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No fewer than 200,000 more candidates have crossed the 200 average mark in the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), following a special resit organized by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to address widespread technical and human errors during the original examination.
The resit, conducted for 379,000 candidates affected by server failures across 157 centres in Lagos and the South-East, resulted in a notable improvement in candidate performance.
According to figures released by JAMB on Sunday, the number of candidates scoring 200 and above rose to 565,988, representing 29.3% of test-takers. This marks a significant jump from 24% in 2024 and 23.36% in 2023.
The resit followed public outcry and an internal probe into the mass failure recorded in the original results released on May 9. Out of 1.9 million candidates, over 1.5 million initially scored below 200.
In response, JAMB Registrar Professor Ishaq Oloyede acknowledged on May 14 that server malfunctions hindered the upload of candidates’ responses during the first three days of the exam.
> “The results of 379,997 candidates across 157 centres in the Lagos and South-East zones had been compromised due to a technical glitch,” Oloyede stated.
JAMB confirmed the release of results for 1,931,467 candidates, marking the highest level of participation and full result release since the adoption of the Computer-Based Test (CBT) format in 2013.
Additionally, JAMB announced the release of results for over 41,000 underage candidates, though it emphasized that their scores would not be considered for tertiary admission. These candidates had previously signed undertakings acknowledging their ineligibility if they failed to meet minimum standards.
> “As part of the healing process, the meeting resolved that the withheld results of the underage candidates (except where litigation is involved) who performed below the established standards be released. Such result does not, however, qualify them for admission,” the board stated.
Beyond technical failures, JAMB also uncovered evidence of collusion and malpractice involving some school proprietors and CBT centres.
> “This situation has revealed numerous alarming practices perpetrated by candidates and certain Proprietors of Schools/Computer-Based Test centres, which have exacerbated examination irregularities,” JAMB said.
The examination body has vowed to implement stricter measures going forward, while emphasizing its commitment to integrity, transparency, and fairness in Nigeria’s tertiary admissions process.
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