The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced that no candidate will be required to sit for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) outside the state in which they registered.
This assurance was provided by Dr Fabian Benjamin, JAMB’s Public Communication Advisor, during a phone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja. He clarified that while some candidates taking the UTME mock examination were posted outside their state of residence due to limited availability of approved Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres, this arrangement applied solely to the mock test.
“For example, if centres in Abuja were filled up and there were available centres in Nassarawa State, candidates would be redirected there,” Dr Benjamin explained. However, he firmly stated that such a situation would not arise during the main UTME. “This will not happen in the main examination because there will be more centres conducting the exams, ensuring no candidate will be sent outside their state of registration,” he said.
Dr Benjamin also emphasised the importance of early registration in determining how close a candidate’s examination centre would be to their place of residence. “Once a closer centre was already filled up, the candidate may be assigned any available centre within the state,” he noted.
According to data from Nairametrics, a total of 2,030,627 candidates successfully registered to take part in the 2025 UTME, scheduled to begin on 25 April. With registration concluded, JAMB has now shifted its focus to securing the examination environment and introducing new anti-cheating measures aimed at protecting the integrity of the exam process.
The board revealed that some of these measures have already proven effective, resulting in the arrest of several candidates who attempted to gain admission using forged A-level documents. JAMB has issued a strong warning to all candidates, urging them to steer clear of any form of malpractice and strictly adhere to examination guidelines. Monitoring systems, the board stressed, are fully in place to detect and penalise dishonest behaviour.
Additionally, JAMB disclosed that it has released 115,735 results from the 2025 Mock UTME, while 10,446 are still being processed nationwide. The mock examination, which was conducted on 10 April, saw 200,113 candidates register, but only 126,181 sat for the test.
According to JAMB, the mock exam serves not only as a rehearsal for the main UTME but also allows the board to test new innovations and provide candidates with familiarity in the CBT environment. The exercise has proven instrumental in resolving challenges and improving the overall examination experience. JAMB has encouraged candidates to remain patient and continue their preparations for the main examination.
