KOCHI: The Kerala Engineering, Architecture, and Medical (KEAM) 2025 saw Ernakulam district bagging the top two ranks. John Shinoj of Muvattupuzha and Hari Kishan Baiju of Cherai ranked first and second in the KEAM 2025.
Like last year, Ernakulam continues to have the highest number of candidates in the first 100 ranks. However, the numbers dropped from 24 in 2024 KEAM to 20 this year. It was 23 in 2023.
Speaking to TNIE, Shinoj J Vattakuzhy, John's father, says, "John has always been a straight A student. He did his schooling in the ICSE syllabus. However, for the Higher Secondary course, he opted to join KE HSS at Mannanam in Kottayam. He scored 99.6 in his Plus Two examinations."
John decided to join KE HSS since they had a tie-up with the Brilliant Coaching Centre. "He was advised by his Physics teacher to do so," his father adds.
Even though John came first in KEAM, he might end up not choosing any of the engineering colleges in the state since he has also cleared the IIT-JEE. "In the first allotment, he got B Tech Electronics at IIT Gandhinagar. We are weighing our choices," said Shinoj.
Meanwhile, Hari Kishan Baiju, who came second in KEAM, has already decided to join IIT Bombay, where he has been offered an integrated B Tech and M Tech course in Electrical Engineering.
According to his father, Baiju Rajan, Hari too did his entrance coaching with Brilliant. "We relocated to Irinjalakuda from the UAE after Class X, since he was set on writing the engineering entrance examinations. He did his Class XII from Bhavan's Vidya Mandir, Irinjalakuda. As for coaching, he joined the Brilliants for the hybrid course. Online during the weekdays and offline during the weekends," he adds.