NATA vs JEE Main Paper 2 - Which is Best Option for B Arch Aspirants

NATA vs JEE Main Paper 2 - Students interested in pursuing a BArch. degree have the choice of applying through JEE Main Paper 2 or NATA. NATA and JEE Main Paper 2 are both conducted to provide admission to BArch courses. While NATA primarily focuses on evaluating artistic and creative skills along with the cognitive abilities of the candidates, JEE Main Paper 2 combines Mathematics, Aptitude, and Drawing skills. It is crucial to note that both exams provide opportunities to candidates for securing admission into the prestigious architecture institutions of India. Depending on the college for which admission is sought, students may opt to take either the NATA or JEE Main 2025 Paper 2 for BArch admission. NATA is administered by the Council of Architecture (CoA), whereas JEE Main Paper 2 is administered by the National Testing Agency (NTA).

NTA has released the JEE Main 2025 exam dates. The JEE Main Phase 1 exam will be held from January 22 to 31, 2025. JEE Main session 2 exam 2025 is to be held from April 1 to 8, 2025. The NATA exam will be conducted by the CoA in March, 2025 (Tentatively).

JEE Main paper 2 is conducted for granting admissions to NITs, IIITs, IITs, GFTIs, SPAs, etc. While the NATA exam is held for granting architecture seats at CEPT University, Lovely Professional University, BMS College of Architecture, IES College of Architecture, etc. Students usually get confused thinking about 'Which test should I take' and 'What is the syllabus, exam pattern, and eligibility requirements?' Given that both exams have similar exam patterns and objectives, you can choose between taking the NATA or the JEE Main Paper 2 by reviewing our detailed guide.

Today, let us go through both these national-level exams for BArch admissions and try to find out if it is really advantageous to appear in one of these two exams compared to the other.

About NATA (National Aptitude Test in Architecture)

NATA or National Aptitude Test in Architecture is a national-level entrance exam for BArch admissions in various institutions in the country offering  a 5-year undergraduate programme in Architecture. NATA is conducted thrice every year, usually during April and May. NATA is a gateway exam for the vacant BArch seats in various premier institutes in India but the decision regarding final admission to the candidates who appear in NATA lies with the authorities of the respective institutions or colleges.

About JEE Main (Paper-II)

JEE Main 2025 is another popular national-level entrance examination conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) every year for students looking for admission into programmes such as B.Tech course , B.E., BArch and B.Plan offered by the National Institute of Technologies (NITs), Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs) and Centrally Funded Technical Institutes (CFTIs) in the country. For BArch admission in these institutes, the aspirants have to appear in the second paper of the JEE Main examination.

Differences Between NATA and JEE Main 2025

The table below contains the basic differences between the two BArch entrance exams, i.e. NATA and JEE Main Paper 2 -

Which is Tougher - JEE Main Paper 2 or NATA?

This question - 'Is JEE Main paper 2 tougher compared to NATA' again has haunted many BArch aspirants in the past. Although there is no such thing as tough or easy yet, students fall for these kinds of comparisons and pre-determined notions do rarely help in scoring good marks in these kinds of national-level architecture entrance exams.

However, there is one little thing that might make JEE Main (Paper-II) tougher to crack as compared to NATA and that is the number of participating colleges. The number of institutes accepting JEE Main Paper 2 scores for BArch admission is far less than the colleges that accept NATA scores for BArch admissions. Fewer institutes mean fewer seats and thus fierce competition. Due to this small reason, talks are everywhere regarding how tough it is to crack JEE Main (Paper-II) compared to NATA. The experts at CollegeDekho believe that instead of gauging the toughness of the exams, the candidates must devote their entire energy towards preparing to fulfil their dream of pursuing a BArch from one of these reputed Architecture colleges in the country.

NATA v/s JEE Main (Paper-II) - Syllabus Comparison

As we are talking about whether JEE Main or NATA is the best option for an Architecture aspirant in the country, it is time we compare the syllabus of these two reputed national-level undergraduate architecture entrance exams. The following table contains the direct link to the syllabus of NATA and JEE Mains -

NATA vs JEE Main Paper II Exam Pattern

Candidates can go through the NATA exam pattern and JEE Main BArch exam pattern given below to get a fair idea about the differences between the two.

NATA Exam Pattern 2025 for Part A Drawing and Composition Test

The Council of Architecture (CoA) has revised the NATA Exam Pattern 2025 . NATA Part A consists of 3 sections and will be held in offline mode. The duration of Part A Drawing and Composition section will be 90 minutes.

NATA 2025 Exam Pattern for Part B MCQ Test

NATA Part B section will include questions on design thinking, visual reasoning, language interpretation, design sensitivity, and other topics. This section will be held in online mode. The duration of NATA Part B will be 90 minutes.

JEE Main BArch Exam Pattern 2025

The JEE Main BArch paper will include 3 sections namely Mathematics, General Aptitude, and Drawing. The JEE Main 2024 paper 2 will be held in CBT mode except for the drawing section. Candidates can check the JEE Main Paper 2 exam pattern below.

JEE Main Cutoff Marks for Top Colleges

The JEE Main Paper 2 cutoff is released in the form of opening and closing rank for the State as well as the National quota. Candidates are required to score minimum qualifying marks and they should also meet the minimum cutoff mark of the college for which admission is desired. Candidates can find the college wise cutoff list for JEE Main Paper 2 exam in the table below.

NATA Cutoff Ranks for Top Colleges

The overall rank for NATA is calculated on the basis of the class 12 marks and the NATA scores of the candidates. Institutes that offer admission via NATA follow the cutoff for admission as per the marks secured in class 12 and in the NATA exam.

List of Top Architecture Colleges Offering Admission through NATA

Candidates can check the list of top architecture colleges offering admission via NATA exam given below.

List of Top Architecture Colleges Offering Admission through JEE Main Paper 2 (B.Arch)

NATA Qualifying Marks 2025

Council of Architecture (CoA) has set the NATA 2025 qualifying marks that candidates must score to pass the NATA exam. The best score from all attempts will be considered a valid NATA 2025 score. The NATA 2025 Qualifying Marks will be decided according to the following regulations.

• A minimum of 20 marks must be attained in PART A.
• A minimum of 30 marks must be attained in PART B.
• The overall qualifying scores for the NATA 2024 test should be 70 out of 200, calculated as the sum of Parts A and B.

JEE Main Paper 2 Qualifying Marks

The National Testing Agency (NTA) does not assigned any qualifying marks for the JEE Main Paper 2 test before. The qualifying scores for B.Arch admission through JEE Main would differ for each college. In general, students must earn a minimum aggregate of marks in their 12th-grade board examinations, which is normally about 50% with mathematics as a required subject. They must also achieve a specific percentage or score in the JEE Main Paper 2. The qualifying scores may differ based on the difficulty of the exam, the number of candidates, and the college's admission standards.

JEE Main Exam Dates 2025

You can find JEE Main 2024 exam dates in the table below -

NATA 2025 Exam Dates

Check out the NATA 2025 exam dates given in the table below:

NATA v/s JEE Main Paper 2: Number of Seats

The total number of seats in the colleges considering the scores of the JEE Main Paper 2 are much lesser than the seats available in the NATA colleges. So, the competition for the JEE Main Paper 2 is stiffer.

NATA v/s JEE Main Paper 2: Testing Skills

JEE Main Paper 2 exam mostly evaluates one’s Aptitude and Mathematical skills whereas NATA assesses one’s observational skills, drawing, aesthetic sensitivity, critical thinking, and mathematics skills. A more extensive range of skill sets would provide a more unambiguous indication of one’s aptitude for the course.

Admission to B.Arch in Indian Institute of Technologies (IIT’s)

IIT Kharagpur and IIT Roorkee offer bachelor degree courses in architecture. Candidates who want to secure admission in B.Arch course in any of these two IIT’s have to appear in the JEE Advanced Architecture Aptitude Test (AAT). Candidates are required to first appear and qualify JEE Main Paper I following JEE Advanced and qualify with a high rank. Candidates further have to register for Architecture Aptitude Test (AAT) conducted by IIT Kharagpur and IIT Roorkee. AAT application forms are submitted online in respective IIT after the declaration of the JEE Advanced result. There will be a single question paper with questions from aptitude of architecture related to monuments and a drawing test. Result of Architecture Aptitude Test (AAT) is released online on the website of respective IIT only.

Also Check, JEE Main Subject Wise Syllabus 2025

Both NATA and JEE Main Paper 2 are important architecture entrance exams of India. NATA examines the student's ability in architecture, whereas the JEE Main B.Arch test assesses the student's competence in Mathematics, General Aptitude, and Drawing.  Whether you should sit for JEE Main BArch or NATA depends upon your choice of college. Some architecture colleges of India grant admission via NATA and some via JEE Main paper 2.

Related Links to Download JEE Main Question Paper PDF

One sure-shot way to score 90 percentile in JEE Mains 2025 is by solving the previous year's question papers. The table below features year wise JEE Main Question Papers that students can practice thoroughly after revision.

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