The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has admitted that certain technical errors negatively affected student performance in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
This was revealed by JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, during a press conference held in Abuja on Wednesday.
“What was supposed to bring joy has been overshadowed by one or two issues,” Oloyede stated, acknowledging the flaws in the exam process.
The UTME, a major requirement for university and polytechnic admissions in Nigeria, assesses candidates in four subjects — including the mandatory Use of English — based on their chosen academic paths.
Out of approximately 1.9 million candidates who took the exam this year, more than 1.5 million reportedly scored below 200 out of a possible 400 marks, triggering alarm within the education community.
According to JAMB, 1,955,069 results were released. Of those, only 4,756 candidates (0.24%) scored 320 and above. Another 7,658 (0.39%) scored between 300 and 319, totaling 12,414 candidates (0.63%) with scores above 300.
Meanwhile, 73,441 candidates (3.76%) fell within the 250–299 range; 334,560 (17.11%) scored between 200 and 249; and 983,187 (50.29%) had scores between 160 and 199 — a range many institutions accept as a minimum cutoff.
Additionally, 488,197 candidates (24.97%) scored between 140 and 159; 57,419 (2.94%) between 120 and 139; 3,820 (0.20%) between 100 and 119; and 2,031 candidates (0.10%) scored below 100.
With over 75% of all test-takers falling below the 200-mark threshold, the figures have raised concerns about possible systemic issues.
Following the release of the results, some candidates have threatened to take legal action against the examination body.
Details later.
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