Mass failure: JAMB, VCs to review UTME results Thursday

In response to what it called "extraordinary" public objections, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board will examine the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination results on Thursday.

The review meeting will bring together vice-chancellors, provosts, rectors, school heads, examiners, and technical specialists to analyze the examination procedure and address the general discontent among candidates and stakeholders, according to a notice that was viewed.

This comes as applicants and parents began to protest the results last Friday, with many claiming that there were irregularities and technological issues during the examination.

The official notice states that the review panel will assess the conduct and results of the 2025 UTME. The panel will consist of representatives from the Computer Professionals Registration Council of Nigeria, the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools, the All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools, the Educational Assessment and Research Network, and senior officials from Nigeria's tertiary institutions.

The notice states, in part, that "the board's management has approved your participation to be part of the review panel constituted to appraise the conduct of the examination with the mandate to identify challenges, if any, and proffer relevant recommendations to prevent a recurrence," as part of the board's commitment to gaining public confidence in its procedures.

It further said that the board will not be charged for the panel's assignment.

In Nigeria, passing the UTME is a crucial requirement for entrance to postsecondary educational institutions. Candidates are tested in four subjects—three of which are selected from their intended field of study—including the required Use of English.

More than 1.5 million of the 1.9 million applicants who took the UTME are said to have received scores below 200 out of a possible 400, which has caused alarm in the education community.

Only 4,756 candidates (0.24 percent) scored 320 and above, which is considered top-tier performance, while 7,658 candidates (0.39 percent) scored between 300 and 319, making a total of 12,414 candidates (0.63 percent) who scored 300 and above, according to the examination agency, which processed 1,955,069 results.

Additionally, 334,560 applicants (17.11%) scored between 200 and 249, while 73,441 candidates (3.76%) received between 250 and 299 points.

983,187 applicants, or 50.29 percent, received scores in the range of 160 to 199, which is generally accepted as the minimal requirement for admission to many universities.

In the same way, 2,031 candidates (0.10 percent) scored below 100, 3,820 candidates (0.20 percent) scored between 100 and 119, 57,419 candidates (2.94 percent) scored between 120 and 139, and 488,197 candidates (24.97 percent) scored between 140 and 159.

Given that the exam is graded over 400, more than 75% of all applicants (1.5 million) received scores below 200.

Some aggrieved candidates vowed to start a lawsuit against JAMB.

Responding to the scandal, JAMB’s spokesman, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, on Monday said the board was speeding its annual post-examination system evaluation, which generally analyzes the registration, examination, and outcome phases months after the exercise.

Benjamin said, "We are especially concerned about the unique allegations coming from a few states inside the federation."

"We are carefully reviewing these complaints right now in order to find and address any possible technical problems."

The statement claims that the board is carefully reviewing these concerns in order to find and address any possible technical problems.

The three main phases of the annual review are registration, examination, and result release, according to JAMB.

It clarified that JAMB makes sure all candidates have the chance to take the test, and in the event that there are any technological difficulties, the board reschedules the test for the impacted candidates.

JAMB said experts have been engaged to assist in the review.

The Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, while reacting to the results said that the performance statistics for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination are in line with results recorded over the past 12 years.

He emphasised, however, that such results are not unusual and align with historical patterns.

“This is not peculiar to this year. The performance statistics are consistent with those of the last 12 years,” he said.

In 2024, 76 per cent of candidates who sat the UTME scored less than 200 points.

In 2022, 1.3 million candidates out of 1.7 million – or 78 per cent – who sat the 2022 UTME scored below 200, according to JAMB.

In 2021, only 803 candidates out of 1.3 million – or 0.06 per cent – who sat the 2021 UTME scored above 300.

The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, while also reacting to the results, said the high failure rate in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination was clear evidence that the government’s anti-malpractice measures were yielding results, especially within the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board system.

Meanwhile, the JAMB board assured that any candidate affected by technical disruptions during the examination would be given another opportunity to write the test, in line with its established procedures.

Commenting on the performance outcome, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, maintained that the results reflect the federal government’s strengthened efforts to combat examination malpractice and ensure integrity in the admissions process.

But candidates and parents have continued to allege discrepancies in the released results with some calling on the Board to release the modalities with which it scored each candidate.

Some candidates have rejected their results, insisting they do not reflect their actual performance.

A group of candidates, numbering over 8,000, reportedly submitted complaints regarding technical glitches experienced during the examination.

A social media user, @Pennyfabz, who scored 156 expressed concerns, saying she had previously scored 285 in the previous edition of the UTME.

“Dear @JAMBHQ, Something is wrong with my result. I’m very confident that this is not what I’m meant to get. Please look into this matter. I’m seriously comforting myself that everything is okay. Please listen to our plea. I can’t go from 285 to 156,” the candidate posted on X.

A parent also called for a review, saying, “We demand a remark from JAMB. These are exceptional students scoring below 200. Many complained of incomplete questions and other technical issues. JAMB has said nothing. This cannot be swept under the rug.”

Meanwhile, it was not all about protests against the results as history was made with Afolabi Ayodeji, a 15-year-old student from Icons Comprehensive College in Ijapo Estate, Akure, Ondo State, scored 370 out of 400 maximum marks obtainable, setting a landmark record in the 2025 UTME result.

A breakdown of his scores, according to JAMB, indicates: Mathematics — 98, Physics — 98, Chemistry — 94 and Use of English — 80, highlighting his exceptional grasp of both the sciences and language subjects.

Ayodeji’s 370 score is the highest recorded in over a decade, marking a noteworthy milestone in Nigeria’s education sector in over a decade.

According to data from JAMB, no individual has attained a score of 370 since the inception of the board’s computer-based test in 2013, making his feat the highest in this era.

“I didn’t set out to break any record; I just wanted to give my best. I thank God, my parents, and my teachers for believing in me,” Ayodeji said after his feat.