How to Crack UCEED in 6 Months - Preparation Tips & Strategy

How to Crack UCEED in 6 Months - Preparation Tips & Strategy

Upcoming Event

UCEED Exam Date:18 Jan' 26 - 18 Jan' 26

Ritika JonwalUpdated on 23 May 2025, 04:49 PM IST

The Undergraduate Common Entrance Exam for Design, or UCEED Entrance Exam is an exam for admission of students into B.Des programmes at IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Guwahati, IIT Hyderabad, and IIITDM Jabalpur. It is a national-level entrance exam that lasts for 3 hours. The entrance exam comprises a total of 300 marks, with 2 sections. The exam tests a student’s logical and practical abilities, along with his/her scope of sketching skills. In this article, we will discuss how to prepare for UCEED 2026 in 6 months.

This Story also Contains

  1. UCEED 2026 Exam Pattern
  2. UCEED Exam Syllabus 2026
  3. How To Crack UCEED Entrance Exam in 6 Months
  4. Best books for UCEED
How to Crack UCEED in 6 Months - Preparation Tips & Strategy
How to Crack UCEED in 6 Months

UCEED 2026 Exam Pattern

The UCEED 2026 exam pattern has been divided into two parts A and B with balanced weightage. The weightage changes every year but the intent of evaluation is mostly constant. Going through UCEED Previous Year Question Papers with Answer Key will help understand question paper patterns better. The main categories under which UCEED entrance exam syllabus questions are presented are as follows:

Part A consists of 200 marks and the time allotted is 120 minutes. As per UCEED 2025, this section comprises of

  • NAT (Numerical Answer Type questions) - No Negative marking

  • MSQs (Multiple Select Questions): Negative marking of -1

  • MCQs ( Multiple Choice Questions): Negative marking of -0.71

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Part B consists of 100 marks and the time allotted is 60 minutes. As per UCEED 2025, this section consists of 2 sketching questions, with 50 marks for each. This section has been added to UCEED entrance exam in recent years to test aspirants’ sketching and visualization abilities and is hence very important.

Quick Fact:

UCEED 2026 Full Study Material
UCEED 2026 aspirants can download this complete study material to enhance their preparation and improve their scores in the exam.
Download EBook

UCEED Exam Syllabus 2026

Understanding the syllabus is a valuable part of UCEED entrance exam preparation, as it helps the aspirant to familiarize herself with concepts and important topics. With balanced weightage per section, this is a brief overview of the UCEED Syllabus 2026.

UCEED Syllabus PART A

Checks the imaginative and visual-based thinking skills of the aspiring candidate. Technical aspects, observation and awareness of surroundings, and a student’s 3D visualization will be tested.

Topics

Description

Visualization and Spatial Reasoning

Ability to visualize and transform 2D shapes and 3D objects and their spatial relationships.

Practical and Scientific Knowledge

Know-how of scientific principles and everyday objects.

Observation and Design Sensitivity

Capacity to detect concealed properties in day-to-day life and think critically about them. Attention to detail, classification, analysis, inference, and prediction.

Environment and Society

General awareness of environmental, social, and cultural connections with design.

Analytical and Logical Reasoning

Ability to analyze qualitative and quantitative information.

Language

Proficiency in reading and comprehending Standard English.

Creativity

Grasp verbal and non-verbal analogies, metaphors, signs, and symbols.

UCEED 2026 Syllabus PART B

UCEED Exam Syllabus for this section aims to understand the student’s sketching capabilities and understanding of perspective, object drawing, speed sketching, etc. It also checks how well the student can apply design theory to his/her concepts.

Topics

Description

Drawing

Ability to draw products, people, or scenes in proportion with good line quality, composition, proportion, perspective, and shading.

Design Aptitude

Capability to practically and appropriately respond to problems/situations with ingenuity and empathy.

How To Crack UCEED Entrance Exam in 6 Months

Students need help with developing a productive strategy for the UCEED entrance exam that helps them manage time and attempt exams more effectively. It is thus required to have a good understanding of the exam syllabus. Students can pick the best UCEED study material, which will aid them in following and being consistent with a strategy. Let us try to understand and follow this time-bound strategy that will help aspiring students how to crack UCEED Entrance Exam in 6 months. Here is the first track of the Timetable to Prepare for UCEED 2026 in 6 months.

Part A

It comprises NAT, MSQ, and MCQs. All these sections cover the same topics listed below but to methodology for solving each of the section questions is different. So to be equally prepared for all sections students can prepare diligently from the given timetable.

Month-Wise Timetable For UCEED 2026 - PART A

Topics

Visual and Spacial Reasoning, Observation and Design Sensitivity

Analytical Reasoning

Environmental and Social Awareness

Practical and Scientific Knowledge

Months

Month 1

  • Optical Illusions

  • Counting the number of shapes/objects in a given image

  • Mensuration: Area, Perimeter, and Volume of all 2D, and 3D shapes

  • Geometry and Construction: properties, application

  • Image Completion

  • Arguments and statements

  • Assumptions and reasoning

  • Direction and distance sense

  • Causes and effect


  • Audio- Video terminologies

  • Folk music and dances

  • World Heritage Sites


  • 10th NCERT Science


Month 2

  • Simple mechanics and rotational objects

  • Permutation and combinations

  • Development of Spaces

  • Shadows and Sciography

  • Cross Sections, Edges, and surfaces

  • Mirror and Water images

  • Course of action

  • Syllogism

  • Data Sufficiency

  • True and false

  • Passages and conclusions

  • Percentages


  • Logos, Brands, Taglines

  • Manufacturing and Material process knowledge

  • Business persons and famous Designers

  • Famous Artists

  • 10th NCERT Maths

Month 3

  • Gear systems and mechanics

  • Formulae and methods to solve

  • Paper folding and unfolding

  • Gestalt’s Theory, Figure, and ground

  • Coding and Decoding

  • Dice, Cubes, and patterns

  • Seating arrangements

  • Brain Teasers


  • Architecture styles

  • Indian Geography

  • Musicians and Dancers

  • Sportspersons

  • Design aptitude





Month 4

REVISION 1

Month 5

REVISION 2 and SAMPLE PAPERS

Month 6

REVISION 3 and SAMPLE PAPERS

Part - B Sketching and Language Section

A lookout for sketching ability has been added to the UCEED question paper in recent years to test the aspirant’s ability to communicate visually, through their sketching skills. Observation, attention to detail, lines and perspective, speed sketching, etc, are the key skills tested. The UCEED part - B is hence focused on Language and Sketching Skill improvement.

Month-Wise Timetable For UCEED 2026 - PART B and Language Section

Topics


Drawing and Design Aptitude


Language Section

Months

Month 1

  • Perspective sketching

  • Shading and Rendering

  • Color Theory

  • Vocabulary

  • Antonyms and Synonyms

  • Grammar Syntax

Month 2

  • Situation sketching

  • Bird’s eye/ ant’s eye view

  • Animal Figure

  • Rule of thirds

  • Idioms and phrases

  • Reading Comprehension

Month 3

  • Interiors and exteriors of the room

  • Design Principles

  • Product Sketching

NA

Month 4

Sketching Practice

Month 5

Practice- Sample Questions

Month 6

Practice - Sample Questions

Best books for UCEED

For an excellent study plan and exam strategy to work, one must pick out helpful and comprehensive UCEED study material. Some recommended best books for UCEED preparation are tabulated below.

Name of the book

Author’s name

UCEED (BDes) Entrance Books and Test Series

AFA India

Cracking CEED & UCEED (with UCEED Previous Years' Papers and Mock Tests)

Ashok Goel and Arjun Kamal

Analytical Reasoning, Mental Aptitude, Verbal Aptitude (UCEED Guide)

Institute Of Creative Sciences

Quantitative Aptitude

RS Aggarwal

UCEED Design Environment & Social Awareness In Design Perspective Combined With Mental & Verbal Aptitude

Sreejanshilpa


Once familiar with concepts and applications, students can solve multiple UCEED Past 6 Year's Question Papers with Solutions PDF and time themselves while doing it. Solving UCEED Sample Papers with Answers will enhance the speed and time-management skills needed for the exam. Students can either opt for coaching or take the help of UCEED study material. Students need to familiarize themselves with UCEED Previous Year Question Papers.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: What types of questions are asked in UCEED 2026?
A:

The exam is divided into Part A: Numerical Answer Type (NAT) - 14

Multiple Select Question (MSQ) - 15, Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) - 28

Q: Is 6 months enough for UCEED 2026?
A:

With early preparation and consistency and, a keen understanding of the question paper, students can crack the UCEED exam in 6 months. It is a moderately difficult paper. 

Q: Will UCEED 2026 have GK?
A:

Yes, a student must be well-equipped with General knowledge and current affairs. It is important to use reliable material and keep up-to-date with this topic. 

Q: What are some UCEED sketching tips?
A:
  • For any type of sketch, students must get proportions, anatomy, and perspective drawing skills. 

  • Practice free-hand drawing as much as possible and take references from magazines, objects around, etc. 

  • Annotate sketches well. 

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Questions related to UCEED

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to UCEED ?

Hello,

NIFT 2026 admission - Applications release around November–December 2025.

UCEED 2026- Registrations open around September–October 2025.

Pearl Academy - They have multiple admission cycles (Jan, April, June). Applications usually open by October 2025 for Jan cycle.

Keep checking official sites regularly since dates shift slightly every year.

Thank you!

Hello!

UCEED is a competitive exam for design aspirants, testing design aptitude, logical thinking, creativity, and visualisation skills. To improve your score out of 300, start by understanding the exam pattern—Part A (objective) and Part B (subjective). For Part A, practice reasoning, numerical aptitude, and environmental & social awareness questions. For Part B, focus on drawing, sketching, and presenting your ideas clearly. Solve past year UCEED papers and join online mock test series. Spend at least 2–3 hours daily practising creative problem-solving and sketching. Also, work on time management because the exam requires quick thinking.

Thank you for reading, and I wish you the best


Hello Akanksha,

For NID DAT 2026, your eligibility is established based on your born date as you are born on or after July 1st 2005. For UCEED 2026, your eligibility is dependent on your born date by category. You are eligible if you are OPEN/EWS/OBC-NCL category and born on or after October 1, 2001. If you are SC/ST/PwD category you must be born on or after October 1, 1996 in order to be eligible. Based on your born date of December 20th, 2006 for both NID DAT 2026 and UCEED 2026; you will be eligible.

The UCEED exam is conducted by IIT Bombay, and the previous year’s question papers  you can download the papers along with answer keys directly from the link given below :

https://design.careers360.com/articles/uceed-previous-year-question-papers

Thank you and all the best!


Currently, NSUT does not offer a B.Des. program. However, other institutes like IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, and IIITDM Jabalpur offer B.Des. through UCEED.

Expected UCEED Cutoffs (General Category):

IIT Bombay: Around Rank 14

IIT Delhi: Around Rank 35

IIITDM Jabalpur: Around Rank 165