PAF Entrance Exam 2026 - Jan Exam Dates (Jan 17-Jan 19), Admit Card (Jan 14), Registrations (Closed), How to Prepare, Exam Pattern, Syllabus, Results

The Pearl Academy Entrance Exam 2026 has been conducted on January 17 to January 19, 2026. The Personal Interview admit card has been released on January 20, 2026. The Personal Interview will be conducted from January 22 to January 25, 2026 (Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday). The admit card for the written exam was released on January 14, 2026. The last date to apply for the written exam was January 13, 2026. The results are expected to be out in February 2026. The Pearl Academy application will open soon for the next cycle of the Pearl Academy Entrance Exam 2026 for admission into B.Des, M.Des, BBA & MBA programmes. The Pearl Academy Entrance Exam is conducted in five cycles yearly, namely January, April, June, August, and September.

Pearl Academy conducts the admission round, which comprises a General Proficiency Test (GPT), a Design Aptitude Test (DAT), and a Personal Interview round. The selection process is held throughout the year in different cycles, with separate application forms and entrance exams. Find the complete details about the Pearl Academy entrance exam on this page.

Pearl Academy of Fashion conducts the Pearl Academy entrance (PAF) exam. The institute came into existence in the year 1993 and has been one of the top design colleges in the country. It is also affiliated with Sector Skills Councils under the National Skills Development Corporation (NSDC), Government of India. Academy offers design courses across bachelor, master and professional certificate levels, so students can opt as per their choice. 

The admission process at PAF is held in different cycles in the year based on the written entrance exam followed by a personal interview round. Candidates must remember that for each distinct cycle, there exists a separate written entrance test and personal interview. The application forms are released for each cycle, so students are advised to keep a check on the cycle they prefer to apply in. Through this selection process, student’s creative skills, aptitude, team leadership, communication skills and others are evaluated.

Take a quick look at the table below to get an idea of the timeline of the important events related to the Pearl Academy Entrance Exam 2026. The dates are now available for the January session.

Pearl Academy Entrance Exam 2026 January Cycle Important Dates

Pearl Academy Entrance Exam 2026 April Cycle Important Dates

Pearl Academy Entrance Exam 2026 May-June Cycle Important Dates

Pearl Academy of Fashion has a total of five campuses in Mumbai, Delhi NCR East, Delhi NCR West, Jaipur and Bengaluru. Check out the different highlights for the Pearl Academy of Fashion or PAF entrance exam 2026 mentioned below:

The eligibility criteria for the PAF exam differ based on the course level,i.e. bachelor, master, and professional courses in design, media and business disciplines. Candidates must check out the eligibility criteria before moving on to the application process, as only meeting all the requirements will be considered. If any student doesn’t meet the cut-off, they will stand disqualified for admission. Check out the complete eligibility criteria below:

1. UG Course: Candidates applying for the UG degree course must have passed class 12 from any stream. They only require a Class 12 pass certificate. 
2. PG Course: Students for PG courses are required to pass their bachelor's degree or diploma course from any discipline and from a recognised university. 
3. Professional programme: For professional programmes, candidates who have passed their class 12 or equivalent exam are eligible.

The Pearl Academy Entrance Exam 2-26 Application form can be found on the ‘Admission 2-26 Portal’ of the official website of the Pearl Academy. Refer to the simple steps to apply for the Pearl Academy 2-26 entrance exam:

• Step 1: Visit the official website of Pearl Academy. 
• Step 2: Candidates need to go to the ‘Admission 2-26 Portal’ and register themselves. 
• Step 3: Then, enter the required personal details such as full name, choice of course, contact details, educational qualifications and others. 
• Step 4: Select your preferred exam centre. 
• Step 5: After filling out all details, candidates need to upload a photograph and signature according to the image specifications. 
• Step 6: Lastly, pay the application fee of INR 1500.

The Pearl Academy Entrance Exam 2026 syllabus comprises different sections as mentioned below:

Students must understand the Pearl Academy Entrance Exam Pattern 2026 to prepare for the exam more effectively. The Pearl Academy entrance exam pattern is designed by the conducting body itself. It comprises two stages, namely:

Stage 1. Written Entrance Exam: The written entrance exam consists of GPT and DAT. 

• GPT: General Proficiency Test or GPT is to evaluate the candidate’s basic maths knowledge, logical reasoning, English language, quantitative ability and data interpretation. It is a one-hour test. 
• DAT: Design Aptitude Test or DAT is for testing the power of observation, imagination, communication skills, creativity, drawing and design abilities. It is conducted for two hours. 
• MAT: Media Aptitude Test or MAT is to analyse visual expression, creative thinking, and command of the language and others. 

Stage 2. Personal Interview: The personal interview round is conducted to judge the student’s portfolio works and if the student is from the design stream then they will have to do a material handling skill test. 

Check out the exam pattern below:

To prepare for any entrance exam students need a proper plan. So, the ones intending to appear for this entrance must check how to prepare for Pearl Academy entrance exam 2026 steps carefully:

• Step 1. Syllabus: Knowing the syllabus gives the student a brief idea about how should they go ahead with the preparation. Check out the detailed syllabus. 
• Step 2. Prepare Plan: After separating the topics or sections, students must create a brief preparation plan according to their preferences. 
• Step 3. Focus on each section: Students should give every topic or section adequate time. 
• Step 4. Practice previous year's question paper: Preparing from the previous year's question paper and sample papers will help students track their progress. 
• Step 5. Revise: Revision is the soul of preparation, so there should be a separate time for revising everything the student has covered.

The admit card for the Pearl Academy Entrance Exam 2026 will be released by the conducting body itself on the official website pearlacademy.com. After PAF releases the admit card 2026, candidates must download it and print it to be on the safe side. Check out the steps to download the admit card below:

• Step 1. Official Website: Go to the official website of PAF. 
• Step 2. Click on the link: Tap on the link provided on the official website to download the admit card. 
• Step 3. Fill in the login details: Students have to enter valid login credentials such as application number, date of birth and captcha to download the admit card. 
• Step 4. Print the admit card: After downloading the admit card, it must be printed and should be checked carefully. Then, students must paste their duly attested photograph on the designated space on the admit card. 

In case, students find any wrong or invalid information on the admit card, they should immediately contact the Pearl Academy Office.

The PAF entrance exam is conducted across different cities in India. Check out the cities which are Pearl Academy Entrance exam centres for this entrance below:

Candidates can get a waiver from appearing for the General Proficiency Test (GPT) if they have appeared for any of the alternative entrance exams as mentioned below:

For UG-level courses

• NATA - NATA scores are applicable for bachelor courses in Interior Design and Product Design. 
• UCEED - The scores of the UCEED exam are accepted for all design courses. 
• NID - NID scores are applicable for Product Design, Communication Design and Interior Design courses. 
• NIFT - NIFT scores are accepted across Fashion Design, Fashion Styling & Image Design and Fashion Media communication courses. 

For PG-level Diploma & Professional Diploma courses 

• GMAT 
• AIMA-MAT 
• NIFT - The scores of NIFT will be accepted for Fashion Design, Fashion Styling & Image Design and Fashion Communication PG courses. 
• NID - NID scores are accepted for Communication Design, Interior Design & Styling, Accessory Design and Product Design PG diploma courses. 
• CEED - CEED scores will be applicable to waive GPT for all design courses. 
• CAT

To prepare for the PAF Entrance Exam 2026 candidates should also focus on getting the Pearl Academy Entrance Exam best books for enhancing their preparation plan. Check out the books for different sections below:

Solving the previous year’s question papers of Pearl Academy Entrance Exam and sample papers is going to benefit students who are preparing for the PAF entrance exam 2026. It will help give students a brief about the type of questions, the exam pattern and the difficulty level of questions. The sample question papers can be downloaded from the official website itself.

The selection in Pearl Academy is based on two criteria as mentioned below:

• Written Entrance Exam 
• Personal Interview and Portfolio Presentation 

So, candidates must consider both of these rounds important and prepare accordingly.

The result of the PAF entrance exam is released after the completion of the written test. It will be released only in online mode on the official website. Selected students of stage I, which is the entrance exam, will be called for stage II, personal interview and portfolio presentation round. There will be a separate merit list for each programme. Students have to enter their roll number and date of birth to download the result from the official website. 

How To Check Pearl Academy 2026 Result?

Below are the steps to check the Pearl Academy 2026 result:

• Step 1: Go to the official website of PAF to check the result. 
• Step 2: Then, tap on the admission tab and click on the provided result link. 
• Step 3: Candidates have to enter the login details such as email ID, password and captcha to log in. 
• Step 4: After filling in the details, click on the sign-in button. 
• Step 5: The result will be displayed on the screen. 
• Step 6: Candidates are advised to download and print out the result for future reference.

The admission process at Pearl Academy follows a series of steps as mentioned below:

• Step 1. Complete the Pearl Academy application form before the deadline

Candidates applying for this entrance must fill in all the asked details in the application form such as personal, academic and contact details 

• Step 2. Download the admit card from the official website

The admit card needs to be downloaded online from the official website of the institute. Also, only candidates who have completed the application form will be issued the admit card. 

• Step 3. Sit in the entrance examination 

As this institutional entrance is conducted around the year, candidates can appear for the entrance as per their preference. 

• Step 4. Personal Interview round 

Candidates who qualify for the written test will be called for the personal interview round. The selection is based on the portfolio/studio test. 

• Step 5. Check out the result 

Students can check their results on the official website itself. After the final merit list is released, candidates will be allotted the courses & campus based on their rank and preference.

Candidates can opt for multiple design courses at different levels through the Pearl Academy entrance exam 2026, check them out below:

UG Pathway

PG Pathway 

MA Diploma Pathway 

11 Months Professional Programs