Kerala LSS & USS: syllabus, mock tests and practice

How the exam works

Mode: Pen-and-paper at local exam centres. LP: Paper I is a tick-the-answer booklet and Paper II is written answers. UP: both papers are multiple choice on an OMR sheet, marked by computer, with question booklet sets A-D. · Levels: Two levels: LP (Class 4) and UP (Class 7). Both are held on the same day, in two papers. · Duration: Each paper is 2 hours: 15 minutes of reading ('cool-off') time, then 1 hour 45 minutes to answer. Paper I runs 10:00-12:00 and Paper II 1:30-3:30 pm. · Questions: LP Paper I: 50 selected-response questions (10 each in First Language, English, Maths, EVS and General Knowledge). LP Paper II: 6 descriptive questions (2 First Language, 1 English, 2 Maths, 1 EVS). UP Paper I: 50 MCQs (15 First Language Part 1 (AT), 15 First Language Part 2 (BT), 20 Maths including 6 mental-ability questions). UP Paper II: 50 MCQs (15 English, 15 Basic Science, 20 Social Science including 6 current-affairs questions). · Marking: LP: Paper I is 50 x 1 = 50 and Paper II is 6 x 5 = 30, so 80 in total. UP: 1 mark per question, 50 per paper, 100 in total. The LP notification does not mention negative marking. UP answers are marked by OMR, and UP has no revaluation. · Language: Question papers come in Malayalam, English, Tamil and Kannada media. The UP First Language Part 1 can be Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil, Arabic, Urdu or Sanskrit.

Who can apply

Class 4 (LP) and Class 7 (UP) pupils in government, aided or recognised unaided schools in Kerala in the exam year. Selection uses the Term 2 formative (FA-II) and summative (SA-II) grades. LP: an 'A' grade in Malayalam, English, Mathematics and Environmental Studies. A pupil with a 'B' in only one of these can still sit if they won an A/B grade or first place at a sub-district science, maths, social science, arts, sports, work-experience or Vidyarangam fest. CWSN and SC/ST/OEC pupils need 'A' in two subjects and 'B' in the other two. UP: either an 'A' in every subject, or an A-A-B pattern in both the language papers and the science subjects (Maths, Basic Science, Social Science). The A-A-B route is only open to fest winners, as at LP. There is no fee, and the head teacher registers pupils online. The qualifying score for the scholarship is not fixed in the notification: an exam board chaired by the Director of General Education sets it after evaluation. UP only: the top 40 scorers in each educational district (30 open, and 2 each for OBC, OEC, SC, ST and CWSN) are also named as gifted pupils ('prathibhadhanar').

When it happens

No next-cycle 2026–27 exam date, application window or hall-ticket date could be verified on the official pages checked. The official examination page still links the 2026 LSS/USS portal. Do not reuse the completed 26 February 2026 exam as an upcoming date or treat a predicted February 2027 exam as confirmed. Ask the school head for the current LP/UP (LSS/USS/CM Kids) notification and school registration instructions. Status checked 1 November 2026; times are IST.

• Official LSS/USS examination page
• Pareeksha Bhavan notices

How to register

Parents do not apply. The school head teacher registers eligible pupils on the Pareeksha Bhavan LSS/USS portal (bpekerala.in/lss_uss_<year>) during the registration window and hands out hall tickets. There is no fee.

Official website, syllabus and sample papers

Links to the organiser's own pages. Past and sample papers are published there by the organiser.

• Pareeksha Bhavan - LSS & USS examination page
• Kerala Pareeksha Bhavan (Commissioner for Government Examinations) home
• LSS/USS (CM Kids) registration and results portal - see notes, certificate problem
• Kerala SCERT textbooks (Samagra) - the syllabus base