I was admitted ED1 class of 2020 and we did not write a research proposal during Candidate Weekend. What we did do was write a short handwritten narrative essay during Candidate Weekend to assess our writing ability. I’m curious as to what your “resources” are that told you this, since I’m a student assistant in the admissions office at NYUAD and have never heard of such a thing, so unless they’ve changed something without my knowledge then it doesn’t exist. Don’t hesitate to ask if you have any more questions!