How to Prepare for CEED 2026: Check Tips & Strategy

A single entrance exam for postgraduate design programs is the Common Entrance Examination for Design (CEED). Every year, all Indian Institutes of Technology provide this test. The validity of the Scorecard has been established for admissions not only at IITs that provide design courses but also at several esteemed Indian universities, including World Design University (Sonipat), Shiv Nadar University (SNU, Greater Noida), and Avantika University (Ujjain), among others. Consequently, students preparing for the CEED 2026 exam need to study thoroughly. CEED 2026 examination will tentatively be conducted in the month of January, 2026.

This Story also Contains

1. CEED Syllabus 2026
2. How To Crack CEED 2026 Exam Part - A
3. How To Crack CEED 2026 Exam Part - B
4. CEED Previous Years Solved Question
5. CEED Previous Year Exam Analysis Of 2025
6. How To Prepare For CEED 2026 - Additional Tips
7. Books Recommended For CEED Preparation 2026

One well-known entrance exam that students interested in continuing a postgraduate career in design might take to get started is the CEED entrance exam. The reputation is well-received both in India and beyond. For this reason, each design candidate must prepare for the CEED 2026.

Stages of CEED Exam 2026

Stage: 01 - (Computer Based Test- CBT)

Total Duration: 03 hours

Marks: 200

Assessment Criteria for Part-A

Duration: 1 hours

Marks: 150 (evaluated online)

Question Type: NAT+ MCQ’s+ MSQ’s

Format

• The answer must be marked by filling in the information (NAT) or selecting the correct options (MCQ & MSQ).

• Numerical Answer Type (NAT): Questions requiring numerical answers (4 marks each, no negative marking).

• Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs): Questions with more than one correct answer choice (3 marks each for correct answer, 0.5 negative marking for incorrect answers).

• Multiple Select Questions (MSQs): Questions with multiple answer choices, but you can choose more than one answer (4 marks with partial marking based on correct selections, -1 mark for incorrect selections).

• Provided below is the Question pattern for 2024 CEED Examination

Also check: Check Subject-wise study material for CEED

Assessment Criteria for Part-B

This section assesses your ability to interpret design problems, analyze information, develop creative solutions, and communicate your ideas visually through drawing and writing.

Duration: 2 hours

Marks: 100 (evaluated offline)

Question Type: Drawing-based questions testing design, Sketching, and Communication Skills, Form Sensitivity, Visual Sensitivity

Format: Printed Answer Booklets are provided for sketching and writing the responses.

(Bifurcation of Section-B as per 2024 CEED Examination)

Overall Weightage Calculations

The final CEED score is calculated by giving weightage to both parts:

• 25% weightage to Part A score.

• 75% weightage to Part B score.

Note: Section B is only evaluated if the aspirant qualifies for the Section-A cutoff.

Section B (Drawing Test) is the most crucial part to be focused.

CEED Syllabus 2026

To crack CEED 2026, a strong grasp of the Syllabus for CEED 2026 is crucial. While some topics overlap with UCEED, CEED exams are more challenging and focus on testing versatile skills.

Part A Syllabus:

• Visualization and Spatial Reasoning: Ability to transform 2D shapes to 3D objects and understand spatial relationships.

• Practical and Scientific Knowledge: Knowledge of everyday objects and scientific principles.

• Observation and Design Sensitivity: Developing attention to detail, classification, analysis, and prediction.

• Analytical and Logical Reasoning: Ability to interpret qualitative and quantitative information.

• Language Proficiency: Comprehension of standard English.

• Art and Design Knowledge: Awareness of design history, trends, and artists.

Part B Syllabus:

• Drawing: Ability to sketch with good composition, proportion, and shading.

• Creativity: Developing innovative solutions to design problems.

• Communication Skills: Clear and effective expression of concepts through visual communication.

• Problem Identification: Understanding the user and context in design scenarios.

How To Crack CEED 2026 Exam Part - A

• Start with Previous Year Questions Paper: While doing CEED preparation online, refer to the previous year's question papers or CEED sample papers. Practicing more questions will always provide candidates with better conceptual clarity and understanding. The previous year's CEED question papers are available on the official website. Solving the sample papers or previous years is the best way to get familiar with the examination's topics and structure.

• Practice Non-Verbal Reasoning from Diverse Examinations: The idea is to train the mind for time-based interpretation of as many possible and diverse questions like Pictorial problems, Analogy, Paper Cutting and Folding, Mirror Image, & Reflection, etc.

• Brush up Elementary Math & Science Fundamentals: General Awareness of fundamentals of Math and Science up to class 10th are leverage points for anyone appearing for the CEED Examination to solve most questions fast through concepts and logic mixed.

• Attempt The Mock Tests: While doing CEED exam preparation, attempt the regular Mock Tests. The CEED Mock Test can help students practice more questions focusing on Part-A which can help to increase their speed and accuracy. Scoring well in Part-A plays a very crucial role in getting Part-B checked. So it is advisable to work on sections that you feel are your strengths at the core.

How To Crack CEED 2026 Exam Part - B

Five questions comprise Part B of the CEED 2026, which tests students' creative and artistic drawing skills. These five inquiries will come from themes like problem identification, sketching, inventiveness, form sensitivity, and visual sensitivity. Thus, to qualify CEED exam, candidates must possess a firm grasp of their drawing portion. Let's examine how you might improve your drawing abilities in more detail.

• Developing the Drawing: Ability: Develop the skill to draw products, people, or scenes in proportion with good line quality, composition, proportion, perspective, and shading.

  • Activity for Drawing Ability: Expose yourself to markets, cityscapes, etc., with A4/A3 Sheets and try to sketch the scenarios with a pencil, keeping only the understanding of Scale & Proportions at focus.

• Visual Communication: This is a critical skill for communicating concepts and ideas clearly with the help of text and visuals. Developing a style in person helps keep uniformity and speed while attempting the questions.

  • Activity for Communication Skills: Take a Brand like TATA and gather 05 different products from the same category, like FMCG products, and bring out the Logos for all the products, taking inspiration from existing ones using uniform color language with no more than 03 colors complimenting the product.

• Growing Problem Mapping Skills in Daily Life Scenarios: Skills to understand the user and the context, knowledge of properties of materials and their appropriate use in design

Also Read:

CEED Question Papers with Solutions

10 Do’s and Don'ts for CEED Preparation

CEED Previous Years Solved Question

Numeric Answer Type (NAT)

Solution: As Marked

Here, digit 2 has a thick font and different serif. It does not belong to the same font.

Multiple Select Question (MSQ)

Q.09 Shown below are perspective views of a hexagonal prism,a cube and cylinder, all having height 10 cm.If the objects are cut by straight planes generate various cross sections, which of the statements is/areTRUE?

A.R can reveal curvilinear cross section; P and R can reveal a square cross section

B.P, Q and R can reveal rectangular cross sections; P and Q canreveal isosceles triangle

C.P and Q can reveal regular hexagonal cross sections; R can reveal a square

D.P and Q can reveal triangular cross sections; R can reveal atriangularcross section

Solution : A,B and C are correct because,

• P (Hexagonal Prism): A straight cut can create rectangles (side view), hexagons (top view), or triangles (diagonal cut).

• Q (Cube) : A straight cut can give rectangles or squares, and a diagonal cut can make triangles.

• R (Cylinder) : A vertical cut gives a rectangle, a horizontal cut gives a circle, and a slanted cut gives a curved section.

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ)

Q. 19 Shown below are words in a particular font.Which option belongs to the same font?

Solution : B is correct because,

A,C and D differ in stroke thickness or shape while B matches the exact characteristics

CEED 2025 Question Paper - Part-B

Ques: SKETCHING: Mandatory question (20 marks = 4 x 5 marks) Two kids, Kaa and Kii, are on an adventure trip in a forest. While exploring, suddenly a bear emerges and starts chasing them. The kids start running in panic through the forest. A fox is watching the whole scene. Sketch this scene from the fox’s point of view. The sketch should be clear and visible.

Additional Instructions:

• Use only black/HB-series pencils

• Do not use other colours

• Draw only in the given space

Evaluation Criteria:

• Character and expressions

• Proportion and composition

• Quality of sketching

• Environment and props

Q: Imagine a person sitting on a chair and getting a COVID-19 test, where the doctor is wearing a PPE kit. You have to imagine the scenario and draw the expression on the face of the person.

CEED Previous Year Exam Analysis Of 2025

The CEED 2025 exam was conducted with a focus on both Part-A and Part-B, emphasizing visual skills, logical reasoning, and creativity. The exam also featured diverse question types such as Multiple Select Questions (MSQs), Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs), and Numerical Answer Type (NAT) questions. The Part-B section had a heavy emphasis on sketching and design interpretation. Below is a breakdown of the key elements of the exam:

There was an increased emphasis on visual problem-solving in Part-A, especially in the MSQ and NAT sections, which tested spatial awareness and the ability to visualize abstract ideas.

Part-B continued to test drawing proficiency but also placed more importance on storytelling and design communication, making the ability to convey ideas visually a crucial skill.

How To Prepare For CEED 2026 - Additional Tips

• The 2026 CEED Examination could be expected to be more focused on Part B since sketching and addressing the visual challenges gives a better insight into the thought process of the aspirant.

• You may be given a real-time scenario or situation from life, like a perspective view of the Railway station where you may be asked to identify the challenges from a third person with special abilities, or a pregnant woman.

• Here an aspirant possesses two skills: empathy & practical approach to the solution and may do better than others. In the coming articles, we may share the exercises and activities in this regard.

Top Design Entrance Exam

Books Recommended For CEED Preparation 2026

Given that IITs does not recommend any particular books or study materials for CEED exam preparation. Nonetheless, the list of the best books for CEED preparation is provided below. Furthermore, these books are divided into sections that are divided into several parts.

Books Recommended For CEED - Part A

Books Recommended For CEED - Part B

Most Important Don'ts: Common mistakes include attempting the question carefully, where aspirants must read or interpret the questions correctly while attempting the NAT questions.