Candidates of CEED 2026 are currently finalizing their review of the Part A draft answer key following its release by IIT Bombay. The portal allowed students to cross-examine their responses and submit objections until January 22, 5:00 PM. With the final answer key scheduled for release on January 28, 2026, aspirants are calculating potential scores to estimate their eligibility for Part B evaluation. Stay informed on the official CEED website for upcoming merit list details and result declarations scheduled for March 4.

As of January 29, 2026, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay has concluded the primary objection phase for the Common Entrance Examination for Design. Following the nationwide exam held on January 18, the provisional-key was made available on January 19, sparking a week of intense scrutiny by the design community. Candidates have been meticulously comparing their downloaded response sheets with the official Part A solutions to estimate their marks in the NAT, MSQ, and MCQ sections. Since Part B is a subjective paper with no model answers, the current focus remains entirely on ensuring the objective section is graded fairly before the final results are processed in March.

Objection Window and Feedback Processing

The CEED 2026 portal served as the central hub for all provisional-key challenges, which were accepted until the evening of January 22.

• Reviewing Discrepancies: Thousands of candidates utilized the window to flag potential errors in question phrasing or answer ranges, particularly in the Numerical Answer Type (NAT) section.
• Expert Committee Action: IIT Bombay's subject experts are currently reviewing every piece of feedback submitted via the official-portal. Any valid challenges will result in a revised key, which ensures that no student is unfairly penalized for technical ambiguities.
• Part A Weightage: While Part A serves as a qualifier, it only carries a 25% weightage in the final score calculation, yet clearing its cutoff is mandatory for Part B evaluation.

Scoring Trends and Qualifying Thresholds

As the 2026 session progresses, preliminary analysis suggests a competitive scoring environment for the M.Des aspirants.

• Final Key Timeline: The final version of the Part A key was released yesterday, January 28, at 5:00 PM. This provisional-key update is now the definitive guide for all score calculations.
• The Shortlisting Formula: To have Part B evaluated, a student must meet the formula $\delta = \mu + (\sigma / 2)$, where $\mu$ is the mean and $\sigma$ is the standard deviation of the 2026 cohort.
• Category Relaxations: Reserved category students (OBC-NCL, EWS, SC, ST, PwD) will see relaxed qualifying marks, typically ranging from 0.5 to 0.9 of the open-category threshold.

Preparing for the March Results

With the answer key phase largely behind them, the 2026 batch is now looking forward to the official outcome of their labor.

• Cutoff Announcement: The official Part A qualifying marks (Shortlisting Threshold) will be published on the official-portal on February 5, 2026.
• Result Declaration: The comprehensive CEED 2026 results, including Part B marks and merit ranks, are slated for release on March 4.
• Scorecard Validity: Successful students can download their scorecards starting March 10, 2026. These will remain valid for one year for admission into M.Des and PhD programs at IISc Bangalore, various IITs, and IIITDM Jabalpur.

Conclusion

The period following the release of the CEED 2026 draft answer key has been a vital window for candidates to ensure the integrity of their Part A scores. By engaging with the provisional-key and the official-portal's objection system, the design community has contributed to a more accurate final assessment. As the focus shifts from objective verification to the manual evaluation of Part B portfolios, the foundation laid during this January review remains paramount. With the final key now published, aspirants have a clear path to estimating their ranks before the official results and cutoffs are unveiled in the coming weeks of 2026.