The Kerala Engineering Architecture Medical Entrance Examination, commonly called KEAM, is the main state-level gateway for students seeking admission to undergraduate professional courses in Kerala. Conducted by the Commissioner for Entrance Examinations, it covers engineering, pharmacy, architecture and a range of medical and allied programmes across government, aided and private colleges in the state.
While the name includes Medical, actual entry to MBBS, BDS and most medical and allied courses such as agriculture, veterinary and fisheries now depends on NEET scores, with KEAM mainly handling the centralised counselling and allotment. For architecture seats a valid NATA score is required, and the KEAM rank list simply combines that with Class 12 marks. The real entrance test organised by CEE is for engineering and pharmacy aspirants.
In recent years the exam has moved to a computer-based format. Engineering candidates face a single three-hour paper of 150 multiple-choice questions—75 from Mathematics, 45 from Physics and 30 from Chemistry—carrying a total of 600 marks. Pharmacy-only candidates sit a shorter one-and-a-half-hour paper with 75 questions from Physics and Chemistry. Four marks are awarded for every correct answer and one mark is deducted for each wrong one. The medium is English only.
Eligibility is straightforward: candidates must be at least 17 years old by the end of the year, hold Indian nationality (OCI and PIO are also allowed), and have passed or be appearing in Class 12 with the required subjects—Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics for engineering, with a minimum of 45 percent aggregate for the general category. The final engineering rank is prepared by giving equal weightage to the normalised KEAM score and the standardised Class 12 marks in the three science subjects.
For the 2026 cycle applications opened in early January, the engineering exam ran across several days in mid-to-late April, results followed in May, and counselling through the Centralised Allotment Process has been continuing through the summer. KEAM remains the key route for most state-quota seats in Kerala’s engineering and pharmacy colleges, blending entrance performance with board results in a way that keeps the process accessible for local students.