparation.

But, first, What is Nata ?

Nata is National Aptitude Test in Architecture conducted by Council of Architecture to measure the aptitude of the candidates for admission to first year of 5 year B.Arch Degree at recognized colleges across India.

Numerous Nata Coaching Institutes have sprung up in every nook and corner of the city. 

Most of them exist for pure commercial reasons.

Some are a start-up venture by fresh passout B.Arch students (almost with zero teaching experience).

Only a few are genuine learning hubs with higher goals of imparting true education to students. 

Thus making the decision of choice even more difficult for Nata Aspirants. 

All of them assure of giving 100% results, which is totally false.

It is foolish to join Nata Classroom Coaching merely going by the advertisements.

Marketing gimmicks are often misleading and should never be the sole criteria in decision making process.

But the important question first:

Is Classroom Coaching really necessary for Nata?

Well there are a few arguements, both in favour & against joining a coaching class.

The decision is for you to make.....

But before you join a class, please do a background check......

• Speak with some of the students of previous batches.
• Take a DEMO class
• Understand what you are signing up for

Here, we present some of the reasons, why you can do without a coaching class for Nata.

Why you should not join Nata Coaching Classes?

1. Aptitude: Nata is an Aptitude Test for B.Arch. You cannot score well if you just mug up a few facts about Architecture. The student should have an aptitude and genuine interest in Architecture. No coaching class can impart you the aptitude for Architecture field.

2. Pattern Changes: Majority coaching classes focus on imparting knowledge based coaching instead of intelligence based coaching. This will not help if the exam pattern changes or the student is faced with a new question in the exam than what he is familiar with in his/her preparations. Patterns do change in the exams and that too without prior notice. 

2. Subjects: 3D Visualizations, Engineering Drawing and Perspective Drawing are some of the important constituents of Nata Exam. These are aptitude based subjects and not similar to other subjects that are taught in school like English or History. Either a student has the aptitude for the above subjects or not. These subjects cannot be taught by faculties if the student lacks the aptitude. 

4. Drawing Skills: Sketching skills, like any other skill set can be learnt. Numerous books are available in the market to improve your skills.

5. Lack of Time: Students opt for classroom coaching in Standard XI or XII and end up paying high fees. Juggling between school and tutions, it becomes difficult to focus on NATA preparations. Long hours of attending classes is very tiring for students. Also when exam time is near, there is unnecessary pressure by the parents on the student to perform well. This uncalled tension kills creativity, which is the basic requirement for the exam.

6. High Fees: Any reputed institute is charging anywhere between Rs. 30,000 – Rs. 40,000 for one year preparations. For two years, it is even more. Rather than spending this much money on classroom coaching, NATA study material or books are a good option as they cost around one-tenth of the cost of the tutions.

Who should join Nata Classes?

Regularity

Classes do provide structure and regularity to your practice.

This can be helpful to students, who are not able to devote time to B.Arch preparations due to hectic routines.

But this is something, you can also bring in with a bit of discipline.

Joining classes is not a replacement to hardwork and dedication.

If No to Nata Coaching Classes, then what?

If you decide to prepare for Nata on your own, we understand that some help and guidance is required with self-preparation.

I have listed some blog posts below, that will help you with the preparation:

If you think you need more help with Nata Preparations, we have compiled the requisite course content in the form of easy to grasp Nata Study Material

Have a look!!

If you have any doubts or queries, do reach out to me on whatsapp or mail at info@mosaicdesigns.in

Here are some points to keep in mind for your preparations:

1. Improve your drawing and rendering skills. Get basic understanding of light and shadows. Learn perspective drawing-all views. Get information on top architects and the best buildings of the world. Solve questions on aptitude and reasoning. Work on Engineering Drawing Questions. Brush up your Maths. 
2. Visit Historic Places. Try to learn about the place. The materials used, the construction style and what is unique about the place. Is the monument a heritage site? If yes, then why? If possible do live sketching.
3. Your XII board marks count. So, devote equal time to board and Nata Preparations.
4. Be self-disciplined to follow a regular time table. Regularity is important.
5. Lastly, follow a dedicated routine. Daily dedicated time compounds to big results. 

Good Luck!!

About the Author: Anu Handa is an Interior Designer, DIY Artist, Co-Founder and Educator at Mosaic Institute of Design. She has been the lead blogpost writer at www.mosaicdesigns.in since 2009. Her educational background in Interior Design, Urban Planning and the English Language has given her a broad base to cover a range of topics in her articles. Anu has spent 15+ years training Design & B.Arch Aspirants for entrance exams.

Passionate about Design Education, she’s briefly worked with Annamalai University as a paper setter for Design Exams. Likes to write about Design, Architecture and related fields, on online platforms like Quora. Aims at challenging the conventional & age old teaching methodology.