CEED Preparation Tips 2026: Section-wise Toppers Strategy, Recommended Books, Study Material
Common Entrance Examination for Design 2026 ( CEED )
Registration - 1 Oct '25 - 31 Oct '25
CEED Preparation 2026 - IIT Bombay conducted the CEED 2025 exam on January 19, 2025 (9 am - 12 noon). For the year 2026, it will conduct the CEED 2026 examination most probably in the second week of January. The exam will have two parts - Part A will be conducted in a computer-based mode, while Part B will be held in offline mode. The syllabus for CEED 2026 will be revised for the CEED 2026 examination. So, when preparing for the CEED 2026 exam, follow the current syllabus, especially to ensure you prepare for the exam on time. Also, to ace the national-level design entrance exam, a well-thought-out preparation strategy is needed.
The question paper of CEED is such that it will test the design abilities of the candidate. Candidates appearing in the CEED exam need to ensure that they know the basics of designing to succeed. Apart from this, candidates were also advised to focus on improving their aptitude and knowledge related to subjects such as Logical Reasoning, English Language, and Environmental and Social Awareness. Here we share the CEED 2026 preparation process.
- Step-wise CEED 2026 Preparation Plan
- CEED Preparation Strategy 2026
- CEED Preparation Tips from Toppers
- CEED Exam Analysis
- CEED 2026: Other Preparation Tips
- CEED 2026 Exam Preparation - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Step-wise CEED 2026 Preparation Plan
CEED is a sought-after design entrance exam, and so candidates need to keep the following pointers in mind when making a plan for CEED preparation:
Step 1: Understand the CEED 2026 pattern and marking scheme.
Step 2: Strictly follow the CEED 2026 syllabus for exam preparation.
Step 3: Make a monthly, weekly, and daily timetable.
Step 4: Solve past years’ CEED question papers, sample papers, and mock tests.
Commonly asked questions
CEED Preparation Strategy 2026
Candidates preparing for CEED 2026 should keep the following points in mind:
Know the CEED Exam Pattern
The CEED exam pattern will be released by IIT Bombay. CEED 2026 question paper will have two parts – A and B. The Part B answer sheet will only be evaluated if the candidate qualifies or meets the cutoff criteria for Part A. Also, the CEED merit list will be prepared by giving 25% weightage to Part A and 75% weightage to Part B.
CEED 2026 Part A Exam Pattern
CEED 2026 Exam pattern will be updated soon. Meanwhile, go through the CEED 2025 pattern. Aspirants can go through the CEED 2025 exam pattern for the Part A exam in the table below:
| CEED Part A Sections |
No. of Questions |
Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Numerical Answer Type (NAT) Questions |
8 |
24 |
| Multiple Select Questions (MSQ) |
10 |
30 |
| Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) |
23 |
46 |
| Total Number of Questions |
41 |
100 |
Also Read: How to prepare for CEED Part A Exam
CEED 2026 Part B Exam Pattern
CEED 2026 Exam pattern will be updated soon. Meanwhile, go through the CEED 2025 pattern.
Aspirants can go through the exam pattern for CEED 2025 Part B exam in the table below:
| CEED Part B Sections |
No. of Questions |
Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Sketching |
1 |
20 |
| Creativity |
1 |
20 |
| Form Sensitivity |
1 |
20 |
| Visual Sensitivity |
1 |
20 |
| Problem Identification |
1 |
20 |
| Total Number of Questions |
5 |
100 |
Also Read: Prep Tips for CEED Part B Exam
Know CEED Marking Scheme
| CEED Part A Sections |
Marks for Each Correct Answer |
Marks Deducted for Each Wrong Answer |
|---|---|---|
| NAT |
3 |
0 |
| MSQ |
3 |
-0.2 |
| MCQ |
2 |
-0.5 |
| Total Marks |
100 |
|
Know CEED Syllabus
Candidates need to be thorough with the topics they should study to score well in Part A as well as Part B of the design exam. Candidates need to topics given in the CEED syllabus in-depth to ace each section.
Topics from which questions are asked in the CEED Part-A exam include:
| Visualization and Spatial Ability | Environmental and Social Awareness |
| Analytical and Logical Reasoning | Language and Creativity |
| Design Thinking and Problem Solving | Observation and Design Sensitivity |
For CEED Part-B exam, candidates are evaluated on the skills mentioned below:
| Drawing | Creativity |
| Communication Skills | Analytical and Problem-Solving Skills |
CEED Books & Study Material
If the study material is good, then the effort put in will more likely bear fruit. Here are some books to prepare for CEED 2026:
| CEED Books | Author/Publisher |
|---|---|
| Design Drawing | Francis DK Ching |
| CEED (MDes) Test Series | TRENDZ ACADEMY |
| Perspective Drawing Handbook | Joseph D’Amelio |
| Art Perception | David Cycleback |
Also Read: Important topics to study for CEED
Refer to CEED Question Papers, Sample Papers & Mock Tests
One of the best ways to prepare for the CEED 2026 exam is by solving CEED question papers, sample papers, and mock tests. Solving past years’ question papers of CEED helps candidates determine the question paper format. Candidates can also develop a time-management strategy for themselves when solving previous years’ question papers for the exam. Solving CEED sample papers and mock tests also helps candidates in determining how well they are prepared for the CEED exam. Also, it boosts immense confidence among candidates.
Also Read:
Commonly asked questions
CEED Preparation Tips from Toppers
Click on the links below to check the preparation strategy of CEED toppers of past years:
Commonly asked questions
CEED Exam Analysis
While preparing for the CEED exam, it is important to understand the difficulty level of the question papers of past years. Every year, after the design entrance test is over, Shiksha reaches out to experts and students who appeared for the CEED exam. While the difficulty level of the CEED question paper is usually easy to moderate, click on the CEED exam analysis links below to get complete details on the same:
Commonly asked questions
CEED 2026: Other Preparation Tips
Apart from what is mentioned above, some of the other tips that candidates should keep in mind while preparing for the CEED exam 2026 are mentioned below:
- In CEED Part-A, general knowledge about different aspects of the Design field is extremely important
- In CEED Part B, focus should be on honing drawing, rendering, and visualization skills
- Solving as many past year CEED question papers as possible is a key to acing the exam
- While preparing for CEED Part B, think out of the box and be creative
Read More:
Commonly asked questions
CEED 2026 Exam Preparation - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Check out important FAQs related to CEED 2026 exam preparation:
Commonly asked questions
CEED Exam
Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 2 months ago
IIT Bombay will release the admission notification for CEED 2026 exam by October 1, 2025. The admission portal for CEED 2026 will be launched soon- ceed.iitb.ac.in.
The portal contain the updates about the CEED exam. It also contain useful recourses like previous years' question papers, answer keys
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
The best books for CEED 2026 preparation are:
- Cracking CEED & UCEED (2022 Edition) by Ashok Goel and Arjun Kamal
- CEED+NID (M.DES) [Paperback] Academy of Fashion & Art Preparation Kit
- CEED Common Entrance Exam for Design Pattern & Scheme Preparation Book 2022 [Paperback] Examinspect
- CEED ENTRANCE by Acad
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
Yes, candidates from engineering, architecture, arts, science, or commerce backgrounds can apply. Candidates must have completed a graduate degree/diploma/postgraduate degree program of a minimum of THREE years (after 10+2 level).
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
CEED 2026 application is expected to start in the first week of October 2025. The official notification will be out by October 1, 2025.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
CEED Entrance Examination 2026 will be conduced on January 18, 2026. The exam timing will be 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM.
S
Contributor-Level 10
18 Institutes accepting CEED
IIT Delhi - Indian Institute of Technology
Hauz khas, Delhi • Public
- ₹ 70,000
- 2 years
- |
- Full Time
DTU - Delhi Technological University
Rohini, Delhi • Public
2.8Industrial Design Centre - IIT Bombay
Powai, Mumbai • Public
Vellore • Private
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