The Undergraduate Common Entrance Examination for Design (UCEED) is a national-level examination of design that secures admission to Bachelor of Design (B.Des) to the prestigious IITs of the country. The UCEED is conducted by IIT Bombay, followed by four other IITs participating in the entrance examination, IIT Delhi, IIT Guwahati, IIT Hyderabad and IITDM Jabalpur. The UCEED is also applicable for admission to other design colleges. At present, 10 other design colleges are accepting the UCEED score.
The UCEED entrance exam thoroughly determines the candidate’s ability to develop as a valuable design student at the university. It tests the candidate on both theoretical and practical knowledge at a foundation level.
The following blog will guide the candidate through the UCEED Important Dates, UCEED Exam Topics & Weightage, UCEED Sample & Previous Year Papers, UCEED Study Material Questions & Video Solutions, How to Prepare for UCEED Part A, How to Prepare for UCEED Part B, and Tips for the UCEED Exam Day.
Important Dates for UCEED 2023:
UCEED exam 2023 will be held on January 22, 2023. IIT Bombay closed registrations for UCEED 2023 on 9th November 2022 with regular fees and on 16th November 2022 with late fees.
| Activity | Date |
| Start Date for Online Registration | Sep 30, 2022 |
| Last Date for Online Registration with Regular fee | Nov 9, 2022 |
| Last Date for Online Registration with Late Fee | Nov 16, 2022 |
| Start Date for Admit Card Downloading | Jan 13, 2023, onwards |
| Last date for Rectification of Discrepancies in Admit card | Jan 17, 2023, 05:00 pm |
| UCEED 2023 Exam Date | Jan 22, 2023 |
| UCEED 2023 Exam Result Declaration Date | Mar 9, 2023 |
| Start downloading Scorecard for UCEED 2023 | Mar 11, 2023 |
| Submission of Online Application for B.Des Programme | Mar 14 to 31, 2023 |
| B.Des Admission Seat Allotment – Round 1 | April 10, 2023 |
| B.Des Admission Seat Allotment – Round 2 | May 10, 2023 |
| B.Des Admission Seat Allotment – Round 3 | June 10, 2023 |
| Start of B.Des Academic Year | July 15, 2023 |
UCEED Exam Pattern:
- The question paper will consist of two parts: Part A (Objective Section) and Part B (Drawing Section)
- The question paper will be for 300 marks. Part A = 240 marks. Part B = 60 marks.
- The exam will be for 3 hours. Part A = 2.5 hours. Part B = 30 mins.
- The question paper will be in English.
- Questions from both parts are compulsory.
PART-A – 240 marks | 2.5 hours
The summary of the paper structure is given below:
| Section | # Questions | Question Nos | Marks / Ques | Negative Marks | Total Marks |
| NAT | 18 | 1—18 | 4 | 0 | 72 |
| MSQ | 18 | 19—36 | 4 | −0.19 | 72 |
| MCQ | 32 | 37—68 | 3 | −0.71 | 96 |
| Total Part A | 68 | 1—68 | – | – | 240 |
Note: Questions not attempted will be given zero marks.
PART-B – 60 marks | 30 mins
- Part-B of the UCEED paper consists of one question which will test drawing and sketching skills.
- It will require subjective evaluation on Correct Perspective Drawing, Sense of Proportion, Quality of Composition, Quality of Line Drawing, Attention to Detail, Observation & Visualization, Addition of elements in the composition.
- The question in Part-B will be displayed on the computer screen and the answer has to be written/drawn in Part-B answer booklets, which will be collected at the end of the examination.
- Part-B question is mandatory for evaluation of UCEED paper.
UCEED Exam Syllabus:
The syllabus in each part of UCEED exam is as follows:
Part A (Objective Section): Part A of the UCEED exam will have questions from the following topics-
- Visualization and spatial ability: Pictorial and diagrammatic questions to test 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.
- Observation and design sensitivity: Ability to detect concealed properties in ordinary things, people, situations, and events, and thinking 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.
- Environmental and social awareness: General awareness of environmental factors such as climate, population, water, vegetation, pollution, weather, natural resources etc., and their implications on the design of products, images, infrastructure and environment. Awareness of social and cultural connection with design, history of the designed artefact, 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. 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 the problem, generate alternatives, evaluate the options and select solutions.
Part B (Drawing section): The Part B section will consist of a detailed description of a scenario with a specific eye level and additional details. The description will be of 3-5 lines approximately. The student is required to visualise the scenario and sketch it accurately on the paper within the given time. Students will be analysed on the basis of their attention to detail, line quality, line weight etc. Students are expected to provide a correct perspective view with other required details.
UCEED Topic Wise Weightage:
From 2015 to 2019, the UCEED exam had only Part A (Objective Section). From 2020, UCEED introduced Part B for 60 marks out of a total 300 marks paper. The comparison of the weightage of different topics in Part A of the exam is as follows:
| Subject | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
| 1. Visualization and spatial ability | 30% | 34% | 36% | 48% | 24% |
| 2. Observation and design sensitivity | 14% | 10% | 8% | 9% | 12% |
| 3. Environmental and social awareness | 10% | 8% | 7% | 5% | 19% |
| 4. Analytical and logical reasoning | 36% | 40% | 42% | 32% | 40% |
| 5. Language and creativity | 4% | 4% | 5% | 6% | 5% |
| 6. Design thinking and problem solving | 6% | 4% | 2% | – | – |
| Total Marks % → | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
UCEED Section Wise Weightage:
The Part A of the UCEED paper has 68 objective type questions. The Part A is a computer based test. There are 3 sections in the Part A of the UCEED paper.
Section 1: Numerical Answer Type (NAT)
Section 1 (72 Marks) of Part-A contains a total of 18 Numerical Answer Type (NAT) questions. For each question, an answer is a real number that needs to be entered using the virtual keyboard on the monitor. Questions from 1 to 18 belong to this section.
Section 2: Multiple Select Questions (MSQ)
Section 2 (72 Marks) of Part-A contains a total of 18 Multiple Select Questions (MSQ). Each question may have one or more than one correct choice(s) out of the four given. Questions from 19 to 36 belong to this section.
Section 3: Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ)
Section 3 (96 Marks) of Part-A contains a total of 32 Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ). Each question has four choices out of which ONLY ONE is the correct answer. Questions from 37 to 68 belong to this section.
Changes in the UCEED Marking Scheme:
- +4 marks will be awarded if all the correct options are chosen for each question.
- +3 marks will be given only if three options are chosen out of four correct options and no incorrect answer is chosen.
- +2 marks will be awarded if three or more options are correct but chosen only two options and none of the incorrect options is selected.
- +1 mark will be allotted if only one option is chosen out of two or more correct options and none of the incorrect options is chosen.
UCEED Sample & Previous Year Papers:
Students must rigorously practice UCEED previous year papers in order to gain the necessary skill set required to clear the UCEED entrance exam. Students must first solve UCEED previous year papers, then proceed towards solving UCEED sample papers that play the role of a mock examination before the actual examination. Students can download these papers through the link below.
UCEED Questions & Video Solutions:
The UCEED is quite a theoretical examination, followed by a 30-minute round of sketching. In order to crack the elaborate UCEED GAT questions, students must understand the theory behind it. In the link below, the students will be directed to the youtube link of expert faculty members of SILICA institute explaining each question and answer in detail.
The UCEED question paper is set for admission to B.Des is a foundation-level examination for entrance to reputed design institutes. The examination is theoretical with maximum marks dedicated to the objective section (Part A).