Condidates sitting for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), have commended the hitch-free conduct of the examination.
The exam is being conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for over 2.2 million candidates in 966 Computer Base Test (CBT) centers across Nigeria.
The exam which began on 16 April will end on 22 April 2025.
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At the Adeola International School , (CBT) center in Kubwa, Bwari Area Council, Abuja, one of the candidates, Ufedor Samuel said the exam was smooth as he arrived on time by 7:00 am and within 2 minutes of his turn, he was verified by the BVR officer.
He stressed that in the exam hall, the computer systems and the internet facilities were in efficient condition.
“The exam was not bad. It was fast and smooth. I’ll say the truth. We were briefed on how to use the system before we started. So it made things easy for us. Moreover, I have prior training on the use of computer for exams.
“Although, we had network or lost of connection issue but it was not up to four seconds, it came back again,” Ufedor said.
Another candidate, Hibatullah Ahmedu who is a first timer and hoping to read medicine said the exam was smooth and that the whole process and use of the computer was explained to them by the supervisors in detail before the exam started.
“So it wasn’t that a problem. The questions were initially hard for me but at the same time, since I read for it, going forward it became easy. I can say the exam was good,” she said.
The BVR officer at the Adeola International School, Mr. Gbolagade Ojedele said the exam was hitch less as 237 candidates who were verified for the first session, 245 verified the second session, and 240 verified for the third session all wrote their exams without complain.
At the Rosa Mystic Academy, (RMA) Kubwa, a candidate, Hicynth Emmanuel after completing the two hours exam said the exercise was free of problems as the supervisors and technical officers were at hand.
“For me I didn’t encounter any problem most especially because the technical officers took their time to explain things to us at the beging and if there is any challenge, they quickly attend to it,” he said.
The Biometric Verification, BVR officer at RMA, Peter Idu said the verification process went smooth as there were no cases of finger print or facial mismatch, acknowledging that a lot of security measure were introduced by JAMB to wade off people trying to cheat or impersonate and write the exam for candidates.
“Here we accredited 236 out of the 250 for the first session. They are sitting according to their numbers. Even those who are absent, there seat and computers are there vacant. We don’t want any mix up for security reasons,” he said.
The JAMB supervisor at Rosa Mystic Academy, Mr. Adeosun Olayiwola said the smooth conduct of the exams at the center was based on preparations done prior to the commencement of the exam, especially the dummy test on facilities and logistics to fix challenges.
“Yesterday, we were her for the dummy test, where we invited candidates and students to write the test for two hours, we trained them on how to be acquainted with to use the Mouse and the system, although it will not form part of their mark in the exam. We stayed here from morning till in the evening to put everything in order, the environment, all the computer systems, electricity , the cooling system among others.
“Because of the preparations, we started checking the candidates in by around 6.30 am. As you can rightly see now, they started the exam at 8.30 am on the dot, which is the stipulated time to commence the exam. We have more than 90 percent of the candidates writing the exam. Out of 250, we have 236. So, 14 are absent,” Olayiwola said.
According to him, candidates also complied with instructions given in accordance with the rules and regulations guiding the exam.
“We ask them to remove all gadgets with them, especially handsets, wristwatches among others and the complied,” he said.
The JAMB supervisor said the centre has 750 candidates to write the three sessions of the exam for the day, with 250 per session.
More Centres
However, some parents who welcomed the shift in time for arrivals at exam centres from 6:30 am to 7:am and commencement of examination to 8:30 am pleaded for more centers to reduce congestion, which will allow for more operational efficiency.
Security operatives, especially the Police and the Civil Defence Corps were seen performing their duties by safeguarding the environment. Parents who escorted their wards to the exam centers were kept further away from the centers in accordance with law.