4 Time Management Tips for UCEED 2026
Undergraduate Common Entrance Examination for Design 2026 ( UCEED )
Registration - 1 Oct '25 - 31 Oct '25
UCEED 2026 question paper has two parts - Part A and B. Part A will include 57 objective questions that have to be attempted in 2 hours; Part B will include a sketching-based and aptitude-based question that has to be completed in i hour. Here we bring you easy but effective tips to manage time better in the UCEED entrance exam.
UCEED is one of the most competitive entrance exams for B.Des admission in the country. So, if you intend to do well in the exam and get a good score, you must learn time management, among other things. It is because while many candidates do develop the skill to solve a problem, they find themselves high and dry on exam day because of their tortoise-esque speed. Many times, they also lack time-management tricks. So, here we bring some useful UCEED 2026 time-management tips to help you ride the tide!
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If you consider the question paper of UCEED 2026, then the exam can be considered to be moderately difficult. For instance, of the 68 questions asked, around 18 questions fall in the moderate category, 18 in the moderate to difficult category, while the rest can be tagged easy to moderate.
In contrast, NIFT and NID DAT are considered to be tougher. This is because in NID DAT, more weightage is given to subjective and drawing-related questions. Consequently, the candidate needs to be very creative and have strong fundamentals to answer the questions. In NID DAT for the B. Des programme, DAT Prelims carries 40% weightage, while DAT Mains carries 60% weightage.
Given that UCEED is one of the most important and the toughest design entrance exams in the country, one should not wait till the last moments to prepare for the exam. Ideally, the candidate should have at least an year to prepare for the exam. That being said, if the candidate has above average understand of the basics, he or she can easily prepare for the exam in six months. When preparing for the exam, it is important to have a target in mind. For example, the merit rank the candidate wants to achieve. Note that the cut-off rank varies from one institute to another.
- UCEED 2026 reservation policy announced; IITs to follow Govt Policy for admissions
- UCEED 2026 syllabus released by IIT Bombay
UCEED 2026 question paper will have two Parts - A and B. Part A will be conducted in a computer-based mode and comprise 57 questions that candidates need to answer in two hours. Meanwhile, Part B will include a sketching-based and an aptitude-based question, which have to be attempted in 60 minutes. The total mark for the UCEED exam is 300. Part A of the UCEED exam will be further divided into three sections. The first section would consist of Numerical Answer Type (NAT) questions and the second and third sections would have Multiple Select Questions (MSQ) and Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ), respectively.
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IIT Bombay will conduct the UCEED exam 2026 on January 18, 2026. The exam will be held in 27 cities. UCEED Application is open now till October 31, 2026. The UCEED 2026 admit card will be released on January 02, 2026.
4 Time Management Tips for UCEED 2026
Here are the tips that will help you complete the UCEED 2026 question paper on time. So, go through them carefully.
1) Allot time for each question
UCEED 2026 will comprise 59 questions that aspirants need to attempt in a 3-hour duration. There is a further bifurcation in the time allotted to solve each section of the exam. There are 57 questions in Part A, which need to be solved in 2 hours, and 2 questions (one drawing and one aptitude-based question) in Part B, which need to be solved in 1 hour. This means the candidate has very limited time to solve the paper. However, aspirants are advised to keep two minutes for solving each question and save the remaining time for re-visiting the questions that they couldn't complete in the first attempt.
UCEED 2026 question paper included a total of 59 questions. The section-wise questions asked in Part A was: NAT (14), MSQs (15), and MCQs (28). Part B included a solitary Drawing-based question. The section-wise difficulty level of UCEED 2026 is given below.
Part A | Number of questions | Total marks | Difficulty level |
NAT | 14 | 56 | Moderate |
MSQ | 15 | 60 | Moderate to difficult |
MCQ | 28 | 84 | Easy to moderate |
Part B of the question paper included a sketching-based question of moderate difficulty level. The question will carry100 marks.
If the candidate has an year in their hands to prepare for the UCEED exam, then they need to follow these steps: Make a study plan Carefully go though the syllabus and exam pattern; note that the syllabus has been revised for UCEED. Make sure that you get the book combination right. When studying, make it a point to take notes. Side by side with reading books, solve problem Sets. Solve sample paper and take mock tests. Considering you have one year in your hands, if need be, you can tweak your preparation strategy midway to meet requirements.
The important topics for UCEED 2026 Part B are given below:
- Drawing: Ability to draw products, people or scenes in proportion with good line quality, composition, proportion, perspective and shading.
- Design Aptitude Capability to practically and appropriately respond to problems/situations with ingenuity and empathy.
Since Part A of UCEED 2026 will be a computer-based test, the candidate can easily navigate to questions that they mark for re-checking or questions that they do not answer in the first go. So, it is quite easy for aspirants to go back and solve the questions that they did not attempt initially.
2) Concentrate on picture-type questions
There are many time-consuming questions in UCEED, such as aptitude questions and puzzles. However, there are some picture-based questions as well, which are quite easy and quick to solve. Also, as soon as you solve these questions you are confident of having solved them correctly. So, we advise that you practice as many picture-based questions as you possibly can (during UCEED preparation time) to score well in UCEED 2026.
3) Prioritize exam sections
Every candidate has some strong and weak points. Start attempting questions that reflect your strength first. This will not only improve your speed in solving the paper but also build up your confidence level in attempting the UCEED 2026 test paper.
As per the test pattern of UCEED, there is a negative marking in Part A; so every aspirant should refrain from making wild guesses and concentrate on minimizing the effect of negative marking as much as possible.
4) Time for revision
Candidates should manage their time in a way that they have at least 15-20 minutes at the end to check for the unsolved questions. This is extremely necessary because such an initiative can help improve the score of a candidate tremendously.
One of the best ways to perform well in the UCEED exam is to practice as many previous years' UCEED question papers along with UCEED sample questions. Such a task will not only help aspirants understand their speed in solving the UCEED test paper but also help them understand their strengths and weaknesses. Apart from this, aspirants should also go through some UCEED preparation tips in order to ensure that they have covered all the critical topics necessary to score well in the exam.
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered a month ago
No, UCEED 2025 entrance exam has been concluded at this point of time. Saintgits Design School BDes course admissions also accept different entrance exam scores as well including the SDAT entrance exam conducted by Saintgits Design School itself. Candidates can find all the accepted entrance exams f
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
For students belonging to the SC category under the AI quota, the UCEED last round closing rank was 31 for IIT Indore B.Des admission. Please note that the cutoff ranks vary for different rounds. The round-wise UCEED 2025 closing ranks for IIT Indore are tabulated below for the SC category.
| Round | UCEED Cutoff 2025 (Closing Rank) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 24 |
| 2 | 24 |
| 3 | 24 |
| 4 | 24 |
| 5 | 31 |
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
Yes, the IIT Indore cutoff 2025 varies across different rounds and categories. For the last round, IIT Indore cutoff UCEED 2025 was 119 for BDes admission for the General AI quota. On the other hand, for the OBC category candidates, the cutoff rank was 61 for the last round. Refer to the table belo
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
The official notification of UCEED 2026 will be released by October 01, 2025, by IIT Bombay on the official website. The exam dates are out and will be conducted on January 18, 2026.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
UCEED Exam 2026 will be conducted on January 18, 2026 (Sunday), from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM. The details will be released by October 01, 2025, on the official website.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
UCEED consists of two parts:
Part A (Computer-based): Objective questions (NAT, MSQ, MCQ)
Part B (Pen-and-paper): Drawing and design aptitude questions
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
UCEED 2026 Applications for the B.Des programme will be released by IIT Bombay in the last week of September 2025 or in the first week of October 2025. The application form will be available on the official website of UCEEED. The UCEED Entrance Exam 2026 will be conducted on January 18, 2026 (Sunda
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
IIT Bombay will conduct the UCEED 2026 Entrance Exam for B.Des programmes on January 18, 2026. The notification will be out in the first week of October 2025.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
Yes, candidates who have passed their H.S.C. vocational examination may apply for admission to the B.Des program.
S
Contributor-Level 10
If you have six months to prepare for UCEED and not an year, you need to be smart. Here are a few tips to prepare for the exam in six months: Make a study time table. Consult the exam pattern and get isights. Also, refer to the exam syllabus. Another point to note is the difficulty level of the exam. Start your preparation without any delay. Take notes during study. Solve sample papers and take mock tests.