
UCEED Preparation 2026 - IIT Bombay will conduct the UCEED 2026 exam in the third week of January.
Given the difficulty level and competitiveness of the UCEED exam, you must make an all-out effort to ace the exam.
The UCEED 2026 question paper will include two sections or parts:
- Part A will be objective-type and include 57 questions
- Part B will include 2 questions - one sketching-based question and one aptitude-based question.
Candidates can crack the UCEED 2026 exam if they are well-acquainted with different design elements and also have adequate knowledge of current affairs and General Knowledge. In this article, we discuss the step-wise process the candidate needs to follow to prepare for the exam, study material, frequency, and the right time to solve sample papers and mock tests.
Go through the below-mentioned UCEED preparation tips to score well in the design exam.
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.
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.
IIT Bombay revised the syllabus for the UCEED exam starting 2024.
However, candidates can use the previous years papers to practice for the exam. The more sample papers you solve, the better you will get.
In addition to the syllabus, IIT Bombay had also revised the UCEED exam pattern.
Part A now have 57 questions (down from 68), while Part B will have two questions (instead of 1).
- Step-wise UCEED 2026 Preparation Plan
- How to Prepare for UCEED 2026
- UCEED 2025 - Preparation Tips by Toppers
- Best Books for UCEED Preparation 2026
- UCEED Sample Papers 2026
- UCEED Mock Test 2026
- UCEED Preparation 2026 - FAQs
Step-wise UCEED 2026 Preparation Plan
Step 1: Possess in-depth knowledge of the UCEED 2026 syllabus.
Step 2: Understand the exam pattern and marking scheme.
Step 3: Prepare a timetable (monthly, weekly, and daily).
Step 4: Solve past years’ question papers, sample papers, and mock tests.
Step 5: Make an effort to complete the syllabus on time. That way, you will be able to solve sample papers, take mock tests, and do many other exercises.
How to Prepare for UCEED 2026
Candidates need to keep the following pointers in mind when formulating a UCEED 2026 preparation plan.
Follow the UCEED Exam Pattern
The following table shows the exam pattern of UCEED:
UCEED Exam |
Section |
No of Questions |
---|---|---|
Part A |
NAT |
14 |
MSQ |
15 |
|
MCQ |
28 |
|
Part B |
Drawing Question |
1 |
|
Design Aptitude |
1 |
Knowledge of the UCEED Marking Scheme
Candidates can go through the new marking scheme for UCEED 2025 in the table below:
Section |
Marks Added for Every Correct Answer |
---|---|
NAT |
+4 marks for a correct answer; no negative marking |
MSQ |
Partial marking +4, +3, +2, +1, 0, or -1 depending on the correctness of the answer |
MCQ |
+3 for a correct answer; -0.71 marks for an incorrect answer |
Drawing Question |
60 marks |
Total Marks |
300 |
Know the UCEED Syllabus
Candidates need to be acquainted with the topics to study for the different sections of UCEED 2026. Aspirants can go through the detailed UCEED syllabus to crack this design entrance exam. IIT Bombay can revise the syllabus for the UCEED 2026 exam.
Part B of the exam will now have two questions from two sections - Drawing and Design Aptitude. Previously, only a drawing-based question was asked. Also, Part B will now be of 60 minutes (instead of 30 minutes).
Go through the previous years’ UCEED question papers
Like any entrance exam, while preparing for the exam, aspirants are advised to go through past years’ UCEED question papers for it. Apart from this, candidates should also go through sample papers and mock tests for UCEED 2026 preparation. This would prove beneficial in helping students understand the type of questions asked in the UCEED exam as well as provide them with an insight into how to formulate their time management strategy.
Aspirants can go through UCEED preparation articles as well as sample questions by clicking the links mentioned in the table below:
What can you do after class 12th for a career in Design, Mass Comm & Architecture
UCEED 2025 - Preparation Tips by Toppers
Here are a few exam preparation tips (or experiences) shared by UCEED toppers.
- "Till mid-September, I was pretty chilled and doing regular studies, sketching, and practicing questions. But from October to December, I started giving more time specifically for UCEED preparations. I was in SILICA and used to solve previous year's exam papers, UCEED mock tests, and design sample papers. But I never forgot to take mandatory breaks to freshen up my mind. I used to do “SKETCHING BEFORE SLEEPING” (kind of my practice mantra to awaken my design muscles)." - AIR 1, 2021, (SC category), VANSH ANEKAR.
- "I would say that sketching is not a one-night thing. It has to be practiced daily. And one must try LIVE SKETCHING to understand the depth of the process." - AIR 1, 2021, (SC category), VANSH ANEKAR.
- "I solved only the UCEED question papers of the past three years (2015, 2016, and 2017). I recommend students solve past years’ CEED question papers as the two exams (CEED and UCEED) are similar in nature. The logical reasoning sections of Olympiads could also be of help in UCEED preparation." - AIR 1, 2019, Vishwaprasanna Hariharan.
Best Books for UCEED Preparation 2026
Candidates can consider preparing for UCEED 2026 by studying the topics mentioned in the books listed below:
Name of the Book |
Author |
---|---|
UCEED Design Environment & Social Awareness In Design Perspective Combined With Mental & Verbal Aptitude |
Srijan Shilpa |
Cracking CEED & UCEED (with Previous Years’ Papers and Mock Tests |
Ashok Goel and Arjun Kamal |
NID-NIFT-UCEED-CEED Workbook |
Ar Revati Shantanu Parkhi and Rhythm Singh Kachhawa |
Comprehensive English for NID, NIFT, UCEED, CEED, NATA, B.Arch & Other Design Entrance Exams |
Designologue |
Quantitative Aptitude |
RS Aggarwal |
Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning |
RS Aggarwal |
UCEED (BDes) Entrance Books and Test Series |
AFA India |
Analytical Reasoning, Mental Aptitude, Verbal Aptitude (UCEED Guide) |
Institute Of Creative Sciences |
UCEED Sample Papers 2026
IIT Bombay, the exam conducting body, releases the question paper and answer keys for UCEED within a few days of the conduct of the entrance exam. This means the question paper and answer keys for the UCEED 2026 exam will also be available after the exam.
In the meantime, the candidate can download the previous year's question papers for practice. They can refer to the answer keys to check their answers.
Additionally, sample papers for UCEED are easily available in the market. For instance, the candidate can buy sample papers online from Amazon, Flipkart, etc. The candidate can purchase these sample papers for practice.
You can download the UCEED sample papers here.
UCEED Mock Test 2026
The mock tests for UCEED 2026 are meant to be taken in the last few weeks or days leading up to the entrance exam.
The purpose of the mock tests is to help the candidate get an exam-like ambiance to practice in and thus get acquainted with the exam process.
Note that the UCEED 2026 Part A will be conducted in a computer-based mode and include NAT, MCQ, and MSQ-type questions. The duration of the exam will be 1 hour. Meanwhile, Part B will be administered in an offline mode and will be 2 hours long.
The mocks can also help the candidate identify silly errors and fix them.
UCEED Preparation 2026 - FAQs
The candidate may go through the frequently asked questions (FAQs) related to the UCEED 2026 exam preparation below.
Get prep tips, practice papers, exam details and important updates
UCEED Notifications
59 Institutes accepting UCEED
Sonepat • Private
- ₹ 11.00 Lakh
- 4 years
- |
- Full Time
ITM IDM - Institute Of Design & Media
Andheri West, Mumbai • Private
- ₹ 16.80 Lakh
- 4 years
- |
- Full Time
Chitkara School of Planning and Architecture, Chitka...
Chandigarh • Private