CEED Exam Date:18 Jan' 26 - 18 Jan' 26
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.
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.
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
1b. Water & Mirror Image of the Given Object
1c. Paper Cutting and patterns Generated
2. Observation and Design Sensitivity
3. Cognition and Problem-Solving Based
4 . Quantitative Aptitude
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:
Under the NAT Section, most questions are directly or indirectly based on calculating the Area or using this understanding to answer the passive question.
Example of an Indirect Relationship between two given shapes in the figure
Questions based on Hidden Figures/Overlapping Shapes
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.
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
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.
Fundamentals of Typography and Type Design
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.
Human Anatomy, Movements, Run/Walk/Jump Cycles
Forms both Organic and Geometric (Products, Freeforms and BioDesign)
Perspective Sketching (Indoor and Outdoor Scenarios)
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.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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.
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.
Given below is the list of best recommended CEED 2026 preparation books.
The most important topics for Part B of the CEED exam are perspective sketching, product sketching of everyday items and human anatomy.
On Question asked by student community
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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.
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