Exam Pattern
UCEED Exam Pattern
Undergraduate Common Entrance Examination for Design 2026 (Part A)
The UCEED exam pattern below is checked stage by stage, so one stage cannot inherit another stage's scoring rules.
UCEED 2026 Part A
Official 2026 pattern| Questions | 57 |
| Total marks | 200 |
| Duration | 120 minutes |
| Negative marking | varies by question type per wrong answer |
| Sections | NAT, MSQ, MCQ |
| Test | Qs | Marks | Min |
|---|---|---|---|
| NAT | 14 | 56 | — |
| MSQ | 15 | 60 | — |
| MCQ | 28 | 84 | — |
Timing: Part A runs for 120 minutes of the 180-minute paper, with the remaining 60 minutes given to Part B..
Part A only. Part B is a sketching and design-aptitude paper marked by hand, so it is not covered here, and it is compulsory in the real exam. Marking differs by question type: 14 numerical-answer questions earn 4 marks with no penalty, 15 multiple-select questions earn up to 4 marks with partial credit and deduct 1 mark otherwise, and 28 multiple-choice questions earn 3 marks and deduct 0.71. The official syllabus covers visualization and spatial reasoning, practical and scientific knowledge, observation and design sensitivity, environment and society, analytical and logical reasoning, language, and creativity.
Official source · checked 8 September 2026The UCEED UCEED 2026 Part A exam pattern is 57 questions carrying 200 marks, to be answered in 120 minutes. That works out to about 126 seconds per question on average, before any time spent reading instructions or revisiting marked answers. The 3 sections are NAT, MSQ and MCQ. All sections share one composite timer, so you are free to move between them and spend your time where it earns most.
UCEED UCEED 2026 Part A marking scheme
- Each correct answer is worth 3.51 marks.
- Worked example: attempt 46 of the 57 questions and get 35 right and 11 wrong, and you score 122.85 out of 200.
Practising against the same clock is the point of a mock test: at 126 seconds a question, the difference between a good score and an average one is usually pacing rather than knowledge. Attempt a free UCEED mock test to see where your time actually goes.
UCEED exam pattern: frequently asked questions
Is there negative marking in UCEED?
UCEED deducts varies by question type for a wrong answer. An unattempted question always scores zero, so the choice is only ever between guessing and leaving it blank.
How many questions are there in UCEED?
UCEED has 57 questions. That leaves about 126 seconds per question in UCEED.
What are the total marks in UCEED?
UCEED is out of 200 marks.
How long is the UCEED exam?
UCEED runs for 120 minutes.
Does UCEED have a sectional time limit?
No. Every section shares one composite timer, so you can move between sections freely and give the slower ones more of your time.