Law, Design & Other UG Entrance · Higher study

UCEED

Undergraduate Common Entrance Examination for Design

Admission to the four-year B.Des at IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Guwahati, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Indore, IIT Roorkee and IIITDM Jabalpur; scores are also accepted by several other institutes.

Eligibility

Passed Class 12 in the previous year or appearing in the current year, from any stream. General/EWS/OBC-NCL candidates must be born on or after 1 October 2002 for the 2027 exam, with a 5-year relaxation for SC/ST/PwD. A candidate may attempt UCEED at most twice, in consecutive years.

Age limit: Born on or after 1 Oct 2002 (5-year relaxation for SC/ST/PwD); maximum two attempts

Exam pattern

Single 3-hour paper (9 am - 12 noon) of 300 marks. Part A (200 marks, 2 hours, computer-based) has numerical-answer questions (no negative marking), multiple-select questions and multiple-choice questions (both with negative marking). Part B (100 marks, 1 hour) has a sketching question answered on paper and design aptitude questions on screen; Part B is evaluated only for those who clear the Part A cut-off.

Syllabus at a glance

Visualisation and spatial ability (2D/3D transformation, mental rotation), observation and design sensitivity, environmental and social awareness, analytical and logical reasoning, language and creativity, and drawing (perspective, proportion, shading). Part B also tests design thinking and problem identification.

Upcoming dates

Event	Date	Status
Last date to register with late fee (regular-fee window closed 31 Oct)	6 Nov 2026, 5 pm	confirmed
Admit card	1 Jan 2027	confirmed
UCEED 2027 exam	17 Jan 2027 (Sunday), 9 am - 12 noon	confirmed
Result	Early Mar 2027 (around 6 Mar)	expected
B.Des seat allocation rounds	Mar - Jul 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

Official past papers with answer keys and a mock test of the CBT interface.

Previous papers

CEED previous papers (IIT Bombay)

Postgraduate design papers with similar visual reasoning questions for extra practice.

Video course

NPTEL - Design courses

Free IIT courses on design thinking and product design basics.

Official

IDC School of Design, IIT Bombay

Student projects and programme details that show the kind of design thinking UCEED tests.

Study material

NCERT Mathematics and Physics textbooks

Basis for questions on geometry, mechanisms and everyday physics in Part A.

Standard books

The Design of Everyday Things - Don Norman
Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain - Betty Edwards
Perspective Made Easy - Ernest R. Norling
Sketching: The Basics - Koos Eissen and Roselien Steur
A Modern Approach to Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning - R.S. Aggarwal

How toppers play it

Part A decides whether Part B is even marked: solve every UCEED past paper since 2015 under timed conditions.
Attempt numerical-answer questions fully since they carry no negative marking; be selective on multiple-select questions, where wrong choices cost marks.
Train mental rotation, paper folding, gear and pulley mechanisms and pattern completion daily.
For the sketching question, practise human figures and scenes in perspective within 30-40 minutes.
Strong performers usually attempt about 70-80% of Part A; accuracy matters more than volume.