NATA 2026 Exam Dates: Phase 2 on August 7-8, Day Wise Schedule and Shift Timing

The NATA 2026 Phase 1 examination has concluded on June 13, 2026, marking the end of the weekly Friday-Saturday test cycle that began on April 4, 2026 as per the schedule published on the official NATA portal. The Council of Architecture (CoA) will now conduct NATA 2026 Phase 2 on August 7 and 8, 2026 for students who did not attempt Phase 1. With Phase 1 over, the focus shifts to the final Phase 1 result window (within 7 days of the last test) and Phase 2 registration, which is expected to open in July 2026.

• NATA 2026 Phase 1 concluded on June 13, 2026; the final test result will be declared within 7 days of the exam date, i.e., by June 20, 2026.
• NATA 2026 Phase 2 will be held on August 7 and 8, 2026 in two sessions — Morning (10:00 AM to 1:00 PM) and Afternoon (1:30 PM to 4:30 PM).
• Phase 2 registration is expected to open in July 2026 on nata.in; only students who did not attempt Phase 1 are eligible for Phase 2.
• NATA 2026 admit card for Phase 2 is expected on August 4–5, 2026 (2–3 days before the exam slot).
• Phase 2 result will be declared within 7 days of the test, i.e., by August 15, 2026.
• NATA scores remain valid for one academic session and are accepted for B.Arch admission at recognised institutions across India.

For all the current updates on NATA 2026 Phase 2 registration, admit card release and result schedule, students should regularly visit the official website nata.in. The Council of Architecture publishes phase-wise notifications, weekly result lists, and the Schedule of Dates PDF on the same portal.

Key Summary

In this article, we have discussed the complete NATA 2026 exam date schedule, the Phase 1 to Phase 2 transition, and the post-exam timeline up to counselling.

• NATA 2026 Phase 1 was conducted every Friday and Saturday from April 4, 2026 to June 13, 2026.
• NATA 2026 Phase 2 is scheduled for August 7 and 8, 2026 in two sessions.
• NATA 2026 registration began on March 9, 2026; Phase 2 registration window is expected to open in July 2026.
• NATA 2026 admit card is released 2–3 days before the chosen exam slot; results are declared within 7 days of each test.
• Students who attempted Phase 1 are NOT eligible to appear in Phase 2 of NATA 2026.

What are the NATA 2026 Exam Dates?

NATA 2026 is structured as a multi-phase national-level entrance examination conducted by the Council of Architecture. Each event in the NATA 2026 cycle — from registration to counselling — follows a fixed weekly cadence rather than a single-day calendar. Below is a chronological breakdown of every NATA 2026 event, with confirmed and expected dates.

NATA 2026 Registration Date

NATA 2026 online registration began on March 9, 2026 on the official portal nata.in. Registration runs on a rolling weekly basis: students choose any one Phase 1 weekend, register by Monday 11:59 PM for a Friday exam or Tuesday 11:59 PM for a Saturday exam. With Phase 1 over, only the Phase 2 registration window remains.

• Phase 1 Registration: 9 March 2026 to 8 June 2026 (closed)
• Phase 2 Registration (Expected): July 2026
• Action Required: Students who did not attempt Phase 1 must complete Phase 2 registration with fresh application fee payment on nata.in.

NATA 2026 Application Correction Window

NATA does not offer a centralised correction window like NTA-conducted exams. Instead, the application form for each weekend slot remains editable until one day after the registration deadline. Students appearing in Phase 2 will get a similar correction window before August 2026.

• Phase 1 Correction: Until one day after the Monday/Tuesday registration deadline (closed)
• Phase 2 Correction: July – August 2026 (Expected)
• Action Required: Verify name, photograph, signature and qualifying-exam details before submitting; CoA does not entertain offline correction requests.

NATA 2026 Admit Card Release Date

The NATA 2026 admit card is released slot-wise on the official portal. For Phase 1, hall tickets were issued every Tuesday (for Friday exams) and Wednesday (for Saturday exams). For Phase 2, the admit card is expected on August 4 and 5, 2026 — 2 to 3 days before each session.

• Phase 2 Admit Card (Expected): 4 – 5 August 2026
• Action Required: Download the admit card via login on nata.in using application number and password; carry a printed copy plus a valid government photo ID to the exam centre.

Note: Report to the exam centre at least 60 minutes before the session start time. Late entry is not permitted under any circumstances — even if you hold a valid admit card.

NATA 2026 Phase 1 Exam Date

NATA 2026 Phase 1 was held every Friday and Saturday from April 4, 2026 to June 13, 2026, concluding today. Friday sessions ran only in the afternoon slot (1:30 PM – 4:30 PM), while Saturday sessions ran in both morning (10:00 AM – 1:00 PM) and afternoon slots.

• Phase 1 Window: 4 April 2026 – 13 June 2026 (Concluded today)
• April Dates: 4, 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25
• May Dates: 2, 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23, 29, 30
• June Dates: 5, 6, 12, 13

NATA 2026 Phase 1 Answer Key and Result

CoA does not publish a separate answer key for NATA; the result is declared directly within 7 days of each test. Results for the April 4, April 10–11, April 17–18, April 24–25, May 2, May 8–9 sessions have already been declared on nata.in. Results for the remaining Phase 1 dates — including today’s June 13 final session — will be released sequentially, with the last result expected by June 20, 2026.

• Phase 1 Result Window: Within 7 days of each test date
• Phase 1 Final Result Expected: By 20 June 2026
• Action Required: Log in to nata.in with application credentials to download the scorecard; print a copy for B.Arch counselling.

NATA 2026 Phase 2 Exam Date

NATA 2026 Phase 2 is confirmed for August 7 and 8, 2026 — a Friday-Saturday pair following the same session structure as Phase 1. Phase 2 is the final NATA 2026 attempt window; students who appeared in any Phase 1 weekend are not eligible.

• Phase 2 Dates: 7 and 8 August 2026 (Confirmed)
• Session Timings: Morning 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM (Saturday only); Afternoon 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM (both days)
• Action Required: Phase 2-only students must register in July 2026 and download the admit card before August 5.

NATA 2026 Phase 2 Result Date

The NATA 2026 Phase 2 result will be declared within 7 days of the test, per the same CoA rule applied throughout Phase 1. The Phase 2 result is expected on or before August 15, 2026, in time for B.Arch counselling rounds across JoSAA, state DTEs and private institutes.

• Phase 2 Result Expected: By 15 August 2026
• Action Required: Download the Phase 2 scorecard from nata.in; the higher of Phase 1 and Phase 2 scores is NOT considered as students can attempt only one phase.

NATA 2026 Counselling Schedule

NATA does not conduct its own centralised counselling. NATA 2026 scores are used by JoSAA (for B.Arch seats at NITs, IIITs and SPAs), state-level Directorates of Technical Education (Maharashtra DTE, KEA Karnataka, WBJEEB, etc.), and individual private architecture institutes. Counselling typically runs from July to September each year, overlapping with engineering counselling rounds.

• JoSAA Counselling (B.Arch): July – August 2026 (Expected, post JEE Main Paper 2A result)
• State / Institute Counselling: July – September 2026 (Expected)
• Action Required: Register separately on each counselling portal; NATA score validity is one academic session only.

Year-wise NATA Exam Dates and Trends

NATA’s date pattern has evolved sharply over the last five years — from three discrete phases (2021–2023) to a weekly Friday-Saturday cadence with two consolidated phases from 2024 onwards. The table below shows the Phase 1 commencement dates and the number of phases conducted each cycle.

The shift from a 3-phase calendar to a 2-phase weekly format reflects CoA’s move toward more flexible scheduling. Since 2024, students self-select a weekend within a wide Phase 1 window (March–June) and Phase 2 has been compressed to a single weekend in August — used as a final-attempt opportunity for those who missed Phase 1. The August 7–8, 2026 Phase 2 dates are consistent with this 2-year trend.

Ques. Why did CoA change from 3 phases to 2 phases?

Will NATA 2026 Phase 2 Schedule Be Revised?

With Phase 1 concluding today, attention turns to whether the Phase 2 dates of August 7–8, 2026 will hold. Looking at the past five cycles, only NATA 2025 saw a Phase 2 extension (to August 9). Phase 2 dates have rarely been postponed once announced in the official Schedule of Dates PDF on nata.in.

• NATA 2026 Phase 2 dates (August 7–8) are listed on the official CoA schedule and have not been revised so far.
• Phase 2 is timed to align with JoSAA Round 1 of B.Arch counselling — any postponement would disrupt the admission cycle.
• Phase 2 registration is expected to open within 2–3 weeks of the Phase 1 result, i.e., early July 2026.
• Students should monitor nata.in for the formal Phase 2 notification and any updates to the timing or eligibility rules.

Ques. Can a Phase 1 student also appear in NATA Phase 2?

Ques. Is the NATA 2026 Phase 1 result the final scorecard?

Countdown to NATA 2026 Phase 2 Exam Date

NATA 2026 Phase 2 is now the next critical milestone in the calendar. The table below tracks the days remaining to each upcoming event from today, June 13, 2026.

Source: https://www.nata.in/schedule.html