Kerala Engineering, Architectural and Medical Entrance Exam (KEAM) is conducted by the Office of the Commissioner for Entrance Examinations (CEE). It is an entrance examination series used for admissions to various professional degrees in the state-run colleges of Kerala. As Kerala has around six state-run universities, the entrance examination is conducted directly by the state government. KEAM is used for the selection of candidates in professional undergraduate programmes like Engineering, Medical, Architecture, Agriculture, Veterinary, Forestry and Fisheries.
The various degrees offered by the colleges are B.Tech, B.Arch., MBBS, BDS, BAMS, BSMS, BHMS, BSc.(Hons) Agriculture and Forestry, BVSc. and AH, and BFSc. There are around 9 government-run colleges and more than 20 private colleges that accept the ranking system of KEAM exam.
The application for the KEAM Exam usually starts in the month of January and ends in February. The examination is held in the month of April. Always be prepared and check out for the application dates from time to time.
Syllabus and Eligibility
All aspiring candidates have to appear for two compulsory papers to get selected. For engineering candidates, paper I includes Physics and Chemistry questions, and paper II includes Mathematics. Medical and other candidates (excluding engineering and architecture) have paper I with Physics and Chemistry questions, while paper II is Biology. Architecture candidates do not have to appear for the entrance; they are selected on the basis of National Aptitude Test in Architecture (NATA) scores.
For Medical Programmes, the eligibility of the candidates is 50% marks in Physics, Chemistry and Biology put together, and 50% separately in Biology. For engineering and architecture, the eligibility of the students is 50% marks in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics put together and 50% separately in Mathematics.
Preparation Tips
- Prepare according to the Pattern
First of all check out the pattern of the exam. Each paper of the KEAM exam has 120 questions with a total of 480 marks which are required to solve within 90 minutes. There is one negative mark for each incorrect answer. So prepare accordingly to be efficient and reduce negative marks. Also give more importance to those topics having more weightage.
- Start With Basics
Get a clear concept of the basic course content. Most of the questions asked in the KEAM exam are usually from the 11th and 12th standard NCERT books. Try to finish the course books before moving ahead
- Good Reasoning Ability
Develop good reasoning ability to understand the topics clearly. The questions asked in KEAM generally check your understanding of the topics and thinking capability.
- Time Management
It is not easy to solve 120 questions in 90 minutes, that too with negative markings for incorrect answers. You have to be careful and quick at the same time. This needs good time management.
- Practice
Do practice a lot. This will help you to get your speed in the exam and also lessen your chances of getting negative marks. Check out for mock tests from good institutions in the net and try to solve them.
- Note Making Habit
It is a good practice to make notes as much as possible. This will help in revising and get quick references to anything that you want during last-minute preparations.
- Last Three Years Question Papers
If you want to have a good idea of the trending pattern of the exam question paper, go through some of the question papers of the last three years. You will get to know about the type of questions that are asked frequently.
- Guidance
KEAM exam is a tough one with a huge number of aspirants competing for the best colleges in Kerala. You will need proper guidance from a good teacher, who can clear any doubts and provide solid concepts on the subjects.
KEAM is the one exam that every aspirants of medical and engineering look forward to every year. There are thousands of candidates appearing for the exam. Prepare yourself with the tips and information given above. If you can have a perfect knowledge on the subjects you are appearing for it will be easy to crack it. Do not stress out on the exam day. Take the exam like any other and you are sure to come out with flying colours.