From Daily Sketching to UCEED AIR 18: Atharva Khapediya’s Success Story with Physics Wallah

Preparing for UCEED is different from most entrance exams because success depends on balancing both creative and analytical skills. Along with school and board exams, students have to improve drawing, observation, visual thinking and aptitude, making it difficult to stay consistent throughout the preparation journey.

Atharva Khapediya faced the same challenge while preparing for UCEED. By building a disciplined daily routine, balancing Part A and Part B practice, and using Physics Wallah resources for regular mocks and preparation, he stayed consistent and went on to secure AIR 18 in UCEED, earning admission to IIT Indore.

Atharva Khapediya’s Challenge of Choosing Design as a Career

One of Atharva’s biggest challenges came long before the exam – it was choosing design as a career. In his school, friend circle and even among relatives, very few people knew what UCEED or NID actually were.

“I was the only one there. Aur kahin na kahin main jab kisi ko bolta tha ki I am preparing for design exams, toh unko pata hi nahi rehta tha ki what is UCEED, what is NID.”

Many people even suggested that he should choose a more conventional career path instead of design.

“Kai saare log kehte bhi the ki kahan ja rahe ho design mein, isse achha koi conventional path le lete.”

Despite those opinions, Atharva stayed committed to the path he genuinely wanted to pursue.

A Daily Preparation Strategy for Balancing Part A and Part B

One of the biggest lessons from Atharva’s preparation is that success in UCEED does not come from focusing on just one section. Instead of becoming overconfident in his strongest area, he made sure both Part A and Part B became a part of his everyday routine.

Talking about drawing practice, he shared:

“Jo Part B hamara drawing wala part hota hai, woh ek aisa part hai jo kisi bhi student ke habit mein hona chahiye daily karna. Usko kabhi skip nahi karna hai.”

He followed the same discipline for Part A as well, believing that regular inputs were equally important because of its higher weightage.

“Wahin pe jo Part A wala part rehta hai, woh bhi daily karna hai. Uske liye bhi inputs dene hain.”

To maintain this balance, Atharva built a routine around school rather than separating academics and UCEED preparation. 

“Line practice bhi daily mera bana rehta hai ki line practice mein 10 to 20 minutes subah uth ke kar loon.”

After returning home from school, he shifted his focus towards Part A preparation before attending his board coaching classes.

“Uske baad around 12:30 mein aata tha. Phir thoda rest karke main Part A karta tha.”

His evenings were largely occupied with board studies, while the remaining night hours were reserved for drawing. During holidays, he consciously reduced school-related study time and increased the number of hours he devoted to design preparation.

“Jab bhi mereko holiday milta tha, toh us time main school ki study ko thoda kam rakh ke design pe zyada focus rakhta tha.”

By making both aptitude and sketching a daily habit instead of treating them as separate phases, Atharva was able to stay consistent throughout his UCEED preparation while balancing school and board exams.

How Physics Wallah helped Atharva Khapediya for   Preparation

While drawing required independent daily practice, Atharva used Physics Wallah as an important part of his Part A preparation. The PW course also gave him a clearer roadmap for his UCEED preparation.

Talking about how the PW course helped him, he shared:

“jaise hi main 12th mein aaya, PW ka course us time aaya. Toh kahin na kahin mujhe ek road map mila ki haan, mere paas ye syllabus hai. Ye wo classes hain jo agar main karunga, toh shayad meri bahut help karengi. Aur teachers bhi bahut supportive the.”

Explaining his routine, he shared:

“Part A mera depend karta tha. Ya toh main PYQs karta tha ya phir PW mein koi mock ya test ho gaya, ya phir lecture attend kar leta tha.”

Instead of treating mocks and tests as occasional practice, he made them part of his regular learning process. This helped him strengthen the objective side of UCEED while continuing to build his drawing skills separately.

Atharva Khapediya’s Advice for Balancing UCEED Preparation and Board Exams

Atharva Khapediya believes that consistent practice and planned preparation can help students manage UCEED alongside their school and board exams. For sketching, he emphasises the importance of developing both muscle memory and a visual repository through regular observation.

“Drawing ke liye sabse important hota hai ek student ka muscle memory and brain mein repository.”

According to Atharva, students should not simply look at objects or images but observe them closely enough to remember their details.

“Jo bhi student hain, unko ek picture leke usko closely dekhna hai. Itna closely ki unke brain mein woh chhap jaaye.”

He also suggests using AI-generated images as references to strengthen visual memory and understand how different elements can be represented while drawing, rather than simply copying them.

For balancing UCEED with boards, Atharva recommends planning the month in advance and following a clear checklist.

“Student ko ek checklist banani chahiye ki mera month hai, toh main is month mein ye chapters karunga.”

He further advises students to complete their board syllabus as early as possible and move towards revision, leaving room to increase their design preparation closer to the entrance exam.

“Board ka jitni jaldi ho sake syllabus complete kar dena chahiye aur ek revision phase mein aana chahiye.”

His approach shows that students do not have to choose between boards and UCEED. With early planning, regular sketching and gradually increasing design practice, both can be managed together.

Atharva Khapediya’s UCEED journey highlights how consistent effort, regular practice and the right preparation approach can turn an interest in design into a strong result. By balancing his boards with Part A practice and daily sketching, and using Physics Wallah for additional preparation, he secured AIR 18 in UCEED and earned admission to IIT Indore.