UCEED 2026 Topper Ankit Secures AIR 153 with PW While Preparing for Class 12 Boards

Preparing for an entrance exam while studying in Class 12 often means choosing what needs attention first. School, boards, lectures and entrance preparation all compete for the same limited hours. For UCEED 2026 topper Ankit, the challenge was even greater because he came across UCEED only around three months before the exam.

Instead of worrying about how late he had started, Ankit concentrated on what he could still do with the time available. He practised previous-year papers repeatedly, worked on drawing, revised his mistakes and used mock tests to understand where he stood. The effort eventually led to AIR 153 in UCEED 2026, alongside his Class 12 studies.

From JEE Preparation to Finding a New Direction in Design

Ankit's UCEED journey did not begin with years of design entrance preparation. He was initially a JEE aspirant, and it was only later that he came to know about UCEED and the possibility of pursuing design.

That change also meant starting a different type of preparation with very little time in hand. Ankit recalled:

“Mujhe bahut recently hi pata chala UCEED ke baare mein, around three months pehle.”

Naturally, his first concern was whether three months would be enough.

“Mujhe chinta ho rahi thi ki itne jaldi kaise preparation hogi.”

Instead of allowing that concern to become a reason to give up, he started working through the syllabus and practice material available to him. His PCM background also became useful in areas such as mathematics, reasoning and visualisation.

The shift from JEE preparation to UCEED was therefore not about starting everything from zero. Ankit recognised his existing strengths and then concentrated on the areas that required a different approach.

How Ankit Built a 6–8 Hour Preparation Routine

One of the strongest parts of Ankit's journey was the way he used his study hours. He usually preferred studying at a library rather than at home and regularly devoted around six to eight hours to preparation.

“Main to regularly almost padhta tha six to eight hours.”

His day was divided according to the work that needed to be done. He would begin by treating a previous-year paper like an actual timed test.

“Pehle two hours ka main ek previous-year paper mock test jaisa, ekdum two hours ke andar finish karta tha.”

He used the next few hours for pending lectures and detailed problem-solving. Around two hours went into drawing, including questions from previous papers, form study and product design.

The final part of his routine was reserved for revision. This mattered because Ankit did not want mistakes from one practice session to quietly appear again in the next.

“Last ke one hour mein main flashcards jaake revise karta tha.”

His routine shows that the number of hours alone was not the deciding factor. Each part of the day had a purpose: test, practise, draw, identify mistakes and revise.

PYQs and Flashcards Became His Most Useful Preparation Tools

Ankit repeatedly returned to previous-year questions during his preparation. Rather than solving a paper once and moving on, he revisited the same papers until he understood both the questions and his own errors.

“Maine har ek PYP, previous-year paper ko do ya teen baar at least kiya tha.”

He paid attention to questions from both Part A and Part B. More importantly, every mistake became something to work on rather than something to forget after checking the answer.

“Jitni bhi meri galtiyan thi, maine un sabhi ko ek notebook mein likh liya.”

Flashcards eventually became one of his favourite revision methods. He added concepts and repeated mistakes from previous papers to them and returned to those cards regularly.

“Mere ko sabse zyada help ki woh hai flashcards. Flashcards se bahut zyada help hui.”

This simple habit made his revision personal. Instead of repeatedly revising everything with equal attention, he could return to the exact areas where he had previously struggled.

How PW Supported Ankit During a Short Preparation Window

Ankit was already familiar with PW through his earlier JEE preparation. When he discovered that PW also offered preparation for design and architecture entrance exams, that previous experience influenced his decision to continue his preparation with the platform.

“Mujhe pehle se trust tha PW pe, kyunki bahut achha chal raha tha JEE ka preparation.”

He then joined the PW Design & Architecture Iconic batch and used its lectures and mock tests while preparing for UCEED. The current PW design programme similarly covers areas such as design, reasoning, mathematics, fine arts and general knowledge, along with tests and practice support.

For Ankit, the support was particularly useful because he had entered UCEED preparation relatively late.

“Iconic batch ne bahut zyada help ki meri, sir.”

He followed the lectures, trusted the teachers and kept practising through the available tests.

“Kaafi teachers ke upar, jaise Imran sir ho gaye... unpe bharosa kiya aur baaki saare mock tests diye, saare lectures watch kiye, practice kiya.”

He focused on the classes and PYQs and supplemented them with topics such as art, culture and paintings. Rather than describing PW as a substitute for self-study, Ankit's experience shows how he combined the classes and mocks with repeated independent practice.

Staying Calm Became Part of Ankit's Exam Preparation

Ankit knew that preparation could be wasted if anxiety took over on exam day. So he did not leave his mental preparation until the morning of the exam.

“Maine bahut zyada try kiya tha ki apne aap ko thoda calm down kar loon.”

Meditation and exercise became part of that effort.

“Meditation wagairah kiya, exercise kiya, taaki mind thoda fresh ho jaaye aur zyada chinta na ho exam ke time pe.”

That calmness mattered even more because Ankit had doubts about his Part B performance after the exam. He already expected a strong Part A score, but drawing left him less certain.

“Part A ke marks to mujhe pata tha ki 140 ke upar aa jayenge, par mujhe bada darr lag raha tha ki Part B mein kya hoga.”

When he eventually saw 44 marks in Part B, the result surprised him.

“Jaise hi maine dekha uske 44 aaye, mujhe samajh nahi aaya ki itne saare marks aa gaye. Bahut zyada khush ho raha tha.”

He also reported scoring 141 marks in Part A, an area strengthened by his interest in mathematics, logical reasoning and visualisation.

Ankit's Advice for Future UCEED Aspirants

Ankit's advice does not revolve around finding a secret preparation technique. His focus is on doing the basics repeatedly and noticing what needs improvement.

“PYQs pe sabse zyada dhyan dijiye.”

He recommends solving previous papers multiple times, analysing mistakes and keeping those errors somewhere they can be revised.

“Jitne zyada aap PYPs kar pao, utne zyada karo.”

But his advice goes beyond studying. He accepts that low phases are part of preparation and believes students need to understand whether they are tired, distracted, or genuinely burning out.

“Down time to aayega hi. Kabhi-kabhi achha lagega, kabhi-kabhi bura lagega.”

His approach to handling that pressure is refreshingly simple:

“Jab padhai kar rahe ho to padhai karo, aur jab thoda time pass kar rahe ho to time pass karo.”

He also warns against forcing 10–12 hours of study simply because an entrance exam feels important. For him, confidence came from trusting his preparation, practising consistently and giving his mind enough space to recover.

Ankit's journey to UCEED 2026 AIR 153 was not built around a perfect beginning. He discovered the exam late, had Class 12 responsibilities running alongside it and still had areas where he lacked confidence. What changed the outcome was how deliberately he used the time he had. With PYQs, drawing practice, mock tests, flashcards, revision and guidance from PW, he gradually replaced uncertainty with preparation. His story is a reminder that a late start does not have to become a weak finish when the remaining time is used with discipline and purpose.