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UCEED Exam Analysis 2026: Check Difficulty Level, Cut Off & Student's Reaction

Author : Vineeta Agrawal

November 22, 2025

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Summary: UCEED Exam Analysis 2026 helps you understand the type of questions asked, the cut-off and the difficulty level amongst other competitors. 

The conducting body - the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, will administer the national-level examination UCEED online.

Our team at Creative Edge covered the examination live from the examination centre, and this UCEED 2026 Exam Analysis is necessary to comprehend the exam's complexity and trend if you are preparing for 2026 and coming years.

The article covers the difficulty level of each section and the overall UCEED 2026 exam analysis, and UCEED exam analysis of years before that as well, with which you can gain invaluable insights on what to typically expect in this exam.

UCEED Exam Analysis 2026 (What to Expect)

Based on pattern changes and evolving competition, here is what the UCEED 2026 exam is likely to look like - including expected weightage, difficulty levels of various sections and key focus areas for both Part A and Part B. You can use this analysis to plan your UCEED preparation strategy, but don't completely rely on it. Below mentioned data includes expert predictions based on past year trends. The actual exam may or may not diverge from these projections.

The UCEED Exam Analysis 2026 will be provided here in detail once the examination is successfully conducted. As of now, candidates are eagerly awaiting the test, and the official question paper, difficulty level, and student reactions will only be available after the exam concludes. Once the UCEED 2026 exam is over, we will update this page with a complete UCEED 2026 exam analysis section-wise breakdown, expert insights, and comparison with previous years’ trends.

[UCEED 2026 Exam Analysis To Be Updated Soon, Jan 18th]

Expected Structure & Key Areas

Section

Duration

Expected Weightage*

Expected Difficulty

Key Focus Areas

Part A (Objective: NAT + MSQ + MCQ)

2 hours

~65-70% of total marks

Moderate to Challenging

Visualization & Spatial Ability, Analytical & Logical Reasoning, Observation & Design Sensitivity, Environment & Society, Practical & Scientific Knowledge

Part B (Drawing & Design Aptitude)

1 hour

~30-35% of total marks

Moderate

Scene creation, Product redesign/problem-solving, Visualization through sketching, Idea execution

*Weightage estimates based on past trends and announced UCEED syllabus changes.

The UCEED 2026 exam hasn’t been conducted yet, so a full UCEED exam analysis 2026 isn’t out at the moment.

Once the exam is over and students start sharing their experiences, we’ll update this section with detailed analysis insights on difficulty level, question types, and overall feedback.

UCEED Exam Analysis 2026 - Expected Section-wise Difficulty Level 

Section

Expected Level

Why

NAT

Moderate

Mix of math + spatial puzzles

MSQ

Moderate to Difficult

Negative marking effects

MCQ

Moderate

Negative marking effects

Part B

Moderate

Less drawing, more design aptitude

Also Check: Expert Tips on How to Avoid Negative Marks

UCEED Exam 2025 Results

UCEED exam results 2025

Expected Part-A Topic Weightage Breakdown (Prediction Based on Past 5 Years)

Topic

Expected Weightage

Likely Difficulty

Reason for Expectation

Visualization

High

Moderate-High

Most repeated section

Observation

Medium

Moderate

Increasing steadily

Logical Reasoning

Medium

Moderate

Trend from 2022-25

Verbal

Low

Easy

Usually 4-6 questions

Check: UCEED Total Marks 2026, Cut off & Score Distribution

UCEED Exam Analysis 2026 - Category-wise Expected Cut-Off Prediction for UCEED 2026

Category

Expected Cut-off Range

Reason

OPEN

88-95

Rising competition, 2025 trend

EWS

75-80

Consistent with 2023-25

OBC-NCL

72-78

Historically stable

SC

45-50

Moderate difficulty expected

ST

38-44

Follows trend

Expected Number of Applicants for 2026

Inform students what competition might look like:

  • 2024 → 13,000+
  • 2025 → 14,000+
  • Expected 2026 → 15,000 - 16,000+

UCEED Exam Analysis 2025

The Undergraduate Common Entrance Exam for Design (UCEED) 2025, conducted by IIT Bombay, was held on January 19, 2025. This year, the UCEED exam witnessed several significant modifications, influencing both the structure and the content of the exam. Was UCEED 2025 tough?

While some students struggled with the NAT section of Part A of the paper, others found the drawing section more challenging. It depends on the individual and their personal aptitude for different type of questions asked in the exam.

Here's a comprehensive UCEED 2025 exam analysis, incorporating these changes and feedback from applicants and educational platforms.

UCEED 2025 Exam Analysis: Comprehensive Review of Difficulty Level and Student Feedback

Section Components Difficulty Level Highlights
Part A Numerical Answer Type (NAT) Easy to Moderate Questions required basic mathematical knowledge; some were slightly tricky.
Multiple Select Questions (MSQ) Easy Tested conceptual clarity; candidates found this section straightforward.
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) Moderate Required deeper analytical thinking; moderate-level complexity.
Part B Drawing and Design Aptitude Moderate to Challenging Tested creativity, visualization skills, and time management; tasks were detailed and time-consuming.
Overall Difficulty Easy to Moderate Balanced difficulty; preparation across sections was key for success.
Student Feedback Varies by Section Logical reasoning was easier; spatial ability and some mathematics questions were challenging.

FREE Resource: UCEED Colleges Comparison Chart - Cut-off, fee structure, top recruiters and placement records.

UCEED Rank Analysis 2025

UCEED Category

IIT Bombay

IIT Guwahati

IIITDM Jabalpur

Opening Rank

Closing Rank

Opening Rank

Closing Rank

Opening Rank

Closing Rank

Open Category

1

20

22

59

48

75

OBC-NCL Category

3

14

14

39

15

46

SC Category

1

7

4

15

17

23

ST Category

1

6

4

17

6

23

UCEED 2025 Category-wise Overall Cut-off Marks:

Open

OBC-NCL/EWS

SC/ST

PwD

74.35

66.92

37.18

37.18

Pro-Tip: Don’t just aim for “good marks.” Aim for cut-off proof preparation + rank-specific targets. This is how CreativEdge students consistently crack IITs.

Key Modifications Introduced by IIT Bombay in UCEED 2025:

1. Change in Duration:

  • Part A (Aptitude): UCEED exam analysis of 2025 shows that the objective section (Part-A) has been extended to 2 hours.
  • Part B (Drawing and Sketching): Allocated 1 hour.

2. Revised Marking Scheme:

  • Part A: Now carries a weightage of 200 marks.
  • Part B: Assessed for 100 marks.

3. Addition of Questions:

  • Part B: An additional question related to design aptitude, making a total of 2 questions for this section.

Read More: UCEED Marking Scheme 2026

Overall UCEED Difficulty Level

  • Average Rating: Moderate to Easy
  • Comparison with Previous Year: Easier than 2023

UCEED Exam Pattern and Content Analysis

Format Changes:

  • New Addition: Two drawing questions instead of one, marking a significant change in the exam pattern.
  • Impact: This modification was a major talking point among students.

Check: Tips for Time Management During UCEED Exam

UCEED 2025 Question Paper Insights

  • Consistency: The UCEED exam analysis of 2025 suggests that, questions were largely based on patterns observed in previous year papers.
  • Sections: The exam featured a blend of drawing, multiple-choice questions (MCQs), and design aptitude sections.

Section-wise UCEED 2025 Exam Analysis

1. Drawing Section:

  • Focus: Emphasis on product design.
  • Student Feedback: This section was generally well-received.

2. Quantitative and Analytical Section:

  • Topics Covered: Area, volume calculation, and figure counting.
  • Difficulty Level: This section was not particularly challenging for most students.

3. MCQ Section:

  • General Feedback: Students found this part to be simple.

4. Design Aptitude Section:

  • New Introduction: This section was a recent addition to the UCEED exam.
  • Student Reaction: Candidates expressed initial nervousness due to uncertainty about the approach required for this section.

Also Read: Best UCEED Preparation Books

UCEED Exam Analysis Trends

To help you better understand the UCEED exam, we have provided a graph that represents trends of the exam from the past few years. 

UCEED exam analysis trends

Also check: UCEED Exam Pattern

UCEED Previous Years Exam Analysis

As per the analysis of previous years' question papers, the difficulty level of the exam is usually moderate.

Also, it has been observed that candidates who solve previous years' UCEED question papers tend to do well in the exam. Candidates can solve and practice previous years' question papers to develop better time-management and problem-solving skills.

UCEED Exam Analysis 2023

  • The UCEED 2023 overall difficulty level was much lesser compared to previous years. Although a few questions in the aptitude section were difficult, the overall paper was easy-moderate
  • Most students have given feedback that the NAT section was slightly difficult compared to other sections. Some tricky questions were asked in the NAT section (Part A)
  • Aptitude questions were lengthy and somewhat difficult compared to other sections, so time management was slightly tricky. 

UCEED 2023 Section-Wise Difficulty Level

Part-A was conducted for 240 marks in 2 hours 30 mins. As per UCEED 2023 Exam Analysis, the section-wise difficulty level is tabulated below. 

Section Number of questions Total marks Difficulty level
NAT 18 72 Moderate
MSQ 18 72 Moderate to difficult
MCQ 32 96 Easy to moderate
PART B 1 60 Moderate

Part B is conducted for 60 marks in 30 mins.

UCEED Exam Analysis 2022

Last year the exam was scheduled for January 23, 2022. As per the analysis, the exam was moderate compared to the last year, and questions were predictable as per the previous year's trend.

 In total, 68 questions were asked this year. 

  • The NAT section was a bit tricky this year. That included alphanumeric and questions based on concepts of physics like time and distance.
  • As per the UCEED Exam Analysis, there was no GK in the UCEED aptitude section; much fewer English questions appeared in the MCQ and MSQ sections.
  • Time management was crucial in UCEED Drawing Test as it requires ideas and execution. This section also included perspective questions and the human figure and expressions-related questions.
  • Questions in the Drawing section were related to:-
    • A scene of a school canteen with human figures 
    • Doodling questions and Sketching Questions 
  • In conclusion: In the UCEED exam, the primary emphasis was seen on visual and technical aspects. 

The exam analysis will help you get an idea about the difficulty level of the paper, the type of questions asked, the number of good attempts, and the expected UCEED cut-off. The analysis is prepared by taking the feedback from the students who appear for the exam.

UCEED Exam Analysis 2021

The exam was scheduled for 18 January in the academic year 2020. As per the analysis, the UCEED exam was very easy compared to the previous year.

There were a total of 68 questions in part A and one creative question in Part B. Here is the detailed analysis of both Part A and Part B.

Check: UCEED Answer Key 2025

UCEED Exam Analysis: Part A

  • There were a total of 18 numerical ability type (NAT) questions, 18 multiple select questions (MSQs), and 32 multiple-choice questions (MCQs).
  • Part A included aptitude questions based on Mathematics, verbal reasoning, and non-verbal reasoning. There were no GK questions in the exam.
  • MSQ section was pretty easier to answer as it did not contain any tricky questions. Most of the questions in MSQ were on cubes, cube faces, etc.
  • Visualization questions that were asked in the exam were based on shadows, perspective, etc. The typical questions asked with regard to aptitude/mental ability included odd one out, puzzles, series, sequences, etc.
  • Mathematics questions were mainly based on area, mensuration, volume, etc.

Check: UCEED Counselling 2025

UCEED Exam Analysis: Part B

In part B, a descriptive situation-based question of a lady professor at her workplace was given and students were asked to draw her table and view her room. Students were given only the last 30 minutes to answer the following question.

‘A lady professor and her husband were having a conversation on the phone. He was upset with her because she was not following her diet plan. She had forgotten to take her lunch box, and her husband was yelling at her and saying that he would not cook for her in the future. So she hung up the phone and ordered her 5th cup of tea and 2nd plate of pakodas. She was correcting students' math papers at that time and had to complete her research papers and she had a headache. Draw her table and the view of her room.’

As there were no human figures involved, it was pretty easy to answer.

Check: UCEED Sketching Questions 2025

UCEED Exam Analysis 2020

In 2019, the exam was conducted on 19 January. According to the UCEED analysis, the overall difficulty level of the exam was moderate.

  • There were a total of 20 NAT questions; some were toughest and lengthy as well. Also, the calculations were a bit time-consuming in this section.
  • MSQ section comprised 20 questions, which were considered quite tough because they had multiple answers.
  • This section turned out even more challenging due to the re-introduction of negative marking.
  • There were a total of 42 questions in the MCQ section, and the questions were based on craft identification, production processes, font recognition, visual puzzles, special recognition, completing the series, and counting surfaces.
  • The questions were easy to answer compared to the previous year.

UCEED Exam Analysis 2019

The exam was conducted on 20 January. As per the exam review, the difficulty level of the paper was easy.

  • The NAT section was lengthy and time-consuming compared to the MSQ and MCQ sections.
  • In mathematics, several unexpected questions were asked from probability.
  • The questions from the English section were a little tricky. Design and aptitude questions were mainly based on spatial, verbal, and mechanical ability.
  • Some questions in the MSQ section were a bit tricky and lengthy. General knowledge questions were based on logos with importance to Indian art, culture, etc.

Check: List of UCEED Exam Centres

UCEED Exam Analysis 2018

The exam was conducted on 22 January. The overall difficulty level of the paper was easy.

  • The paper was almost similar to the 2016 question paper. 
  • As per the students' review, the Numerical Ability Test questions were a little lengthy and time-consuming compared to the multiple-select questions (MSQs) and multiple-choice questions (MCQs).
  • Most of the questions were asked about probability. English questions were a bit tricky.

Design and aptitude questions were based on spatial, verbal, and mechanical ability topics, especially those involving images asked in the exam.

Is UCEED Tougher than JEE?

Generally design aspirants also compare UCEED and JEE exams to gauge their comparative difficulty levels. Many might want to know: is UCEED tougher than JEE? While it's not possible to definitively say whether UCEED is more easy or tough than JEE because they asses candidates' aptitude for completely different fields. Everything from level of competition, to exam pattern, syllabus, etc. is different for both.

Hence, the toughness of UCEED compared to JEE, completely depends on an individual's strengths and preferences. Both are demanding in their own way and require a certain preparation strategy specific to combat their respective challenges.

Conclusion

UCEED 2026 Exam Analysis includes a comprehensive analysis of previous year's UCEED exam papers, providing students with insights into the types of questions that are likely to be asked in the upcoming exam. Additionally, it provides tips and strategies to help students prepare for the UCEED 2026 exam. Therefore, looking at the UCEED Exam Analysis of past years is important before you start your preparations. 

Preparing for UCEED 2026? We can help you with exact strategic roadmap, study material and crucial feedback required to ace this exam.

Join best UCEED Crash Course by CreativEdge and get expert guidance on all UCEED 2026 subjects. 

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About the Author

Faculty
Vineeta Agrawal

Communications Executive

Vineeta Agrawal is a seasoned content writer with 3 years of experience and a flair for turning ideas into impactful stories across industries. She blends creativity with strategy to craft content that clicks and converts. Off the clock, she’s a fiction film buff always chasing her next cinematic escape.... more