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Not every IIT seat goes through JEE. Bachelor of Design (B.Des) programmes at several IITs admit students through UCEED, the Undergraduate Common Entrance Examination for Design, run by IIT Bombay. You do not need science in Class 12, and you will not be tested on physics formulas. You will be tested on how you see, reason and draw. This post explains the official UCEED 2027 rules and how to approach the marking.
Which institutes use UCEED, and who can apply?
The UCEED 2027 website says B.Des admissions at IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Guwahati, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Indore, IIT Roorkee and IIITDM Jabalpur are made through UCEED. Key dates for 2027 on that page: registration with regular fees from 1 to 31 October 2026, the exam on Sunday 17 January 2027 from 9 am to 12 noon, results on 6 March 2027, and B.Des applications from 15 March 2027.
The eligibility page sets three conditions, all of which must be met:
Age: born on or after 1 October 2002 (OPEN, EWS, OBC-NCL) or 1 October 1997 (SC, ST, PwD).
Attempts: at most two, in consecutive years.
Qualifying exam: Class 12 appeared for the first time in 2026 or 2027. Students from science, commerce, and arts and humanities are all eligible.
Eligibility to sit the exam is separate from eligibility for admission, which each institute sets; check that page too.
What is the UCEED 2027 exam pattern?
From the question paper structure page:
Part A (computer-based, 2 hours, 200 marks)
Section 1, numerical answer type: 14 questions × 4 marks, no negative marks = 56
Section 2, multiple select: 15 questions × 4 marks, with partial marks and −1 for a wrong selection = 60
Section 3, multiple choice: 28 questions × 3 marks, −0.71 for a wrong answer = 84
Part B (1 hour, 100 marks): one sketching question (50 marks) and one design aptitude question (50 marks), shown on screen and answered in a booklet.
Check: 56 + 60 + 84 = 200, and 200 + 100 = 300.
The syllabus for Part A covers visualisation and spatial reasoning, practical and scientific knowledge, observation and design sensitivity, environment and society, analytical and logical reasoning, language and creativity.
How does MSQ partial marking work?
Each multiple select question has four options, and one or more may be correct. Suppose options A, B and C are correct and D is wrong:
Choose A, B and C: +4.
Choose A and B only: +2 (three or more correct, two chosen, both correct).
Choose only A: +1.
Choose A, B and D: −1, because D is wrong.
Leave it blank: 0.
The lesson: pick only options you are confident about. Adding a doubtful option risks turning +2 into −1.
Is guessing worth it on the MCQs?
Worked example. A correct MCQ earns 3 and a wrong one costs 0.71. With four options, a blind guess is worth 1/4 × 3 − 3/4 × 0.71 = 0.75 − 0.5325 = +0.22 marks on average. Eliminate one option and it rises to 1/3 × 3 − 2/3 × 0.71 = 1 − 0.47 = +0.53. Eliminate two: 1/2 × 3 − 1/2 × 0.71 = 1.5 − 0.355 = +1.15. Guessing after elimination helps; blind guessing barely does.
How are Part A and Part B combined?
The UCEED 2027 Information Brochure sets a Part A cut-off from the average and spread of all candidates' Part A marks, and caps the shortlist at the top 6,400 if more clear it (lower cut-offs apply for reserved categories). Part B answers are marked independently by at least two examiners, without names. Part B cut-offs are 15 (OPEN), 13.5 (OBC-NCL and EWS) and 7.5 (SC, ST and PwD). Your rank comes from Part A marks plus Part B marks.
A three-month preparation plan
Daily sketching: 20 minutes drawing everyday objects from life, focusing on proportion, perspective and shading.
Spatial puzzles: paper folding, cube nets, mirror images and rotations, three times a week.
Observation journal: note one design problem you notice each day, such as a door handle or a bus stop, and a fix.
Timed Part A sets: the official sample interface, plus past papers from the UCEED site.
If spatial questions involve geometry you have forgotten, such as angles in a polygon or volumes, revise those ideas one at a time. Fermi's AI tutor works out what you already know and builds a plan for the session, so you can start where your gaps are. Students also weighing architecture can read our post on NATA.
Register at uceed.iitb.ac.in by the deadline and try the sample exam interface this week.
