COMEDK UGET Architecture: Spatial, Scale and PCM Foundations
What the Architecture domain tests
Architecture preparation for COMEDK-linked B.Arch admission combines the written PCM/aptitude screen with NATA-type spatial and drawing requirements where the current brochure applies. The written portion checks mathematical geometry, physics of structures and light, chemistry of materials, and general aptitude; the architecture-specific portion checks whether you can read and produce scale drawings, think in plan/section/elevation, and use design vocabulary precisely. Confirm the 2026 COMEDK/NATA route before you finalise eligibility.
Core rules and concepts
- Drawing conventions: plans are cut horizontally at about 1.2 m; elevations show vertical faces; sections show the cut plus visible beyond.
- Scale: 1:50 means 1 drawing unit = 50 real units. Convert every dimension to the same unit before calculating.
- Anthropometrics: door clear width, stair riser/tread, corridor width and headroom are checked against standard human dimensions.
- Structures and climate: load paths, beam versus lintel, thermal mass, orientation and shading.
- Vocabulary: carpet area, plinth area, FSI/FAR, setback, mezzanine, and their differences.
Worked example
A wall measures 4 cm on a 1:50 plan. Real length = 4 cm × 50 = 200 cm = 2.0 m. If the same wall is 3 cm on a 1:100 detail, its real length is 3 × 100 = 300 cm = 3.0 m. The reasoning is to multiply by the scale factor and then convert units; do not add or subtract scale factors.
Traps
Calling a front view a plan; using a section for a plan; forgetting to convert centimetres to metres; treating FSI as a percentage when it is a ratio; confusing carpet area with built-up area; and drawing a stair with impossible riser/tread combinations. In aptitude questions, a plausible-looking option often ignores one condition.