JAMB to investigate mass low UTME scores, technical issues

JAMB to investigate mass low UTME scores, technical issues

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has ordered an immediate review of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) amid mounting complaints from candidates across Nigeria about alleged technical glitches, incomplete questions, and unusually low scores.

This was disclosed in a statement signed by JAMB’s Public Communication Advisor, Fabian Benjamin,

The Board acknowledged an “unusual volume of complaints” following the release of this year’s UTME results last Friday. The board noted that its post-examination review process has now been fast-tracked due to the widespread dissatisfaction

The Board is fast forwarding its annual system review—a comprehensive post-mortem of the examination process that is conducted each year, months after the exercise. 

“We are particularly concerned about the unusual complaints originating from a few states within the federation. We are currently scrutinising these complaints in detail to identify and rectify any potential technical issues,” the Board stated. 

Three-stage review underway

Benjamin noted that the review would cut across all stages of the UTME process, which are registration, examination, and result release.

He added that JAMB had brought in independent professionals to assist with the investigation.

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“To assist in this process, we have engaged a number of experts, including members from the Computer Professionals Association of Nigeria, Chief External Examiners, who are heads of tertiary institutions, the Educational Assessment and Research Network in Africa, measurement experts, and Vice Chancellors from various institutions.” 

The board stressed its commitment to transparency and accountability, assuring that it would “implement appropriate remedial measures promptly” if technical faults were identified.

Candidates to take legal action

Amid growing concerns over the integrity of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), thousands of candidates are reportedly preparing to take legal action against the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

The candidates are alleging significant technical issues during the exam, including malfunctioning systems that caused questions to disappear or fail to load properly.

The situation has ignited widespread outrage on social media, with many students and parents questioning the fairness of the results. Some have demanded that JAMB allow for result verification or re-marking to address potential discrepancies.

This growing discontent has been further amplified by claims from individuals who say their results do not reflect their actual performance.

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As public outcry continues, the hashtag #ThisIsNotMyResult has been trending, reflecting the mounting pressure on JAMB to respond to the allegations and restore confidence in the examination process.

The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has described the high failure rate in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) as clear evidence that the government’s anti-malpractice measures are working, particularly within the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) system.

Alausa said the significant drop in scores is a direct result of tightened security and anti-cheating protocols introduced by the Board. “That’s a big concern, and it’s a reflection of exams being done the proper way.

“JAMB conducts its exam using a computer-based testing system. They’ve implemented strong security measures, and as a result, fraud or cheating has been completely eliminated,” he said 

Reinforcing the Board’s position, JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, said the 2025 UTME incorporated a range of deliberate innovations aimed at safeguarding the integrity of the examination process.

Addressing journalists at a press briefing in Abuja on Friday, May 9, 2025, he explained that the new measures were part of efforts to align the UTME with global standards.

“Anyone conversant with contemporary methods of trial-testing of test items would not be part of those who consider as error some deliberate actions towards item standardisation,” he said. 

Oloyede emphasized that the Board has made consistent improvements to sustain excellence in the conduct of the exam.

He noted that the 2025 UTME featured an internally developed software, JAMB TEST, which replaced the previous Autobot and Autotest systems used for centre accreditation. According to him, this yielded “results beyond our expectations” and contributed significantly to the success of this year’s exam.

 

JAMB to investigate mass low UTME scores, technical issues