CEED Syllabus 2026 (OUT): Part A & B Latest Syllabus PDF, Important Topics
Common Entrance Examination for Design 2026 ( CEED )
Registration - 1 Oct '25 - 31 Oct '25
CEED Syllabus 2026 - IIT Bombay has released the syllabus for CEED 2026 on its admission portal. The syllabus outlines in the CEED information brochure 2026. The candidate needs to go through the syllabus to learn the full details of the syllabus, including exam sections, subject-wise topics, and weightage.
CEED Entrance Exam will consist of two parts:
1. Part A
2. Part B
Part A will be conducted online and Part B will be conducted offline.
Along with the syllabus, the candidate must also consult the CEED exam pattern, as it will define the test structure, section-wise questions, and marking scheme. IIT Bombay may revise the syllabus and exam pattern for CEED for 2026. The CEED exam is conducted for admission to the M.Des course. To get a good score in the CEED 2026, it is important to cover the syllabus completely, solve sample papers, and take mock tests.
- CEED 2026 subject-wise Syllabus
- Compare New and OLD CEED Syllabus
- Important Topics for CEED Preparation
- CEED 2026 Preparation Tips from Toppers
- CEED Exam Pattern 2026
- CEED Syllabus 2026 - FAQs
CEED 2026 subject-wise Syllabus
The syllabus is outlined in the CEED information brochure. The syllabus for CEED 2026 for both Part A and Part B is given in the tables below.
CEED 2026 Part A Syllabus
The CEED Syllabus for Part A is to have the following topics:
| Topic |
Description |
|---|---|
| Visualization and spatial reasoning |
Ability to visualize and transform 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 environmental, 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. |
CEED 2026 Part B Syllabus
| Topic |
Description |
|---|---|
| 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. |
Note: Given that CEED will be an aptitude test, no books are recommended by exam officials for preparation. Nevertheless, the candidate is recommended to practice their drawing, rendering, and visualization skills. In addition, previous years' question papers could be a good source of material to prepare for CEED 2026.
Focus more on Part B of the CEED 2026 question paper
The CEED 2026 final score will be calculated by giving 25% weightage to Part A, and 75% weightage to Part B. So, when preparing for the exam, the candidate has to pay THREE times more attention to Part B!
Commonly asked questions
Compare New and OLD CEED Syllabus
The Old CEED syllabus for Part A is given below.
| Topics | Description |
|---|---|
| Visualization and Spatial Ability | Pictorial and diagrammatic questions to test the understanding of transformation and/or manipulation of 2D shapes and 3D objects and their spatial relationships; knowledge of practical and everyday mechanical and scientific concepts. |
| Environmental and Social Awareness | General awareness of environmental factors such as climate, vegetation, weather, water, population, water, pollution, natural resources, etc., and their impact and implications on the design of products, images, infrastructure, and environment. Awareness of social and cultural connection with the design, history of the designed artifact, and socially responsible and environmentally sustainable design responses. History of art, sculpture, and literature. |
| Analytical and Logical Reasoning | Ability to look at information, be it qualitative or quantitative in nature, and discern patterns within the information. Ability to weigh opinions, arguments, or solutions against appropriate criteria. Ability to check for hidden bias or hidden assumptions and whether evidence and argument support conclusions. Ability to use logic and structured thinking to deduce from a short passage, which of a number of statements is the most accurate response to a posed question. Data Interpretation, brainteasers, and patterns. |
| Language and Creativity | Ability to understand and use Standard English. Reading comprehension, knowledge of English grammar, such as sentence structure and usage, the use of tenses, verb patterns, articles, and active and passive constructions, etc. & vocabulary skills. Ability to think creatively in terms of alternatives, ability to distinguish innovative options, and think out of the box. |
| Design Thinking and Problem Solving | Ability to use visual analogies, metaphors, signs, and symbols. Ability to understand complexity, identify problems, generate alternatives, evaluate options, and select solutions. |
| Observation and Design Sensitivity | Ability to detect concealed properties in ordinary things, people, situations, and events, and think critically about them. Applying attention to certain details, analysing, reasoning, classifying, inferring, and predicting. Ability to discern subtle differences in visual properties and aesthetic outcomes. |
In the old syllabus for Part B, questions were asked from the following topics.
| Topics | Description |
|---|---|
| Drawing | Ability to draw products, people, or scenes in proportion with good line quality, composition, proportion, perspective and shading. |
| Creativity | Ability to think out-of-the-box and come up with unique as well as diverse solutions. |
| Communication Skills | Ability to communicate concepts and ideas clearly with the help of text and visuals. |
| Analytical and Problem Solving Skills | Ability to understand the user and the context, knowledge of properties of materials and processes and their appropriate use in design, originality of solutions, ability to create characters, plots, and stories, etc. |
Also Read:
Commonly asked questions
Important Topics for CEED Preparation
CEED is an aptitude test, and hence, no specific textbook or guide is recommended by IIT Bombay for its preparation. Candidates are advised to practice their drawing, rendering, and visualisation skills. CEED question papers for previous years are available on Shiksha. Based on previous years’ CEED question papers, some of the important topics that candidates can prepare for the design entrance exam are mentioned below:
| Important Topics for CEED |
||
|---|---|---|
| Creative Writing Skills |
Drawing Ability and Skills | Communication Skills |
| Design Concepts | How to Develop Characters |
Logical Reasoning |
| Light and Shadow | Perspective Design | Logo Design |
| Problem Identification & Design Problem Solving |
Scale and Proportion | Product Designing |
| Basics of Drawing- Lines and Shapes | Gradation Chart |
Colour Theory, Color Schemes and color Compositions |
| Still Life Drawings, Eye Levels and Symmetrical Drawing Concepts, Object drawings from everyday life | Perspective- Types and Usage | Human Body Knowledge |
| Anatomy, Proportions and Divisions |
Basic and advanced Human Drawings | Hands and Feets Study |
| Human Features | Animal and Bird Study |
Colour Rendering and Design |
| Inspirational Design | Means of Advertisement-Visual Communication | Grid Collages |
| Metamorphosis |
Study of Objects and Lateral Thinking | Compositions |
| Story Illustrations | Pictograms and Signage |
Geometrical and Design Exercise |
| Compositional sense | Placement of different figures proportionally | Sense of proportion |
| Basics of materials and manufacturing processes | Interaction Design and Visual Communication | Sketching |
| Representation techniques | Problem identification & solving | Visual perception |
| Interface design & Product Design | Poster, Logo, Character designing | Story telling |
| Drawing of human figures of different postures, actions, and age groups | ||
Commonly asked questions
CEED 2026 Preparation Tips from Toppers
Click on the links below to check CEED preparation tips from past years' CEED toppers:
Commonly asked questions
CEED Exam Pattern 2026
Apart from knowing the CEED syllabus, it is also highly important for candidates to understand the CEED 2026 exam pattern. The CEED exam pattern is different for Part A and Part B of the exam. Given below are some of the major highlights for both parts of the past year CEED exam:
| CEED Exam Pattern Particulars | Part A | Part B |
|---|---|---|
| Exam mode | Online |
Offline
|
| Number of questions | 41 |
5 |
| Type of questions |
|
|
| Duration | 1 hour |
2 hours |
| Total marks | 100 |
100 |
| Exam mode | Online |
Offline |
| Language of question paper | English |
Read More: Important topics to study for CEED
Commonly asked questions
CEED Syllabus 2026 - FAQs
Go through the frequently asked questions (FAQs) related to the CEED 2026 syllabus below.
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
Industrial Design Centre - IIT Bombay
Powai, Mumbai • Public
3.2IIT Delhi - Indian Institute of Technology
Hauz khas, Delhi • Public
- ₹ 70,000
- 2 years
- |
- Full Time
DTU - Delhi Technological University
Rohini, Delhi • Public
Dehradun • Private
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