The 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) has commenced nationwide, with over 2.2 million candidates expected to participate across accredited centres.
The examination, organised by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), will run from April 16 to April 22 in multiple daily sessions.
JAMB Registrar, Is-haq Oloyede, urged examination officials to uphold professionalism and dedication, noting that the success of the exercise depends largely on their performance. He gave the charge during a virtual briefing for technical officers ahead of the examination.
Oloyede commended staff, ad hoc personnel, and service providers for their roles in the successful conduct of the mock examination. He, however, pointed out that most challenges recorded during the mock exercise were due to inadequate assessment of some centres by technical officials.
He disclosed that incentive packages would be awarded to teams that demonstrate exceptional performance, particularly in the prompt handling of examination materials and timely submission of reports.
Reaffirming the board’s zero-tolerance stance on examination malpractice, the registrar warned candidates against bringing prohibited items into examination halls. He added that advanced technologies, including biometric verification and real-time monitoring systems, have been deployed to ensure the integrity of the examination.
Candidates whose biometric details cannot be verified will be rescheduled to sit the examination at designated centres approved by the board.
The UTME remains one of Nigeria’s largest coordinated educational exercises, involving extensive logistics, technology deployment, and personnel management nationwide. Each day is divided into four sessions to ease congestion at Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres and improve verification processes.
For the 2026 exercise, about 966 CBT centres are participating, all required to meet operational standards such as functional computer systems, stable internet connectivity, and trained personnel.
Monitoring at one of the centres showed that the first session, scheduled for 8:30 a.m., began shortly after, at about 8:40 a.m.
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