KEAM, the Kerala Engineering Architecture Medical entrance examination, is the state's centralised entrance test for undergraduate admission to engineering and pharmacy programmes at government, government-aided, and private colleges across Kerala, run by the Office of the Commissioner for Entrance Examinations (CEE), Kerala. Despite the name, KEAM's own written exam no longer covers medical admission: MBBS, BDS, and every other medical or allied-health programme in Kerala now admits entirely on NEET UG scores, with CEE Kerala's role limited to registration, NEET-based rank-list preparation, and running the state counselling for those seats. B.Arch admission works differently again, using a NATA score paired with Plus Two board marks rather than the KEAM PCM exam score. KEAM 2026's engineering and pharmacy exam ran as a computer-based test (CBT) across multiple shifts from April 17 to 22 (engineering) and April 18 to 20 (pharmacy), with results declared June 26, 2026. Counselling is now past its first allotment round: Phase 1 seats were finalised July 8, the confirmation-fee window closed July 12, and Phase 2 dates are awaited.
| Date | Update | Source |
|---|---|---|
| July 12, 2026 | Phase 1 seat confirmation-fee payment window closed | CEE Kerala |
| July 8, 2026 | KEAM 2026 Phase 1 final seat allotment released | CEE Kerala |
| July 7, 2026 | KEAM 2026 Phase 1 provisional and trial allotment published | CEE Kerala |
| July 2, 2026 | KEAM 2026 counselling registration and option entry opened | CEE Kerala |
| June 26, 2026 | KEAM 2026 engineering and pharmacy rank lists published | CEE Kerala |
| Full name | Kerala Engineering Architecture Medical Entrance Examination |
| Acronym | KEAM |
| Conducting body | Office of the Commissioner for Entrance Examinations (CEE), Kerala |
| Mode | Computer-based test (CBT), MCQ, multiple shifts and days |
| Level | State (Kerala); no Kerala-domicile requirement to apply |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Scope | Engineering and Pharmacy (own written exam); Architecture (NATA-based); Medical/Allied Health (NEET UG-based) |
| Languages | English |
| Engineering paper marks | 600 (75 Mathematics, 45 Physics, 30 Chemistry questions) |
| Duration | 180 minutes (engineering) |
| Question count | 150 (engineering: 75 Maths, 45 Physics, 30 Chemistry) |
| Negative marking | +4 correct, -1 incorrect, 0 unattempted; double-marked responses scored incorrect |
| Application fee (General, Engineering/Pharmacy) | ₹925 |
| Official website | cee.kerala.gov.in |
| 2026 cycle registrations | 1,48,146 (1,08,409 engineering-stream, 39,737 medicine-stream registration only) |
| 2026 cycle appeared (engineering + pharmacy) | 96,747 |
| Participating institutes (2026 cycle) | ~170-270 engineering colleges (range varies by counting method), ~50,000+ KEAM-routed engineering seats |
| Online registration | January 5 to February 6, 2026 |
| Engineering examination | April 17-22, 2026 (CBT, multiple shifts) |
| Pharmacy examination | April 18-20, 2026 (CBT) |
| Final answer key released | May 5, 2026 |
| Engineering and pharmacy rank lists published | June 26, 2026 |
| Counselling registration and option entry opened | July 2, 2026 |
| Trial allotment | July 6, 2026 |
| Option registration deadline (extended) | July 7, 2026, 12 PM |
| Phase 1 provisional and final allotment | July 7-8, 2026 |
| Phase 1 confirmation-fee payment window | July 9-12, 2026 |
| Phase 2, Phase 3, and mop-up round | Not yet announced, expected shortly tentative |
KEAM 2026 eligibility does not carry a Kerala-domicile requirement to sit the exam, a real structural difference from KCET: any Indian citizen, OCI, or PIO cardholder can register, with candidates sorted into Keralite, Non-Keralite Category I, and Non-Keralite Category II groups for reservation and quota purposes rather than being excluded outright. For engineering, candidates need a pass (or appearance) in Class 12 or equivalent with Physics and Mathematics as compulsory subjects, plus Chemistry, Biotechnology, Biology, or Computer Science as the third subject, with a minimum 45% aggregate in the relevant subjects (a 5% relaxation applies for reserved categories). The minimum age is 17 at the time of admission, with no published upper age limit for engineering, and there is no cap on the number of attempts.
| Age limit | Minimum 17 years at the time of admission. No general upper age limit is published for engineering; confirm any course-specific age rule against the current CEE prospectus. |
| Domicile and nativity categories | KEAM does not require Kerala domicile to apply, unlike KCET. CEE Kerala classifies applicants as Keralite, Non-Keralite Category I (NK I), and Non-Keralite Category II (NK II). Only Keralite candidates are eligible for State Merit quota reservation benefits; NK II candidates can still compete for Government and Management quota seats at private institutions. |
| Required subjects (B.E. / B.Tech) | Physics and Mathematics compulsory, plus Chemistry, Biotechnology, Biology, or Computer Science. Single combined paper covering Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry. |
| Required subjects (B.Pharm) | Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics or Biology. Candidates sit the Physics and Chemistry sections. |
| Required subjects (B.Arch) | Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, minimum 50% aggregate, plus a valid NATA score. No separate KEAM written paper; NATA score paired with board marks. |
| Medical / Allied Health (MBBS, BDS, BAMS, BHMS, BSMS, BUMS, Nursing) | As prescribed by the relevant regulatory council, plus a qualifying NEET UG percentile (50th general, 40th SC/ST/SEBC, 45th PwD-unreserved, 40th PwD-SC/ST/SEBC). No separate KEAM written paper; NEET UG score is the ranking input. |
| Minimum percentage (General/Unreserved) | 45% aggregate in the qualifying subjects for engineering. |
| Minimum percentage (reserved categories) | 40% aggregate in the qualifying subjects for engineering (a 5% relaxation from the general requirement). |
| Nationality | Indian citizens, OCI, and PIO cardholders may apply. No Kerala-residency prerequisite. NRI-quota engineering seats at private colleges are applied for directly through individual institutions. |
| Reservation structure | State Merit (50%), EWS (10%), Ezhava (9%), Muslim (8%), Other Backward Hindu (3%), Latin Catholic and Anglo-Indian (3%), Dheevara (2%), Viswakarma (2%), Kusava (1%), Other Backward Christian (1%), Kudumbi (1%), SC (8%), ST (2%). Backward-category applicants need a non-creamy-layer certificate. |
The KEAM application is fully online through the CEE Kerala candidate portal, covering engineering, pharmacy, architecture, and medical/allied stream registration in a single window, even though architecture and medical admission do not use a separate KEAM written test. There is a single registration window for the whole cycle.
| Document | Format | Size | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Photograph | JPG / JPEG | As specified in the current bulletin | Recent, plain background, clearly visible face |
| Signature | JPG / JPEG | As specified in the current bulletin | Signed on white paper, scanned, not typed |
| Class 10 certificate | PDF / JPG | As specified in the current bulletin | Required to confirm date of birth |
| Community or nativity certificate (if applicable) | As specified in the current bulletin | Produced in full at counselling document verification | |
| Income certificate (if claiming EWS or fee concession) | As specified in the current bulletin | Required for economically weaker section or fee-concession claims |
| Category | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering / B.Pharm, General | ₹925 | ₹925 |
| Engineering / B.Pharm, SC | ₹400 | ₹400 |
| Engineering / B.Pharm, ST | Nil | Nil |
| Architecture / Medical and Allied, General | ₹650 | ₹650 |
| Architecture / Medical and Allied, SC | ₹260 | ₹260 |
| Architecture / Medical and Allied, ST | Nil | Nil |
KEAM's engineering paper is a single combined test covering Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry, run as a computer-based test since the 2024 cycle. The paper carries 150 questions worth 600 marks (75 Mathematics, 45 Physics, 30 Chemistry), runs for 180 minutes, and uses a +4/-1 marking scheme, a meaningfully stricter penalty structure than KCET's zero-negative-marking rule.
| Mode | Computer-based test (CBT), MCQ, multiple shifts and days |
| Duration | 180 minutes (engineering) |
| Mathematics section | 75 questions |
| Physics section | 45 questions |
| Chemistry section | 30 questions |
| Total questions (engineering) | 150 |
| Total marks (engineering) | 600 |
| Pharmacy paper | Physics and Chemistry sections, 300 marks total |
| Marking scheme | +4 correct, -1 incorrect, 0 unattempted; a double-marked response scores as incorrect |
| Calculator | Not allowed. No calculators, log tables, or electronic devices of any kind |
| Language | English |
| Score normalisation | Percentile Interpolated Average Method, applied across multiple shifts and days |
The single biggest structural change in recent KEAM history predates the 2026 cycle: the shift from a pen-and-paper OMR exam to a fully computer-based test starting in 2024, which introduced multi-shift scheduling and percentile-based normalisation. For 2026 specifically, no further mode change was announced; confirm the current cycle's exact shift schedule against the live CEE bulletin.
KEAM's +4/-1 marking scheme means blind guessing among four options is close to break-even and mildly negative once real-world answer-choice skew is considered. The safer, quotable rule most coaching material converges on: eliminate at least one implausible option before guessing, since two-option guessing turns the same +4/-1 scheme solidly positive in expected value, and Mathematics alone carries 300 of the paper's 600 marks. The other structural fact that shapes KEAM prep more than almost any other exam on this site is the rank formula: CEE Kerala blends 50% of the normalised KEAM score with 50% of standardised Class 12 board marks, and the board-marks half itself is weighted 5:3:2 across Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry. Mathematics board performance is worth more than two and a half times Chemistry board performance in the final index.
KEAM's syllabus is drawn primarily from the Class 11 and Class 12 NCERT curriculum in Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry, a different anchor point from KCET, which draws from Karnataka's own PU board textbooks. Kerala's own Higher Secondary (DHSE, Plus Two) board syllabus has moved closer to the NCERT framework but is not a full substitute; CEE Kerala's own syllabus document should be the final reference.
75 of the paper's 150 questions and 300 of its 600 marks, the single largest share of any subject, and it also carries the heaviest weighting (5 out of 5:3:2) in the board-marks half of the rank formula.
| Unit | Weightage | Key topics |
|---|---|---|
| Calculus | High | Limits, continuity, differentiation, integration, differential equations |
| Algebra | High | Matrices, determinants, complex numbers, sequences and series, permutations and combinations |
| Coordinate geometry | Moderate | Straight lines, circles, conic sections, three-dimensional geometry |
| Vectors | Moderate | Vector algebra, scalar and vector products |
| Probability and statistics | Moderate | Probability distributions, statistical measures |
45 questions worth 180 marks and the second-highest weighting (3 out of 5:3:2) in the board-marks half of the rank formula.
| Unit | Weightage | Key topics |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanics | High | Kinematics, laws of motion, work-energy-power, rotational motion, gravitation |
| Electricity and magnetism | High | Electrostatics, current electricity, magnetic effects, electromagnetic induction |
| Modern physics | Moderate | Photoelectric effect, atomic and nuclear physics, semiconductors |
| Heat, waves, and optics | Moderate | Thermodynamics, kinetic theory, oscillations, ray and wave optics |
30 questions worth 120 marks, the smallest share by question count and the lowest weighting (2 out of 5:3:2) in the board-marks half of the rank formula.
| Unit | Weightage | Key topics |
|---|---|---|
| Physical Chemistry | High | Atomic structure, chemical bonding, thermodynamics, equilibrium, electrochemistry |
| Organic Chemistry | High | Hydrocarbons, functional groups, reaction mechanisms, biomolecules |
| Inorganic Chemistry | Moderate | Periodic properties, coordination compounds, p-block and d-block chemistry |
A workable KEAM preparation plan has to account for three things generic advice usually misses: the DHSE Plus Two syllabus overlaps substantially with NCERT but is not identical; the marking scheme is +4/-1, so guessing strategy matters more than it does for KCET's zero-negative-marking paper; and the final rank blends 50% board marks with 50% exam marks, with the board-marks half weighted 5:3:2 toward Mathematics.
12-month plan
Months 1-4: Foundation. Work through the DHSE (or NCERT-equivalent) Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics syllabus for the first-year portion cover-to-cover, treating board-exam preparation and KEAM preparation as the same task, since board marks are worth half the final rank and Mathematics alone is worth five-tenths of that half. No full mocks yet; concept accuracy comes first.
Months 5-8: Second-year syllabus plus first-year revision. Move into problem-solving practice with a standard reference alongside DHSE textbook mastery, since Plus Two internal assessments and board pre-final exams double as KEAM-relevant revision checkpoints. Begin one full-length KEAM-pattern CBT mock per fortnight from the second half of this window.
Months 9-12: Mock-heavy phase leading into board exams and KEAM. Increase to two mocks per week two months before boards, then shift almost entirely to Plus Two board revision in the final month, since a strong Mathematics board score directly raises the KEAM composite index. Resume KEAM-specific CBT mocks in the short window between boards and KEAM.
6-month plan
Months 1-2: Triage the syllabus against both Plus Two board requirements and KEAM's typical weighting, prioritising Mathematics given its outsized 5:3:2 board-marks weight and its 75-question share of the KEAM paper itself.
Months 3-4: Complete the remaining syllabus while running one KEAM-pattern CBT mock per week, calibrated against the +4/-1 marking scheme rather than a zero-negative-marking assumption carried over from other state exams.
Months 5-6: Mock-heavy phase around the board exam window. Treat the Plus Two board exam as a high-stakes KEAM input, then run a short, focused KEAM-specific CBT mock cycle in the days between boards ending and KEAM beginning.
90-day plan
This plan assumes a candidate salvaging preparation after a slow start, not an ideal scenario.
Days 1-30: Triage each subject's strongest and weakest chapters from early mock results, and prioritise Mathematics specifically, since it carries both the largest question share on the KEAM paper and the largest weight in the board-marks half of the index.
Days 31-60: Mock-heavy, alternating between full KEAM-pattern CBT mocks and Plus Two board-pattern practice papers. Given the +4/-1 penalty, practise the eliminate-one-option-before-guessing rule in every mock.
Days 61-90: Stamina and review across both the Plus Two board exam and KEAM itself, since both land in this window. Final week: no new mocks, only error-log review and CBT-interface familiarity checks.
Coaching helps candidates who need structured pacing across two simultaneous goals, the Plus Two board exam and KEAM, or who lack a strong foundation in Mathematics given its outsized weight in the rank formula. For candidates who already keep pace with their Plus Two classes, self-study built around DHSE textbooks, NCERT for concept cross-checking, and consistent KEAM-pattern CBT mock practice covers most of what is needed, without the added cost of a full coaching programme built primarily around JEE Main content that does not map cleanly onto KEAM's DHSE-anchored syllabus and different marking scheme.
Kerala-specific coaching institutes, common in Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, and other education hubs, build their teaching calendar around the Plus-Two-plus-KEAM dual outcome. Pan-India coaching platforms increasingly publish Kerala-specific KEAM material alongside their national JEE Main and NEET content; verify current fee and outcome claims directly with any institute before committing.
Topper insight (pending)
Verified KEAM topper from the 2025 or 2026 cycle, rank-card verified, willing to be quoted by name. The content instruction requires at least 2 verified topper or test-taker contributors with year-stamped credentials. Without this, the page reads like every other generic prep article.
| Book | Subject | Price (₹) | One-line take |
|---|---|---|---|
| DHSE Plus Two textbooks and guides (SCERT Kerala or equivalent Kerala-specific publisher) | All subjects | 600 | Directly matches the DHSE syllabus and question style KEAM draws from; skipping this in favour of national-exam books alone is a common KEAM prep mistake. |
| Oswaal or Arihant KEAM Question Bank | All three subjects | 500 | Purpose-built for KEAM's specific paper style and CBT format, a genuine differentiator from generic JEE Main-oriented books. |
| Concepts of Physics (HC Verma) | Physics | 800 | Strong for building concepts; supplement with DHSE-specific practice since KEAM Physics rewards speed within a 180-minute combined paper. |
| NCERT Chemistry (Class 11 + 12) | Chemistry | 400 | Useful cross-reference for Organic and Physical Chemistry fundamentals alongside DHSE textbooks. |
| Objective Mathematics (standard JEE-style reference, used selectively) | Mathematics | 900 | Given Mathematics carries half the KEAM paper's marks and the largest board-marks weight, extra problem-solving practice here has an outsized return. |
KEAM-pattern CBT mocks calibrated to the real 150-question, +4/-1, single-combined-paper structure are more useful than generic JEE Main mock series repurposed without adjustment. Confirm any test series is genuinely KEAM-pattern and CBT-formatted before paying for it.
The activity with the highest score-to-effort ratio in exam prep is mock-test analysis. Solving a mock takes hours; analysing it correctly takes longer. Most candidates skip the analysis. The candidates who score well do not.
| Year | Difficulty | Hardest section | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Moderate | Mathematics | Second full CBT cycle after the 2024 mode change; multi-shift normalisation applied across engineering exam days |
| 2025 | Moderate | Mathematics | First cycle in which the CBT format and normalisation methodology were relatively settled after the 2024 transition |
| 2024 | Moderate-Hard, transition year | Mathematics | First computer-based cycle; candidates and coaching material both adjusted to the new interface mid-cycle |
| 2023 | Moderate | Mathematics | Last pen-and-paper OMR cycle before the CBT transition |
| 2022 | Moderate | Physics | Standard pen-and-paper difficulty distribution across subjects |
Across recent KEAM papers, Calculus and Algebra recur most often in Mathematics; Mechanics and Electricity/Magnetism recur most often in Physics; and Organic and Physical Chemistry fundamentals recur most often in Chemistry, consistent with the syllabus weighting tables above.
| Year | General | OBC-NCL | EWS | SC | ST | PwD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | No qualifying-percentile gate for engineering; a candidate's exam and board scores flow directly into the 50:50 index used for the rank list. | — | — | — | — | — |
| College | General (HS) | General (OS) | OBC (OS) | SC (OS) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| College of Engineering Trivandrum (CET), CSE | — | 343 (Round 1), widening to ~571 (Round 3) | — | — |
| Government Engineering College Thrissur, CSE | — | Roughly 1,000-2,500 (directional) | — | — |
| TKM College of Engineering Kollam, CSE | — | Roughly 1,500-3,500 (directional) | — | — |
| Model Engineering College Thrikkakara, CSE | — | Roughly 2,000-4,000 (directional) | — | — |
| Mid-tier private engineering colleges, CSE | — | Well into five figures at some institutions | — | — |
KEAM 2026 registered a broadly similar candidate pool to recent cycles (1,08,409 engineering-stream registrations against roughly 96,747 candidates appearing across engineering and pharmacy combined), without a sharp swing in either direction. This is a directional read based on registration-volume trend data, not a calibrated statistical model; confirm actual Phase 1 and later-phase closing ranks directly against CEE Kerala's published allotment results before making a final option-entry decision for Phase 2 or the mop-up round.
Use the College Predictor with full methodology disclosure →KEAM 2026 engineering and pharmacy rank lists were declared by CEE Kerala on June 26, 2026. The rank card is downloadable from cee.kerala.gov.in using the candidate's application number and password, and it doubles as the scorecard.
A KEAM rank is valid for the counselling cycle it belongs to. It cannot be carried forward to the following year's counselling.
Because KEAM runs as a computer-based test across multiple shifts and days with different question sets, raw scores are not directly comparable between candidates who sat different shifts. CEE Kerala applies the Percentile Interpolated Average Method, converting each candidate's raw score into a percentile within their own session, then mapping that percentile onto a common 0-300 scale. This is separate from the rank-formula blend: once the normalised KEAM score is set, 50% of the total index comes from it and 50% from standardised board marks (themselves split 5:3:2 across Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry).
CEE Kerala's answer-key objection process is the primary channel for disputing a specific question or answer, running in the window between the provisional and final answer key. If a candidate's Class 12 board marks are revised after a later re-evaluation by the board itself, CEE Kerala requires the candidate to update the portal promptly so the index recalculates correctly; this is a board-side correction channel rather than a KEAM-specific re-evaluation of the entrance exam score.
CEE Kerala itself runs the centralised counselling that follows the exam, filling seats at all participating engineering and pharmacy colleges across Kerala through the same portal used for the exam application, and also administering the parallel NEET-score-based counselling for medical and allied-health seats and the NATA-score-based counselling for architecture seats under the same administrative umbrella. Phase 1 allotment for the 2026 cycle finalised July 8, and the confirmation-fee window closed July 12.
List every college and branch you would genuinely accept, in honest order. Kerala's multi-phase structure gives real room to correct course between phases, but padding your list with rejects still wastes time you could spend confirming a realistic choice.
Decide whether to accept your Phase 1 seat or hold out for Phase 2 before the confirmation deadline, not after. Confirming a seat you would genuinely accept removes the risk of losing it; holding out for an upgrade only makes sense if the next realistic option is meaningfully better than what you already hold.
Understand your seat sits inside a bigger picture than KEAM's Government quota alone. Many private engineering colleges in Kerala run a separate Management quota alongside the KEAM-routed Government quota at the same institution. A missed Government-quota cutoff is not necessarily the final word on a college you want.
If you are also eligible for medical or architecture seats, treat those as genuinely separate tracks. A NEET score or a NATA score does not carry over into the engineering rank list, and vice versa; option-entry choices for each track need to be filed correctly and separately.
Confirm your community or nativity certificate before Phase 1, not during it. A missing or incorrectly categorised nativity or community certificate is one of the more common, and avoidable, reasons a candidate loses reservation-quota eligibility mid-counselling.
KEAM's CAP runs through several main allotment phases plus a mop-up round to fill remaining vacancies after the main phases close. Phase 2 dates had not been officially announced by CEE Kerala as of this drafting pass; check the live counselling portal for the current phase schedule. Any seats still vacant after the mop-up round are generally filled at the discretion of individual institutes through their own Management-quota process.
Talk to a counsellor about your strategy →Top 3 KEAM-accepting institutes by NIRF Engineering rank. Each links to the full college page with placements, fees, hostel, and student reviews.
| NIRF rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | NIT Calicut | Kozhikode, Kerala |
| #2 | IIT Palakkad | Palakkad, Kerala |
| #3 | Cochin University of Science and Technology | Kochi, Kerala |
| Comparison | Mode | Conducting body | Frequency | College scope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KEAM vs JEE Main | CBT (multi-shift) vs CBT | CEE Kerala vs NTA | Annual vs Biannual | Kerala state institutes vs National (NITs/IIITs/GFTIs) |
| KEAM vs KCET | CBT (multi-shift) vs Pen-paper (OMR) | CEE Kerala vs KEA | Annual vs Annual | Open to all-India candidates, domicile not required vs Karnataka state institutes, domicile required to appear |
| KEAM vs WBJEE | CBT (multi-shift) vs Pen-paper (OMR) | CEE Kerala vs WBJEEB | Annual vs Annual | Kerala state institutes, open to all-India candidates vs West Bengal state institutes, open to all-India candidates |
| KEAM vs NEET UG | CBT (Engineering/Pharmacy only) vs Pen-paper (National, Medical) | CEE Kerala vs NTA | Annual vs Annual | KEAM gates Kerala engineering/pharmacy seats; NEET UG gates all Kerala medical and allied-health seats, with CEE Kerala running the state counselling on NEET scores |
Pending verified contributors
6 to 8 verified test-taker reviews required. Curation mix: 1 recent topper (top percentile composite index), 1 average qualifier (mid-range rank who secured an admission), 1 non-qualifier or candidate who did not secure a seat through counselling (honest perspective), 1 repeat test-taker, 1 first-attempt test-taker, 1 female test-taker for gender-specific operational notes. All rank-card-verified and year-stamped. Without these the page cannot meet the experiential trust requirement the content instruction calls for.
No. KEAM's own written exam now covers only engineering and pharmacy. MBBS, BDS, and every other medical or allied-health programme in Kerala admits entirely on NEET UG scores; CEE Kerala's role for those courses is limited to registering the NEET score, applying a qualifying-percentile rule (50th percentile general, 40th percentile SC/ST/SEBC), and running the state counselling from there.
KEAM has been a computer-based test (CBT) since the 2024 cycle, a change from the pen-and-paper OMR format used through 2023. Because Kerala cannot seat every candidate at once on a CBT platform, the exam runs across multiple shifts and days, and CEE Kerala applies a percentile-based score normalisation before ranking.
No. Unlike KCET, KEAM does not require Kerala domicile to sit the exam; any Indian citizen, OCI, or PIO cardholder can register. CEE Kerala instead classifies applicants into Keralite, Non-Keralite Category I, and Non-Keralite Category II groups, which govern reservation-quota eligibility rather than exam eligibility itself.
CEE Kerala blends a normalised KEAM score (50% of the total index, out of 300) with standardised Class 12 board marks (the other 50%, out of 300). The board-marks half is weighted 5:3:2 across Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry, so Mathematics board performance counts for more than two and a half times Chemistry board performance in the final index.
Yes. KEAM uses a +4 for correct, -1 for incorrect marking scheme, with 0 marks for an unattempted question. A response with two answers marked on the same question is scored as incorrect. This is a stricter penalty than KCET's zero-negative-marking rule.
B.Arch does not use the KEAM engineering exam score at all. Its own rank list blends a candidate's NATA score (50%) with their Plus Two board marks in Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics (50%), an entirely separate 50:50 calculation from the engineering formula. A candidate must qualify NATA (conducted by the Council of Architecture) and also register on the CEE Kerala portal; neither one alone secures a seat.
Rough benchmarks (General Merit category, 2025 cycle): a rank around 343 in Round 1 (widening to roughly 571 by Round 3) for Computer Science and Engineering at College of Engineering Trivandrum; ranks in the low thousands for the same branch at other established government colleges; ranks well into five figures still secure Computer Science and Engineering seats at some private engineering colleges.
KEAM does not publish a fixed cap on attempts; a candidate can generally appear as many years as they meet the underlying Class 12 and age eligibility. Confirm the current cycle's attempt rules against the live CEE prospectus.
Admit card (printed or as specified for the CBT centre), a valid photo ID, and any documents specified in the current admit card's instructions. No calculators, log tables, mobile phones, smartwatches, or other electronic or communication devices are allowed inside the exam hall.
No. KEAM prohibits calculators entirely, along with all other electronic devices, even though the exam itself runs on a computer terminal. All calculation has to be done by hand or mentally within the 180-minute window.
No. All four are prominent institutes located in Kerala but admit through their own national-level or institute-specific processes: NIT Calicut through JEE Main and JoSAA counselling, IIT Palakkad through JEE Advanced and the national IIT counselling process, IIST Thiruvananthapuram primarily through its own written test combined with JEE Advanced rank, and CUSAT through its own CUSAT CAT entrance exam. This is one of the most common points of confusion among KEAM candidates researching Kerala's top institutes.
Both are state CETs run by a single authority that also handles counselling, but KEAM does not require Kerala domicile to sit the exam while KCET requires Karnataka domicile or local-candidate status just to appear. KEAM also carries a +4/-1 marking scheme against KCET's zero-negative-marking rule, and KEAM's rank formula weights board marks 5:3:2 across Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry rather than KCET's flat aggregate-percentage approach.
CEE Kerala itself runs counselling through its Centralised Allotment Process (CAP), unlike JEE Main's separate JoSAA process. Candidates register separately for CAP after the rank list is published, enter options in priority order, see a trial allotment, and then go through several main allotment phases plus a mop-up round.
Not for every candidate. Since KEAM's syllabus is anchored in the DHSE Plus Two curriculum and board marks make up half the final rank, with Mathematics weighted most heavily within that half, candidates who already keep pace with their Plus Two classwork and add consistent KEAM-pattern CBT mock practice cover most of what is needed.
₹925 for General-category Engineering/B.Pharm applicants, ₹400 for SC, and free for ST. For Architecture and Medical/Allied registration, the fee is ₹650 General, ₹260 SC, and free for ST. Candidates opting for an exam centre outside India pay an additional ₹16,000.
Registration happens through the same CEE Kerala portal, but the underlying eligibility and scoring are entirely separate: a NEET UG score (for medical/allied) or a NATA score (for architecture) must be entered or verified through the portal independently of any KEAM engineering exam score.
KEAM 2027 is expected to follow a broadly similar cycle to 2026, with registration typically opening in January and the exam itself in April. Confirm exact 2027 dates against CEE Kerala's official notification once released, since specific dates and shift structures can shift cycle to cycle.
Sources
