KEAM results: Ranks of 76,230 students will change, students likely to opt for Tamil Nadu colleges

KOCHI: Students are worried about dropping ranks after the High Court cancelled the Kerala Engineering and Medical Entrance (KEAM) results on Wednesday. The rank list based on the new formula was also cancelled. The government's appeal against the single bench verdict will be considered on Thursday. If the legal battle continues, the admissions will be in jeopardy.

To favour the state syllabus students, the new formula for determining the weightage score was introduced an hour before the declaration of results. Justice D.K. Singh ruled the hasty decision of weightage as illegal. The applications were invited as per the prospectus that has been going on since 2011. Accordingly, a new rank list should be prepared. The appeal is being considered by a bench headed by Justice Anil K. Narendran.

The order was issued following a petition filed by CBSE student, Hana Fathima Ahines of Kochi, over the new convoluted marking method. Petitions were also filed by state syllabus students demanding that the rank list be maintained. CBSE students argued that the late introduction of weightage saw them drop ranks in the KEAM rank list published.

KEAM results were announced on July 1. The court quizzed the government on its decision to bring changes to the marking method that had remained unperturbed for the past 14 years.

With the High Court's order to stick with the old formula, the ranks of 76,230 students will change. Those who came ahead in the state syllabus will fall behind. Five of the top ten, including the first rank, are from the Kerala state syllabus. There are 43 students from the state syllabus in the top 100 ranks.

A delay in admission will see outflow of students to neighbouring Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Admissions have already started in Tamil Nadu. Classes will start by mid-July. It is normal for 60,000 students from Kerala to take admission in Tamil Nadu every year.

This year, the number may increase. The AICTE has directed that the three centralised allotments, stray vacancy and spot allotments be completed by August 14. The Entrance Commissioner has requested an extension till September. Since the mark information was collected digitally, the software can be changed, and the new rank list can be published within two days. The government will make the next step only after the court considers the appeal on Thursday.

👉Those with high marks in Plus Two Mathematics topped the ranks. Earlier, the entrance score and Physics, Chemistry and Maths marks were considered in equal proportion. This time, Mathematics was given higher weightage

👉Maths, Physics and Chemistry marks were considered as 300 in the ratio of 5:3:2 (1:1:1 in the prospectus). The weightage was 150 for Maths, 90 for Physics and 60 for Chemistry. With the change in the formula, the additional weightage for Maths will be removed

👉In the entrance questions, Maths, Physics and Chemistry were also given a weightage of 5:3:2. Out of 150 questions, Mathematics -75, Physics -45, Chemistry -30. The government said that the additional weightage for Maths was introduced to make students more adept in the crucial subject of the engineering course.