The Common Entrance Exam for Design (CEED) is a national test for students who want to pursue design programs in India. In 2025, there are 8 top-tier CEED accepting colleges: IIT Bombay. IIT Delhi, IIT Guwahati, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Roorkee, IIT Jodhpur, and IISc Bangalore. These top institutes offer around 302 seats in Master of Design (M.Des) programs, along with Ph.D. programs in Design, making it a highly competitive and sought-after admission pathway for aspiring designers. The CEED exam evaluates design, creativity, and innovation. With intense competition and a comprehensive syllabus, aspirants must adopt a targeted CEED preparation strategy to ace the CEED entrance exam.
In this blog, we’ll explain how to enhance your CEED preparation strategy, section-wise CEED preparation plan, including exam pattern suggestions, and time management tips to help you prepare smartly for CEED 2026.
CEED Exam Overview
To create a feasible CEED preparation strategy for CEED exam, students must thoroughly understand the CEED entrance exam and its parameters. The exam pattern of CEED comprises of two parts, Part A and Part B. Before diving into the CEED preparation strategy, let’s understand the CEED exam pattern:
| Particulars | Details |
| Mode of the Exam | Part A – Computer-BasedPart B – Pen-Paper BasedBoth the parts are mandatory and will be conducted on the same day. Part B will be evaluated only if candiadte qualify Part A. |
| Maximum Marks | 200 |
| Total No. of Questions | 49 |
| Exam Duration | Part A – 01 HourPart B – 02 Hour |
| Marking Scheme | 4 marks each for a correct answer for the NAT section, no negative mark for an incorrect answer4 marks will be credited for each MSQ correct answer. However, -0.25 will be deducted for the wrong answer3 marks will be credited for each MCQ correct answer. However, -0.25 will be deducted for the wrong answer60 marks for the drawing section (Part B) |
Section-Wise CEED Preparation Strategy
First, let’s breakdown the CEED exam pattern for Part A and understand the key topics.
- Part A:
It has various sub-sections which includes:
| Visualization and spatial reasoning | Practical and scientific knowledge | Observation and design sensitivity |
| Environment and society | Analytical and logical reasoning | Language |
| Creativity | Art and Design knowledge | Design methods and practices |
Topics to be covered:
| Number Series & Patterns | Syllogisms | Coding-Decoding |
| Puzzles | Design Movements | Logos & Typograpgy |
| Famous Designers, Indian Art & Architecture | Current Affairs in Design | 3D shapes |
| Mirror Images | Paper Folding | Geometry |
How to Crack CEED Part A:
- Understand the CEED paper pattern: Go through the CEED exam pattern before you start preparing for the entrance exam. You must have a clear understandingof the CEED entrance exam. The exam pattern of CEED includes marking scheme, mode of the exam, question formats, maximum marks, duration of the exam, and many more.
- Practice logical reasoning from a variety of examinations
- Elementary school Math and Science are foundational. Revise, revisit, and practice it well.
- Improve GK: Read newspaper, magazines, brochures, history of Indian fine arts to improve your General Knowledge.
- Time Management: Once you understand the instructions and know which questions are compulsory and which are optional, figure out how much time is to be spent on each question. You will have to attempt PART A and PART B in same 3-hour time slot.
- Solve logical puzzles and reasoning sets daily and focus on speed and accuracy using mock tests.
- Study design history, Indian crafts, logos, and color theory. Watch TED talks and documentaries on design thinking.
- Sketch 3D objects from different angles and practice solving isometric and perspective drawing problems.
- Part B:
Part B tests the core creative and design thinking ability of candidates. It includes:
| Sketching | Product Design | Visualization |
| Storyboarding | Creativity & Imagination | Communication |
How to crack CEED Part B:
- Think out of the box: If you want to crack CEED, think uniquely and creatively which can amaze others with your design. The examiners evaluates candidate’s creativity and problem-solving skills.
- Practice speed sketching and design sprints.
- Practice on-the-spot situational sketching; a real-time scenario or situation from life.
- You can improve your creativity skills through observation: Try to observe each small thing around you nd bring up a new innovative idea. Your visualization and observation skills are the main aspects of finding a solution to a problem.
- Prepare a strong portfolio: After clearing the written exam, you will be asked to present your portfolio during the personal interview round. Prepare a unique and distinctive portfolio by including your best work which can differentiate you from your competitors.
- Work on 3D drawing skills: Practice making 3D model using the right materials, focus on improving their sketching skills.
- Practice line quality, shading, human figures, and perspective. Avoid using eraser—build confidence with freehand sketching.
CEED Additional 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:
- A well-planned CEED Preparation and methodical strategy is required to pass the Common Entrance Examination for Design (CEED). You will considerably improve your chances of success in the test by following a reasonable preparation approach, comprehending the exam format, and using proper study resources.
- 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.
- While preparing for CEED Part B, think out of the box and be creative.
- Candidates are advised to get the reference books and old question papers to get an idea about the questions asked in the examination.
- The more you practice, the more you will be familiar with the pattern of the examination. Practice definitely makes you perfect.
- Preparation time for CEED is subjective and depends on many factors. It requires a rigorous preparation of 4-6 months, which is considered good enough for getting into IISc or IITs.
- Regularly solve Previous Years’ Papers: Make it a habit to regularly practice with previous year’s question papers and mock tests. This helps you get comfortable with the exam format of Part A of the CEED exam, understand effective time management strategies, and familiarize yourself with various types of questions. After every practice session analyze your performance which will help you improve the weaker sections.
FAQs CEED Preparation Strategy
In your last minute CEED preparation, you should focus on revising rather than studying any new topic. 24 hours before exam, get sufficient sleep, keep calm and stay focused.
Yes. Visual perception, drawing, and design aptitude questions are included in CEED exam Part B. It is important to develop your sketching skills to prepare for the CEED exam.
A good score in CEED typically depends on the year’s difficulty level, overall performance of candidates, and cutoffs set by individual institutes.
In general:
A score above 45–50 in Part A is considered safe for qualifying. A final combined score (Part A + Part B) of above 60–65 out of 100 is usually considered very good for getting calls from top institutes like IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, and IISc Bangalore.
For the the highest-ranking institutes, candidates often need a rank within the Top 100 to have a strong chance. CEED does not have a fixed qualifying score each year; the cutoffs vary based on the exam difficulty.
Yes, the CEED Part A MSQ and MCQ includes negative marking. For each incorrect answer in an MSQ, 0.2 marks are deducted, and 0.5 marks are deducted in an MCQ.