Exam On - 18 Jan '26
Candidates seeking admission to the M.Des program at CEED 2026 participating institutes need to get their preparation strategy right. IIT Bombay will conduct the CEED 2026 exam on January 18, 2026. Read here about the tips and tools to prepare for CEED 2026 in four months.
IIT Bombay will conduct the CEED 2026 exam on January 18, 2026. Given that CEED is among the most competitive and difficult M.Des entrance exams in the country, you need to start your exam preparation without any delay. Also, if you want to get some tips to prepare for the exam within four months, we have the tips and tools ready. Remember, four months isn’t a lot of time, so you will have to put in a very good effort to get the desired results. The UCEED exam preparation will involve careful inspection of the syllabus and pattern. And once you are done with that, the actual preparation will take effect - working on the concepts, taking notes, solving sample papers, taking mock tests, and working on drawing assignments.
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Latest Updates:
- CEED 2026 syllabus released; With no change IIT Bombay emphasises analytical, creative skills
- IIT Bombay Announces CEED 2026 Reservation Policy
The good thing is we have a step-wise process for you to complete the CEED 2026 syllabus in four months (considering you put your heart and mind into it).
So, let’s jump in without any delay.
To appear in the CEED 2026 exam, the candidate must have passed a degree, Diploma, or postgraduate degree exam of minimum three years. There is no limit on the upper age limit or number of attempts for appearing in CEED.
The eligibility criteria that candidates need to meet for appearing in the CEED have been explained below.
- Qualifying exam: The candidate must have completed a degree, Diploma, or postgraduate programme of a minimum of THREE years (after 10+2). Or, Appearing for the final exam of such a programme by July 2026 or, Must have passed the GD Arts Diploma programme (10+5) level by July 2025.
- Age limit - No upper age limit.
- Number of Attempts - The CEED exam can be attempted any number of times.
It is incumbent on the candidate to carefully go through the eligibility criteria before filling out the CEED application form. It is because if the candidate doesn't meet any of the criteria, then he or she can be disqualified at any stage of the admission process.
A total of 5090 candidates registered for CEED 2025, out of which 4371 candidates appeared, and 1848 candidates qualified in the exam.
- Tips to prepare for CEED in four months
- How to start?
- Next, align preparation with exam requirements
- Ensure that the study material is top-notch
- Take notes during study
- Solve sample and previous years’ papers.
- Take mock tests
- Additional Tips for CEED 2026 preparation (Four months)
Tips to prepare for CEED in four months
Follow the sequence to prepare for the CEED exam (four-month preparation plan).
How to start?
The first thing you need to do is take a close look at the CEED 2026 syllabus.
IIT Bombay has released the Information Brochure for CEED 2026; the brochure was released alongside the CEED 2026 application form. The application form is now closed.
The brochure contains the official CEED 2026 syllabus.
Allocate time for each topic; if you have a hunch that some topics may be more difficult than others, you can allocate more time for such topics.
Next, align preparation with exam requirements
The syllabus will simply tell you what is important and what is not, but it won’t tell you much as to how you need to prepare for the exam.
This bit of information can be gathered from the CEED 2026 exam pattern.
IIT Bombay will conduct CEED 2026 exam on January 18, 2026 from 9 AM to 12 PM. It will be conducted at 27 centres. Candidates must report at 7 AM with admit card and ID proof.
Since CEED is a general aptitude test, you can benefit greatly by practicing previous year question papers. Also, after practicing the papers, it is highly important to analyse your strong and weak areas for the exam and then work on them accordingly.
But that being said, you can’t prepare for the CEED only on the strength of solving the sample papers. You need to read the text books to learn the concepts, understand the various dynamic. Note that unless your theoretical knowledge is sound, you won’t be able to feel truly confident.
Yes, CEED is a national-level exam for admission to M.Des and PhD courses offered by participating colleges. The exam is conducted by IIT Bombay.
In addition to the participating colleges, a number of other institutes, known as result-sharing institutes, will also use CEED scores for admission purposes. The CEED 2026 exam will be conducted on Janaury 18, 2026. The application form the exam is currently open.
Take, for instance, the CEED 2026 question paper will have two sections - Part A and Part B. Both mandatory.
Part A will include 41 objective-type questions that have to be attempted in 60 minutes (1 hour and 30 minutes). The paper will be held online.
So, speed and accuracy will be a big part of the section.
Meanwhile, Part A will include five sketching-based questions that have to be attempted in 2 hours. While the candidate definitely must be quick enough to complete the assignment, speed isn’t the big factor here, like in Part A.
Instead, Part B will be used to evaluate the drawing, conceptual, analytical, communication, and observation skills of the candidate. It will also test the candidate’s understanding of proportion, perspective, and creativity.
Ensure that the study material is top-notch
The quality of books you choose for your CEED 2026 exam preparation will have a direct correlation to how you fare in the exam.
For instance, if the study material is below standard, even with the best of efforts, you may struggle to qualify for CEED 2026 or may get a good rank.
On the other hand, good study material will complement your hard work, thereby increasing your chances of getting a better rank.
Check out this list of CEED 2026 books recommended by toppers. It may contain that special one that may just turn out to be the game changer!
Take notes during study
When you are preparing for the exam, make it a habit of taking notes of important and difficult points, or something you would like to take a second look at.
This notebook, if well compiled, could be a quick reference point, especially when you want to do a quick revision.
In fact, closer to the exam, it will be of immense help when you don’t want to go through large blocks of text or tedious pages before you can find what you are looking for.
Solve sample and previous years’ papers.
You can start solving sample papers from the very beginning of your exam preparation.
For example, once you complete a topic, you can solve all the problems related to that topic given in the sample papers.
Note that IIT Bombay officially released the previous year’s questions papers of CEED; make sure that you also solve these papers.
While the exact same question may not be asked in the CEED exam, the concepts or sometimes the wording may be repeated.
By solving sample papers, you can improve your problem-solving and time management skills.
Take mock tests
The official mock test for CEED is released by IIT Bombay a few days before the exam.
Mock tests can help you fine-tune your preparation and give the finishing touches.
Additionally, these tests will help you get acquainted with the question paper structure, navigation, and question paper layout.
Additional Tips for CEED 2026 preparation (Four months)
- Don’t think too far ahead; instead, stay in the moment and focus on your studies
- Do some light exercise daily
- Stay hydrated.
- Stay positive; in the same breath, stay away from negative people.
- Be consistent in your studies; for instance, don’t go missing for 2-3 days at a go, because it can really tank your preparation.
Sayeba Naushad is a commerce postgraduate from Banaras Hindu University. She has over five years of experience in content writing and editing. She has a nose for current events in design field. At Shiksha.com, she s
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The CEED 2026 applications are open now, from October 1, 2025. The application has to be filled online at ceed.iitb.ac.in.
The candidate can apply with both regular and late fees.
All the details pertaining to the CEED 2026 application form have been updated on the admission portals, including the information brochure. The candidate needs to carefully go through the brochure to check their eligibility. Note that information entered by the candidate at the time of submitting their application form will be verified at the time of counseling. Any candidate who doesn’t meet the criteria will be disqualified.