How to Prepare for CEED Exam in 3 Months?

How to Prepare for CEED Exam in 3 Months?

Upcoming Event

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

Ritika JonwalUpdated on 16 Jul 2025, 12:43 PM IST

CEED is one of the most reputed and strategic examinations in Design, conducted annually. The ticket to enrolling in one of India's premier Master of Design programs is the CEED exam. This briefing will provide a strategic roadmap that will help students prepare for CEED 2026 in 3 months. This article will guide students in bettering their analytical, visual, and design thinking skills to perform well in every exam section.

How to Prepare for CEED Exam in 3 Months?
ceed preparation in 3 months

We identified some topics with good weightage that had repeatedly been asked in the last 5 years. In this article, we will try to answer your question to determine the focus areas for NAT, MSQ, or MCQ, along with tips to excel and perform best in Section B.

CEED Important Topics with Good Weightage

To prepare for CEED in 3 months 2026, students should take a look at the list on important topics first according to the CEED exam syllabus, comprising of good weightage in the exam. The topics are as follows.

1a. Visualization and Spatial Ability

  • 2D & 3D Shape/Volume Perception & Visualization
  • Surface and Edge Counting for the given shape/Platonic Solids
  • Cube & Dices counting for Missing
  • Different Types of Views for Objects: Perspective/ Orthographic/ Section/ Exploded Views.

1b. Water & Mirror Image of the Given Object

1c. Paper Cutting and patterns Generated

2. Observation and Design Sensitivity

  • History of Objects and Their Evolution
  • Design Principles and Major Theories and Limitations
  • Graphic Design Basics ( e.g. Gutter, Margins, Knurling etc.)
  • Animation Principles and Their Examples
  • Folding and Unfolding views of Cubes/Paper etc.
  • Fundamentals of Typography and Type Design

3. Cognition and Problem-Solving Based

  • Concepts and Application of Mechanisms like Springs, Gears & Pulleys
  • Data Interpretation for Pictorial, Charts, and Graphical Information
  • Signs, Symbols, and Metaphorical Association with Symbols
CEED 2026 High Weightage and Most Scoring Topics
CEED 2026 aspirants can access the free PDF on High-Weightage Topics from here. Covering these topics will help enhance preparation and improve exam readiness.
Download EBook

4 . Quantitative Aptitude

Most Repeated Types of CEED Questions

For effective CEED preparation, an in-depth analysis of the CEED Question paper from more than 05 years has been analyzed. It has been identified that certain topics have repeatedly been asked about and could be a good scoring section. The brief of the topic and image of original questions have been shared in this article for the reference of all readers for a focused preparation plan.

Also Check:

Questions based on calculating the Area and Volume

Under the NAT Section, most questions are directly or indirectly based on calculating the Area or using this understanding to answer the passive question.
1721121273481

1721121274248

Example of an Indirect Relationship between two given shapes in the figure


1721121275300

Questions based on Hidden Figures/Overlapping Shapes

1721121274528
1721121274774
1721121275463

Surface/Vertices/Edge Counting

Two different views of a shape/volume are given, and the aspirant is asked to count the number of edges/surfaces, vertices, etc.


1721121274002


1721121274108

Spotting The Difference/Correlation Between Two Given Images

Below are two examples for spotting the correlation and difference between the parent image and the option provided. In the first question asked is to find the correlation and in the second option

1721121276079

Simple Mechanisms & Principles of Daily Life

Regularly, questions have been asked on understanding Simple Mechanism, Devices, and Their Effect by Application of Force on an object as depicted in the questions below.

1721121275602
1721121274918

Fundamentals of Typography and Type Design

1721121273680
1721121275125

To focus on which of the following sections more out of NAT, MSQ, and MCQ in 3 months

It can be difficult to strategically choose the best portion for the test's NAT, MSQ, MCQ, and Drawing (Part B). Some people might be very good at Numerical Aptitude, while others might be very good at observation-based skills. As a result, the best strategy greatly depends on personal strengths.

However, from past experiences, the MCQ portion could be more scoring since it requires less subject-specific knowledge. Most questions could be attempted with good observation skills and logical thinking. The questions asked are mostly from everyday life applications.

Further, It is strongly advised that you work on a customised study plan based on your skills and weaknesses to optimise your score.

For CEED part B - What Skills need to be focussed?

Part -B is one of the most interesting sections for the CEED Examination. There is no shortcut to practice and time-bound sketching exercise for this section. Additionally, one can attempt well in this section through a focused and monthly planned-based approach. As shared in earlier articles, some crucial Topics for this section could be as follows.

  1. Human Anatomy, Movements, Run/Walk/Jump Cycles

  2. Forms both Organic and Geometric (Products, Freeforms and BioDesign)

  3. Perspective Sketching (Indoor and Outdoor Scenarios)

  4. Product Sketching for Everyday Life (e.g. Iron, Mouse, etc.)

The key is to start with the most fundamental shapes, such as lines, curves, ellipses, circles, squares, and cuboids.

Stationery Tips: Always prefer 4B or 6B pencils for sketching. To study more in detail please refer to the best recommended CEED preparation books.

Check Design Colleges:

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Is it possible to crack CEED 2026 exam in 3 months?
A:

Yes, it is possible to crack the CEED 2026 exam in 3 months with focused effort and diligent hard work. Solve the previous year's CEED questions papers, mock tests and sample papers.

Q: Which section is the typically the most scoring section in the CEED exam 2026?
A:

The MCQ section of the CEED - Part A exam is often the highest-scoring section of the paper. However, this section requires good observation skills and logical thinking. 

Q: Which are the best CEED 2026 preparation books?
A:

Given below is the list of best recommended CEED 2026 preparation books.

  • Design Drawing by Francis DK Ching
  • Perspective Drawing Handbook by Joseph D'Amelio
  • Cracking CEED & UCEED (with Previous Years' Papers and Mock Tests) by Ashok Goel and Arjun Kamal
  • CEED & NID M.Des Entrance Books and Test Series by Ashish Popli, Pradosh Swain, Rishabh Rhode
Q: What are the most important topics for Part B of the CEED exam?
A:

The most important topics for Part B of the CEED exam are perspective sketching, product sketching of everyday items and human anatomy.

Articles
|
Certifications By Top Providers
Computer Fundamentals
Via Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Indore
Artificial Intelligence
Via Columbia University, New York
Certificate Program in Machine Learning and AI with Python
Via Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
Post Graduate Certification in Data Science and Machine Learning
Via Management Development Institute, Murshidabad
VLSI Design using Verilog
Via National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology, Haridwar
Basic 3D Animation using Blender
Via Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
Udemy
 1087 courses
Coursera
 505 courses
Edx
 330 courses
Vskills
 157 courses
Swayam
 136 courses
Explore Top Universities Across Globe

Questions related to CEED

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to CEED ?

NIFT M.Des / NID / CEED – Careers360 Study Material

  1. Careers360 NIFT Study Material → Guides + 10 free mock tests → Careers360 NIFT Material

  2. E-books & Sample Papers → Practice questions & previous papers → Careers360 NIFT E-books

Focus Areas: Creative Aptitude, General Ability, Situation Test.

Hii

Common Entrance Examination for Design is a test includes design aptitude, your creativity, visualisation, problem-solving, and also analytical ability.

CEED exam structure is divided in 2 parts (PART A & PART B) and you can check what to study and syllabus of CEED on career360 https://design.careers360.com/articles/ceed-syllabus-2025


CEED syllabus includes:

Visualization and spatial ability

Design thinking and problem solving

Drawing skills

Creativity

Communication skills

Analytical and logical reasoning

Environmental and social awareness

Observation and design sensitivity Also includes topics on form, function, aesthetics, and technical drawing.


Hello Anushka,

Thanks for reaching out!

You can definitely prepare for CEED to pursue UI/UX design.since you're not from design background you'll need 4-6 months of focused prepration.

Focus on:

Sketching

Visual communication

Design concepts

User experience basics

Problem - solving skills

Past CEED papers.

Practice drawings, story boarding, Idea generation daily.

You can also take online courses to learn design fundamentals and tools.

Consistency and practice matter most!

get all the detailed info here:

https://design.careers360.com/articles/ceed-syllabus

All the best!


Hello sir,

Thanks for reaching out!

Yes, you still have a good chance even with a mid CEED score, if the rest of your profile is strong. While the CEED score is important, most of the institutes use full selection process that includes your CEED score(Part A and B), Portfolio and often an interview or studio tests.Your 6 years of experience, strong portfolio and relevant coursera certificates can add significant value during admission in IITDM, Srishti etc which consider the overall profile not just the rank.