Law, Design & Other UG Entrance · Higher study

UCEED

Undergraduate Common Entrance Examination for Design

Admission to the B.Des programmes at IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Guwahati, IIT Hyderabad, IIITDM Jabalpur and other participating institutes. Many other design schools also accept UCEED scores.

Eligibility

Class 12 or equivalent passed in 2026 or appearing in 2027, in any stream. Candidates may attempt UCEED at most twice, in two consecutive years. An upper age limit applies, with 5 years' relaxation for SC/ST/PwD.

Age limit: General/OBC/EWS candidates must be born on or after 1 Oct 2002 (5 years' relaxation for SC/ST/PwD). Verify against the 2027 brochure.

Exam pattern

A single 3-hour session (9 am to 12 noon). Part A (200 marks) is computer-based, with numerical answer type, multiple-select and multiple-choice sections. Parts of it carry negative marking, and partial marking applies in the multiple-select section. Part B (100 marks) is a pen-and-paper section with a drawing question and a design aptitude question. Part B is evaluated only for candidates who clear the Part A cutoff, and the rank list is based on the combined score.

Syllabus at a glance

Part A covers visualisation and spatial ability, observation and design sensitivity, environmental and social awareness, analytical and logical reasoning, language, and creativity. Part B covers drawing (proportion, perspective, light and shade) and design aptitude (identifying and sketching solutions to everyday design problems).

Upcoming dates

Event	Date	Status
Online registration (regular fee, open)	1 - 31 Oct 2026	confirmed
Registration with late fee	Till 6 Nov 2026 (5 pm)	confirmed
Admit card	1 Jan 2027	confirmed
UCEED 2027 exam	17 Jan 2027, 9 am-12 noon	confirmed
Result	Early Mar 2027	expected

Expected dates follow the usual calendar; confirm on the official notification before planning.

Free prep material

Previous papers

UCEED official site: previous papers and answer keys

IIT Bombay publishes past question papers with answer keys and a mock test. These are the most authoritative free practice.

Official

IDC School of Design, IIT Bombay

Shows the kind of design thinking IITs value, including student projects and programme details.

Video course

NPTEL design courses

Free IIT courses on design thinking, product design and visual communication.

Study material

Drawabox

Free structured perspective and form-drawing practice for the Part B drawing question.

Mock tests

IndiaBix logical reasoning

Free reasoning drills for the analytical section of Part A.

Standard books

The Design of Everyday Things - Don Norman
Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain - Betty Edwards
Universal Principles of Design - William Lidwell, Kritina Holden & Jill Butler
A Modern Approach to Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning - R.S. Aggarwal
UCEED/CEED/NID/NIFT Design Entrance Guide - Arihant Experts

How toppers play it

Part B counts only if you clear the Part A cutoff, so treat Part A as the priority and solve every past UCEED paper under timed conditions.
In the multiple-select section, wrong selections are penalised. Mark only the options you are confident about rather than guessing every option.
Practise spatial-visualisation questions (paper folding, 3D rotation, hidden views) daily, because they make up a large share of Part A.
For Part B design aptitude, practise clearly annotated sketches that show the user, the problem and the solution. Clarity of idea outscores artistic finish.