IIT-Hyderabad 2025-26 Master of design (Short DAT)

IIT Hyderabad is testing creativity with one-minute video reels! It's a bold shift that reflects how design is embracing the future — moving beyond paper to digital storytelling.

Online Screening ExaminationDepartment of Design, IIT HyderabadDate: 28/04/2025,

Time: 3 hours (9:00 am to 12:00 pm)

Question: 50 marks

Use your creativity to make a 1-minute reel/video that explains why you are a suitable candidate to study design at IIT Hyderabad.

You can visually summarize your work, skill, and experience to make your case.

Instructions

• Submit your video by 12:00 PM, 28/04/2025.

• Name your file with your Application number, followed by your name. For example, 12345aditi.

• Kindly compress your video to less than 50 MB.

• Save your video in .mp4 or .mov format.

• Do not share your video on any public or social media platform.

• We will share a link to upload your videos at 9:30 am in your respective email IDs. Once a file is submitted, it cannot be resubmitted.

In case of any queries, please reach out to 9801047282.

Here’s a quick comparison between the previous year (2024-25) and this year (2025-26) IIT Hyderabad M.Des entrance questions:

Feature	Previous Year (2024-25)	This Year (2025-26)
Format	Long DAT (Drawing-based Test)	1-minute Video/Reel
Medium	Hand-drawn only (no digital)	Digital video (mp4/mov)
Task	Illustrate/draw to solve a design question	Creatively show why you're a good fit for IIT Hyderabad
Duration	1 hour	3 hours (for creating and uploading)
File Size Limit	<10 MB	<50 MB
Submission Format	Single PDF or JPG	mp4 or mov
Theme	Solve a problem or represent an idea through sketches	Showcase your work, skills, experience visually

In short:🧑‍🎨 Earlier: "Draw with pencil & paper to solve a design task."📹 Now: "Create a short, creative video to tell your story and why you belong in IIT-H Design."

What this change reflects:

• They're adapting to modern storytelling skills: video, digital creativity, self-branding.

• Focus is now more on communication, creativity, and personality, not just technical sketching.

Disclaimer: This question paper is intended for educational and practice purposes only. The questions included in this have been compiled by analyzing and discussing questions with students who appered in entrance exams. While we have made every possible effort to closely emulate the style and content of such questions to assist students in preparing for entrance exams by providing a practice tool that simulates the types of questions commonly encountered during assessments. Aspirants are encouraged to use this resource as a study aid to improve their test-taking skills and should not consider it a guaranteed representation of actual exam questions.