No fewer than 2.2 million candidates have started sitting for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, which officially commenced across Nigeria on Thursday, April 16, 2026.
The examination, conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, is scheduled to run until April 22, 2026, across approved Computer-Based Test centres nationwide.
According to JAMB, the exercise is being conducted in about 966 centres, with each day’s schedule divided into four sessions to reduce congestion and improve verification processes.
The Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, urged examination officials and technical staff to carry out their duties with professionalism, stressing that the success of the exercise depends largely on their performance.
He noted that while the board recorded improvements during the mock examination, some of the challenges experienced were linked to poor assessment of centres.
Oloyede also disclosed that performance-based incentives would be given to officials who demonstrate efficiency in handling examination materials and submitting timely reports.
He maintained that the board would not tolerate any form of examination malpractice, warning candidates against attempting to compromise the process.
“There is zero tolerance for examination malpractice,” he warned, adding that strict monitoring systems have been deployed to maintain credibility.
He further explained that biometric verification and real-time monitoring tools have been activated to ensure transparency and reduce impersonation cases.
Candidates whose biometric details fail verification, he said, will be rescheduled to write the examination at designated centres.
Reports from monitoring visits indicated that the first session, scheduled for 8:30 a.m., began slightly behind schedule at about 8:40 a.m. in some centres, including one in Abuja.
JAMB described the UTME as one of the country’s largest coordinated examinations, requiring significant logistics, personnel deployment, and strict adherence to operational standards.
