Entrance exam
KEAM: who can sit it, the paper, and where it leads
KEAM is the entrance examination of the Commissioner for Entrance Examinations, Kerala, for professional degree courses in the state. The name stands for Kerala Engineering, Architecture and Medical, although the examination itself is now for engineering and pharmacy. Medical and allied seats in Kerala are filled on NEET rank and architecture on NATA score, through the same office. For engineering, KEAM is the route into the government, aided and self-financing colleges of the state, and the Commissioner’s office runs the allotment that follows.
Important note: Please verify all examination details, including eligibility, dates, fees and application procedures, on the official website of the examination authority before taking any action.
Who can sit KEAM
You need Class 12 with Mathematics and Physics, and Chemistry or one of the alternatives the prospectus allows, with the minimum marks it sets. Candidates are classed as Keralite or non-Keralite by nativity, and the two are treated differently. Keralite candidates are eligible for all seats and for the state’s reservations. Non-Keralite candidates are eligible for only a part of the seats. There is a minimum age for admission. The nativity categories are defined in detail in the prospectus, and the certificate has to be in the form it prescribes.
How the paper is set
The engineering examination is computer-based. It has 150 questions to be answered in 180 minutes: 75 in Mathematics, 45 in Physics and 30 in Chemistry. Four marks are given for a correct answer and one is taken away for a wrong one. The engineering rank list is not drawn from the entrance score alone. It combines the entrance score with the Class 12 marks in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry, after the board marks are adjusted so that different boards can be compared. The method of adjustment has changed in recent years, so read the current prospectus.
The facts, and where each one comes from
Based on the KEAM 2026 examination, and indicative only. Follow the source beside each one for the current rule.
- Conducted by
- Commissioner for Entrance Examinations, Kerala source
- Examination covers
- Engineering and pharmacy source
- Mode
- Computer-based source
- Engineering paper
- 150 questions, 180 minutes: Mathematics 75, Physics 45, Chemistry 30 source
- Marking
- +4 correct, −1 wrong source
- Rank list
- Combines the entrance score with adjusted Class 12 marks in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry source
- Candidates
- Classed as Keralite or non-Keralite; non-Keralites are eligible for part of the seats source
- Medical and architecture seats
- Filled on NEET and NATA, not on this examination source
Before you decide to sit it
Half the questions are Mathematics, and the board marks count toward the rank, so the two things to protect are Mathematics practice and the Class 12 result. A student who neglects the board examination for entrance coaching loses ground here in a way that does not happen in JEE Main. Because wrong answers cost a mark, guessing is not free, and the habit of answering everything that works in tests without a penalty will hurt. Kerala’s colleges offer many branches at very different levels of demand, so decide on the branch before the option list opens.
Where this exam leads
22 careers in our database route through KEAM. Each one shows the full route in, what the work is actually like, and what it costs.
- Automobile EngineerEngineering & Technology
- Biomedical EngineerEngineering & Technology
- BiotechnologistLife Sciences & Environment
- Business Analyst (IT)Computing & Data
- Chemical EngineerEngineering & Technology
- Cloud & DevOps EngineerComputing & Data
- Computer Science EngineerEngineering & Technology
- Cybersecurity AnalystComputing & Data
- Data ScientistComputing & Data
- Database AdministratorComputing & Data
- Electrical EngineerEngineering & Technology
- Electronics & Communication EngineerEngineering & Technology
- Environmental EngineerEngineering & Technology
- Food TechnologistLife Sciences & Environment
- Industrial & Production EngineerEngineering & Technology
- Instrumentation & Control EngineerEngineering & Technology
- Mobile Application DeveloperComputing & Data
- QA & Test Engineer (Software)Computing & Data
- Robotics & Automation EngineerEngineering & Technology
- Software EngineerComputing & Data
- Structural EngineerEngineering & Technology
- Textile EngineerEngineering & Technology
The practical detail
- Typical duration of this stage
- 3 to 4 years, depending on the career
- Indicative cost of this stage
- ₹90,000 to ₹25 lakh
- Fields it opens
- Computing & Data, Engineering & Technology, Life Sciences & Environment
- Reachable from these streams
- Arts / HumanitiesCommerceScience with Mathematics (PCM)Science with Biology (PCB)Vocational / Diploma
Worth sitting this exam at all?
This page tells you where KEAM leads. It cannot tell you whether any of those destinations suit you — that depends on what you enjoy, how you reason and what you want from work. The assessment scores you against every career listed above and shows the arithmetic behind each match.
Worth 45 minutes even if you have already decided. Being certain is not the same as having checked, and it is free to take.
Compiled from 22 career records, the oldest verified on 2026-08-01. Sources: https://bis.gov.in/, https://cdsco.gov.in/, https://cpcb.nic.in/, https://dbtindia.gov.in/ and 26 more.