The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced plans to hold a special mop-up examination for candidates who were unable to participate in the recently concluded 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
Registrar of the Board, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, made this known on Wednesday during a stakeholders’ meeting held in Abuja. He explained that over 5.6 per cent of registered candidates missed the examination, and the Board is making arrangements to give them another chance.
“This time, we are creating a new mop-up. Even those who missed the earlier exam due to absence will get another opportunity,” Oloyede said.
He clarified that this move is in line with global best practices, adding that many serious examination bodies provide make-up opportunities for candidates who miss scheduled exams, as long as the process is not abused.
According to him, the UTME is strictly a ranking tool to determine placement into tertiary institutions and not a test of intelligence.
“The purpose of the exam is not to measure how smart a candidate is but to help institutions select from a large number of applicants for limited spaces,” he noted.
Responding to criticisms and allegations of bias in the conduct of the examination, Prof. Oloyede dismissed such claims, describing them as baseless.
“I take responsibility not because I failed, but because that’s what leadership demands,” he said. “I didn’t even know people were interpreting some issues through ethnic lenses. We must go beyond such sentiments.”
He also commended the resilience of both candidates and JAMB officials in the face of logistics challenges during the conduct of the UTME.
“We had limited capacity. But we chose to act quickly rather than waste time complaining, so candidates wouldn’t miss their chance,” he added.
JAMB assured that the date for the mop-up exam will be announced soon, and the Board remains committed to fairness and transparency in the admission process.
