What is the best way to prepare for UCEED & CEED exams?

UCEED (Undergraduate Common Entrance Exam for Design) and CEED (Common Entrance Exam for Design) are prestigious design entrance exams conducted by IIT-IDC. These entrances are highly competitive and require rigorous preparation to secure a good rank.

The main design school being in Bombay, IIT also has design departments located in Delhi, Guwahati, Roorkee, Hyderabad and Jabalpur. There are also multiple tie-up universities where one can secure admission through their UCEED/CEED results.

Now, with UCEED/CEED results being the ticket to many design colleges, you would really want to give all your best and prepare hard for the entrances. Preparation for design entrances, especially those as tough as UCEED/CEED require a more strategic approach and comprehensive preparation. You will be assessed not only on your design aptitude and creativity, but also your problem-solving and visualization skills. They require the best of all worlds.

So, what can you do to get into the grind and crack these entrances? I guess it is adventure-time to see some tips and tricks:

1. Always know your exam pattern

Remember how when preparing for boards our teachers always used to stress on the paper pattern for boards? Yeah. That. The first step in preparing for UCEED and CEED exams is also to understand the exam pattern.

Both the exams have 2 parts:

Part A - multiple-choice questions

Part B - design-based questions that would assess your creativity, innovation, and problem-solving skills.

The weightages for both parts may change.

The MOST IMPORTANT thing to remember is - Part A has negative marking🥹 

So you don't want to answer unless you are absolutely sure of the answer.

2. The ‘Plan’ - Part A

Part A of UCEED and CEED is all about your knowledge of various subjects such as quantitative ability, logical reasoning, visualization, and environmental and social awareness. While you can’t suddenly become an encyclopedia, what you can do is —

- Refer to textbooks and study materials specifically designed for these exams. For eg- UCEED/CEED study material book from Studio, NCERT textbooks for Class 11 & 12

- Solve past papers and mock papers, under time constraint

- Peruse design-related books such as "Design of Everyday Things" by Don Norman and "Thinking in Systems" by Donella H. Meadows. This will improve your understanding of design concepts and principles.

- NEWSPAPERS

- Study famous designers, their works and other design case studies

3. The ‘Plan’ - Part B

Part B of UCEED and CEED, on the other hand, is all about your creativity, innovation, and problem-solving skills. And this is where you gotta draw—

- Experiment with different mediums such as pencil, pen, markers, charcoal and crayons. Not only will your explorations enrich your portfolio but also you can figure the medium you are most comfortable with and depict your ideas at its best

- Again, solve past papers and mock papers, under time constraint

- Practice sketching objects, people, and scenes from real life REGULARLY to improve your observational skills and hand-eye coordination

- Work on your brainstorming and creative problem-solving skills

- Study famous designers, their works and other design case studies. This time more in terms of their ideation and visual process

- DESIGN FUNDAMENTALS

- Enhance your articulation skills so that your can explain your ideas in words as crystal clear as you do in your sketches

4. The 'Other Plan'

You could also take the route of joining a coaching institute or enrolling in an online course which can help and guide you in preparing for UCEED and CEED exams. I did that and supplemented it with my own preparations.

Coaching institutes and online courses provide more structured study programs, experienced faculty, and a competitive environment that can help you improve their performance. They already have the resources and a study plan made out so that you don’t have to start from scratch and fumble around.

So no matter how early or late you are in the game, it is time to get cracking. These exams require a combination of knowledge, skills, and strategies. Make your game plan—be it self study or coaching or both, work hard and stay focused, believe in your abilities, and approach those exams with confidence.

Best of luck on your entrance exam adventure—may it be the start of an amazing design journey for you!

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Nandini Seshan

Communication Design/NID Vijayawada

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