JAMB Resit Lifts 200,000 UTME Candidates Above 200

Roughly 200,000 more candidates scored above the 200 benchmark in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) after the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) held a resit following technical errors that marred the original exercise.

The resit, organised for nearly 380,000 students primarily in Lagos and South-East Nigeria, came after JAMB admitted to faults in its Computer-Based Test (CBT) system. In the wake of widespread outrage, JAMB disclosed that server updates had interfered with candidate responses, affecting uploads during the first three days of the April 2025 exam.

“This situation is unfortunate,” the Board said in a statement released Sunday, “but it also revealed numerous alarming practices perpetrated by candidates, certain proprietors of schools, and CBT centres.”

With the resit results now out, a clearer picture of performance has emerged. Initially, over 1.5 million of the 1.9 million test-takers had scored below 200. Following the retake, that number dropped to 1,365,479, reflecting a notable improvement and hinting at the scale of the original error.

Highest Participation Rate, Improving Trends

In total, JAMB released 1,931,467 UTME results this year — the highest participation rate since the introduction of CBTs in 2013. Comparatively, 1,842,364 results were released in 2024.

While the majority still scored below the average mark, 565,988 candidates — representing 29.3% — scored 200 and above. This marks a rise from 24% in 2024 and 23.36% in 2023. Even more encouraging, 117,373 candidates (6.08%) hit scores of 250 and above, surpassing the 4.18% in 2024 and 3.73% in 2023.

Scores above 300 also saw a spike. In 2025, 8,401 candidates achieved this feat compared to 5,318 in 2023 and just 724 in 2021 — a year that also saw none in the highest band.

JAMB attributed the steady improvement to reforms in its CBT system and ongoing efforts to maintain the integrity of its exams. The Board is expected to issue a detailed report on how this year’s performance will shape the tertiary admissions process.

Underage Candidates and Admissions Implications

JAMB also addressed the fate of underage candidates who sat the exam. It confirmed the release of results for over 41,000 of them, but clarified that those who performed below standard would not qualify for admission. “Such result does not, however, qualify them for admission, as they had previously signed an undertaking during the registration process,” JAMB explained.