Kerala’s KEAM 2026 engineering exam to follow Tamil Nadu-model normalisation formula with 50:50 weightage

Kerala's KEAM 2026 will implement a 50:50 weightage formula for engineering entrance exams, ensuring fairer candidate evaluation.

The KEAM engineering examinations in Kerala this year (2026) will be conducted using a revised normalisation formula, modelled on the system followed in Tamil Nadu.

The reform is being reintroduced after it had faced strong opposition last year, as it was implemented after the entrance examinations had already been conducted. Subsequently, the Kerala High Court directed the State government to revert to the previous formula after observing that the sudden change could adversely affect students from CBSE and ISCE streams.

Under the new framework, equal weightage (50:50) will be assigned to the normalised entrance examination score and the marks secured in the final year of the qualifying examination.

Government sources point out that normalisation of entrance scores is essential to ensure that candidates do not gain undue advantage or suffer disadvantage due to differences in question paper difficulty levels across sessions. Besides, it is estimated that the marks secured by State Board students used to decrease by as much as 35 marks during the normalisation process as per the previous formula, even in the case of those who scored full marks.

The move comes in the backdrop of computer-based tests being conducted in multiple sessions over different days since 2024 for engineering and pharmacy courses, leading to minor variations among question paper patterns of various sessions.

An internal committee observed that the existing standardisation policy did not adequately justify mark variations among students who had studied similar syllabi.