BREAKING: JAMB Confirms Errors in 2025 UTME, Reschedules Exam for Nearly 380,000 Candidates
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has admitted to irregularities in the recently concluded 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), prompting a rescheduling of the exam for hundreds of thousands of students.
Speaking to the press in Abuja on Wednesday, JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, announced that a total of 379,997 candidates—mostly from Lagos and five South Eastern states—will retake the exam. He described the situation as an act of “sabotage” and accepted full responsibility for the disruption.
“Messages notifying the affected candidates of their new exam dates will start going out from Thursday,” Oloyede stated. “I deeply apologize and take full responsibility.”
Out of approximately 1.9 million candidates who sat for the exam, more than 1.5 million scored below the 200-mark benchmark out of a possible 400, raising concerns about overall performance.
Data released by JAMB shows that only 0.63% (12,414 candidates) scored 300 and above, with a mere 4,756 candidates achieving scores of 320 or higher. Meanwhile, 73,441 candidates scored between 250 and 299, and 334,560 achieved scores in the 200–249 range.
A majority—over 980,000 candidates—earned between 160 and 199, the common cut-off for many tertiary institutions. Others scored lower: 488,197 between 140–159; 57,419 between 120–139; 3,820 between 100–119; and 2,031 scored below 100.
With over 75% of test-takers falling below the 200 mark, stakeholders are calling for a review of the exam process and broader educational reforms.
