No fewer than 2.2 million candidates are expected to sit the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, which commenced nationwide on Thursday.
The examination, organised by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, will run from April 16 to April 22 across accredited centres in the country.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, urged examination officials to demonstrate professionalism and commitment, noting that the success of the exercise depends largely on their performance.
Oloyede gave the charge during a virtual briefing for technical officers ahead of the examination.
He commended staff and service providers for their roles in the conduct of the mock examination but noted that most challenges recorded were due to inadequate assessment of centres.
The registrar said incentive packages would be provided for teams that demonstrate exceptional performance, including timely handling of examination materials and submission of reports.
He reiterated the board’s zero-tolerance stance on examination malpractice and warned candidates against bringing prohibited items into examination halls.
According to him, biometric verification and real-time monitoring systems have been deployed to ensure the credibility of the examination.
Oloyede added that candidates whose biometric details could not be verified would be rescheduled to take the examination at designated centres.
The UTME is one of the country’s largest coordinated examinations, involving extensive logistics and personnel nationwide.
Each day’s exercise is divided into four sessions to ease congestion at Computer-Based Test centres and improve verification processes.
About 966 centres are participating in the 2026 exercise, each required to meet operational standards, including functional systems, stable connectivity and trained personnel.
A NAN correspondent who monitored a centre in Jahi, Abuja, reported that the first session, scheduled for 8:30 am, commenced at about 8:40 am.
NAN
