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 Exam Pattern 2026
2. CEED Syllabus 2026
3. How To Crack CEED 2026 Exam Part - A
4. How To Crack CEED 2026 Exam Part - B
5. CEED Previous Years Solved Question
6. CEED Previous Years Exam Analysis Of 2024 and 2023
7. How To Prepare For CEED 2026 - Additional Tips
8. 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.

CEED Exam Pattern 2026

CEED, more than a subjective evaluation, is an overall assessment process designed to test creative thinking, imagination skills, functional understanding of things, practical Approaches to challenges, Logical Reasoning etc.

If we talk about the CEED exam pattern, It is conducted in two stages. The first stage is a Computer Based Test (CBT), where if one qualifies for Stage -01, later asked to appear for Stage 02, which is a PI (Personal Interview) and Task Based Test (testing execution skills for a given challenge), unlike the NID Studio Test.

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

The Syllabus for CEED 2026 is evolving, focusing on shortlisting candidates with a versatile set of skills to cater to the challenges of the 21st century. Thus, the list of important topics for CEED preparation is as follows.

1. Visualization and spatial reasoning: Ability to visualize and transform 2D shapes and 3D objects and their spatial relationships.

2. Practical and Scientific knowledge: Know-how of scientific principles and everyday objects in our day-to-day life works.

3. Observation and design sensitivity: Develop the capacity to detect concealed properties in daily life and think critically about them. Attention to detail, classification, analysis, inference, and prediction

4. Analytical and Logical reasoning: Ability to analyze qualitative and quantitative information harvesting sense from numerical values, charts, tables, etc.

5. Art and Design Knowledge: Awareness about art/artifact/product, artists/designers, art/design history and trends.

# For a detailed understanding of the syllabus, an aspirant must refer to the latest CEED brochure on the official website.

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

For more better understanding, let's have a look at a solved Part-B question of the CEED exam.

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 Years Exam Analysis Of 2024 and 2023

The exam was moderately to easy in the past but this may be subjective as per the interests and practice of an individual. There is a pattern shift where weightage has been increased to PART-B of examination in the last two years seeking the aptitude for visual interpretation and communications in aspirants. This has made the Sketching Part has been quite elaborate and time-consuming where time management is a crucial skill sought in an aspirant.

Part A may not see many changes, however, the degree of practicality in questions and focus from solution to approach-based questions can be seen in the future.

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 the person of 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.