Candidates, Parents Hail Seamless Conduct As 2.2m Begin UTME Nationwide

The 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) organised by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) commenced across the country yesterday on a smooth note.

Candidates and parents who spoke with LEADERSHIP expressed satisfaction with the largely seamless conduct of the exercise, despite minor biometric verification hitches in some centres.

Over 2.2 million candidates are expected to sit for the examination, which will end on April 22. It is being conducted in over 900 accredited Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres nationwide.

Some candidates who wrote the examination yesterday in Abuja described it as smooth and stress-free.

One of the candidates, Sunday Nnaneme, said that although there was a brief waiting period before entry, the overall process was orderly.

“We waited a little before entering the hall, and after the thumbprint verification, everything went smoothly. We were seated according to our numbers, and the system worked perfectly,” he said.

Another candidate, Anyaoha Emmanuel, also commended the process, noting that the system functioned efficiently throughout his session. “The examination was good. The system worked very well and there were no technical issues,” he said.

Parents who accompanied their wards to the centres also expressed confidence in the process, while urging the candidates to remain calm and be prepared.

Mrs Chika Anyaoha, who brought her son to the centre, said her prior experience helped her plan adequately for the exercise.

“This is not my first time. I experienced it with my first son last year, so I was well prepared. It is not something you rush; you plan for it,” she said.

She acknowledged minor delays but said they were understandable given the scale of the exercise.

At some centres visited by LEADERSHIP in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the process was largely smooth, with only slight delays linked to biometric verification procedures.

At Aduvie International School, the first session of the examination commenced at about 8:40 am, slightly behind the scheduled 8:30 am start, as officials completed the clearance processes for the candidates.

The UTME is conducted in four sessions daily to accommodate the large number of candidates.

For the first session, candidates are expected to arrive at the venues at 7 am, with the examination running from 8:30 am to 10:30 am. The second session begins with arrival at 9 am, and the examination runs from 11 am to 1 pm, while the third session runs from 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm, with a 12:00 noon arrival.

The fourth and final session of every day starts at 4 pm and ends at 6 pm, following a 2 pm arrival time.

Candidates are advised to arrive at least one hour before their scheduled time to allow for biometric verification and other clearance procedures, which are often responsible for minor delays.

In an interview with LEADERSHIP during the monitoring tour, the centre administrator at Aduvie International School, Mr Obo Sylvester Edom, said the exercise had been smooth, with no technical glitches recorded at the centre.

According to him, “Everything is going on well. As we speak now, all our candidates are writing. We thank the federal government, the Ministry of Education, and the JAMB leadership for the discipline they have instilled in the system.”