CEED Syllabus 2026 (Part A & Part B): Download Section-wise Syllabus PDF, Important Topics

IIT Bombay will conduct the CEED 2025 exam tentatively in January 2025 (9 am - 12 noon).

The exam will include two sections - Part A and Part B. Part A of the exam was administered in a computer-based mode, whereas Part B will be held offline. It is mandatory for candidates to qualify for Part A. If the candidate fails to qualify for Part A, his or her Part B answers booklet will not be evaluated. The final score of CEED 2024 will be calculated by giving weightage to both Part A and Part B.

The cut-off marks for Part A will be released a few days after the exam. 

The CEED syllabus was revised in the previous edition. 

IIT Bombay had released a detailed syllabus for CEED 2024 on March 3, 2023. The syllabus outlined the subject-wise topics candidates need to prepared for CEED 2024 and next editions of the exam. 

In other words, the revised syllabus is effective from 2024 onward. Candidates appearing in CEED 2025 must make it a point to follow the revised syllabus for exam preparation. 

The CEED 2025 exam will 3 hours long and have two parts. 

Part A of the CEED 2025 question paper will be computer-based mode and include three types of questions - MCQ, MSQ, and NAT. The duration of Part A will be 1 hour. Meanwhile, Part B will be 2-hour long and include subjective questions. Part B will be conducted offline. 

It may be noted that Part B answers booklets will be evaluated only of the candidate qualified for Part A. So, to be included in the merit list, the candidate must qualify for Part A.

Candidates preparing for the CEED 2025 exam need to follow the following syllabus when preparing for Part B of CEED 2025:

Drawing: Ability to draw products, people, or scenes in proportion with good line quality, composition, proportion, perspective, and shading. 

Creativity: Capacity to think out-of-the-box and come up with unique as well as diverse solutions. 

Communication: Skills to communicate concepts and ideas clearly with the help of text and visuals. 

Problem identification: Capability to understand the user and the context, knowledge of properties of materials, and their appropriate use in design.

The CEED 2025 applications opened on 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 2025 application form has 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.

As per the latest syllabus for CEED, Part A will include the following topics:

Visualization and spatial reasoning: Ability to visualize and transforms 2D shapes and 3D objects and their spatial relationships. 

Practical and scientific knowledge: Know-how of scientific principles and everyday objects. 

Observation and design sensitivity: Capacity to detect concealed properties in day-to-day life and think critically about them. Attention to detail, classification, analysis, inference, and prediction. 

Environment and society: General awareness of the environment, social and cultural connections with design. 

Analytical and logical reasoning: Ability to analyze qualitative and quantitative information. 

Language: Proficiency in reading and comprehending Standard English. 

Creativity: Grasp of verbal and non-verbal analogies, metaphors, signs, and symbols. 

Art and Design knowledge: Awareness about art/artifact/product, artists/designers, art/design history, and trends. 

Design methods and practices: Knowledge of media, materials, production processes, and ergonomics.

The topics listed in the CEED syllabus is indicative in nature. Also, the syllabus is exhaustive in the sense that questions may be asked from all or some of the topics. So, the candidate can’t skip any topics when preparing for CEED. 

The candidate is urged to go through the previous years' question papers to get an idea about the paper structure and types of questions asked. That being said, keep in mind that the syllabus has been revised for CEED.

The CEED syllabus can be daunting for some candidates. So, if you are not able to complete it, don'tpanic. The trick in these situations is to first focus on the easy topics and complete the first. If you manage that your anxiety levels will automatically come down. Next move on the moderate difficult topics. If you are able to tackle them, you can start working on the difficult ones. If you get stuck with a topic or problem, it is best to not spend prodigious time trying to master it. Instead move on to the next topic. You can revisit the difficult topic, if you have time.

Part A of the CEED 2024 question paper will include three types of questions - NAT, MCQ, and MSQ. The number of questions per question type and marking scheme is given in the table below.

Note that Part B answer booklet will only be evaluated if the candidate qualifies Part A.

The CEED question paper has two sections - Part A and Part B. Part A will include NAT, MSQ, and MCQ questions, and there is negative marking for M.Sc and MCQ-type questions. However, there is no negative marking for NAT-type questions.

 Meanwhile, Part B will be a subjective paper and will have no negative marking.

The candidate needs to bear this things in mind when preparing, and also attempting the CEED exam. 

The difficulty level of CEED exam is maintained by authorities over the years. However, most design aspirants share that if the difficulty level of all design entrance exams conducted for PG level courses is compared then CEED is slightly easier than the NID Entrance Exam. This is primarily because the drawing questions asked in NID DAT are considered to be tougher than those put forth in the CEED exam.

The application form for NID DAT 2024 is currently open. The last date to apply for NID DAT 2024 without late fees is December 1, 2023.

CEED 2024 will have two parts - Part A and Part B. Part A will be conducted as a computer-based test, whereas Part B will be conducted offline. The candidate will be provided answer booklets by the invigilator, where they have enter their answers. 

After the conclusion of the exam, the candidate has to return the answer booklets of Part B to the invigilator. Note that Part B answer booklets will only be evaluated if the candidate qualfiies Part A.

The final score of CEED 2024 will be calculated by giving weightage to Part A and Part B.

You can start preparing for CEED exam by following the below steps:

Understand CEED exam pattern and syllabus well.
Note that the CEED syllabus has been revised for both Part A and Part B.
IIT Bombay will release the detailed exam pattern when it releases the information brochure, sometime in September.
Make a well thought-out timetable for CEED preparation
Practice as many CEED previous year question papers and sample papers as possible
Take notes when you are studying.
Analyse your weak areas for the exam and work to improve those areas/subjects
Take mock tests.

It is very much possible to prepare for CEED without coaching. But before you embark on exam preparation on your own, you need the conviction that you can do it. If you are not convinced yourself and only decide to forgo coaching on the advice of others, the journey may be difficult.

If you prepare for the exam on your own, you need to be serious and plan the preparation smartly. For instance, after going through the syllabus, you must be able to decide the difficulty level, time it will take to cover the syllabus, and do revision. 

Remember, there are many instances of toppers who managed to ace the CEED exam without the aid of any coaching. Further, the final outcome may not depend on whether you do coaching or not, but the quality of your preparation.

There are multiple reasons why you must consult the official syllabus when preparing for the CEED 2025 exam.

Using the syllabus of CEED, you can identify which topics carry more weightage and a higher chance of being asked in the exam. 

Note that questions in the CEED 2025 exam will be asked as per the official syllabus only. 

So, following the syllabus is non-negotiable.

The CEED 2025 exam will be conducted by following a revised syllabus. 

When preparing for the exam, the candidate can refer to the syllabus and find out which topics are redundant and which topics are important. 

In addition to the syllabus, also consult the exam pattern. 

IIT Bombay released a notification on March 3 saying the design entrance exam effective 2024 onward will be conducted following a revised syllabus. 

As per the revised syllabus, Part A will now have topics like Visualization and spatial ability, Practical and scientific knowledge, Observation and design sensitivity, Environment and society, Analytical and logical reasoning, Language, Creativity, Art and Design knowledge, and Design methods and practices.

Meanwhile, Part B will have the following topics: Drawing, Creativity, Communication, and Problem identification. 

Note that the UCEED 2025 exam syllabus has also been changed. IIT Bombay conducts the UCEED exam for admission to the B.Des programme offered by participating colleges. 

IIT Bombay has released the syllabus for CEED 2024. When preparing for the exam, the candidate had to also pay special attention to the important topics as they carry more weightage and also have a higher chance of being asked in the exam.

Here are important topics of CEED:

The CEED exam has two parts - Part A and Part B. 

Part A will include the following type of questions - Numerical Answers Type (NAT), Multiple Select Questions (MSQ), and Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs). The questions will be objective-type. 

Meanwhile, Part B of the question paper for CEED 2024 will include subjective-type questions. The questions will test the design, drawing, and writing skills of the candidate. The candidate will have 2 hours to attempt Part B, while for Part A, the candidate will get 1 hour.

The CEED syllabus was revised in the previous edition.

It is very important for the candidate to solve previous years’ question papers. The reason being the question papers will help the candidate identify the types of questions asked, marking scheme, difficult level, etc.

Considering the syllabus for CEED has been revised, the candidate may solve only those questions that are still included in the topic. Carefully go through the revised syllabus and check out the topics; identify the topcis that are same as last year. You can use the question papers and solve questions for the common topics.