Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), is a popular, effective, and competent examination board in the country of Nigeria. It is popularly known as JAMB for short. Students who make it to JAMB are generally regarded as being scholastically fit for tertiary education. It is the central admission governing body in the country, that is to say, that JAMB has the power to grant admission to prospective students who seek to gain admission to tertiary institutions such as the university, mono-technics, polytechnics, and college of education.
The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board is an examination board in Nigeria that organize entrance examination for tertiary institution aspirants in the country Nigeria. There are various cut-off marks accustomed to various institutions to which students seek to gain admission into.
Students who seek to gain admission into universities are expected to score a total of 180 and above, for students aspiring to gain admission to mono-technic and polytechnics they are expected to score a total of 150 points and above, and for students aspiring for college of education, they are expected to score a total of100 points and above. The examination conducted by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board JAMB is known as the unified tertiary matriculation examination which is the deciding document that accustoms tertiary institutions to aspiring students based on their scores.
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Brief History
The history of the joint admission and matriculation board dates back to 1974. When there were only seven federal universities in the country, Nigeria. These then available universities had their unique ways of screening her prospective students who wish to study in the various universities. Each of these universities conducted concessional examinations for her student aspirants and had its candidates admitted base on their performances in the exams conducted. This modus operandi of admission was a stressful, strenuous, and resource-wasting type, especially when it comes to the candidates. So there arises a need for a more central and superior body that can manage the tertiary entrance examination. The overstretched manner in which students are being admitted into the tertiary institutions also stimulated the urge for the committee of vice-chancellors to seek a more central system that can oversee the tertiary entrance examination, to save aspiring students the stress encountered while partaking in university conducted exams.
Under the leadership of General Olusegun Obasanjo in 1976, the federal military government established six additional universities, and the government organized a national committee on tertiary entrance led by Sir M.S Angulo. In the management of the joint admission and matriculation board JAMB in December 2013 introduced a new system for candidates who seek to write the unified tertiary matriculation examination conducted by JAMB as a criterion for obtaining admission into tertiary institutions, this newly adopted system involves the use of computed to write JAMB exams, it was then called “Computer Based Test”, popularly known as “CBT” test.
In their new system candidates are allowed to choose one university, one polytechnic, one college of education, and one computer institute. Unlike before when candidates choose at least two universities as a choice institution.
Management Team:
The joint admission and matriculation board is managed by the erudite group of individuals who avail themselves of the responsibility to carry out all the functions of JAMB in Nigeria. There are different offices that constitute the JAMB management system. Offices like that of
#1. The Registrar:
This office is being headed by the chief executive of JAMB and it is charged with the responsibility of keeping records and coordination of the general activity of the board.
Current Registrar/CE: Professor is Haq Olarenwaju Oloyede, OFR, and FNAL (1st August 2016- Current)
Former JAMB Registrar: Sir Dibu Ojurinde (10th April 2012- 1st August 2016)
#2. The Administration Department:
This is the executive part of the board. The being charged with the responsibility to carry out the laws and superintendence of the affairs of the board.
Current Director Test Administration: Dr. Yusuf Lawal
#3. The Department of Information Technology Services:
The essence of this department is to manage the process of information propagation and dissemination. They are being charged with the responsibility of making sure that whatever arrangement JAMB is making concerning the exams to be written reaches the candidates that will participate in the exam. It is been headed by the department’s director.
Current Director, Information Technology Services: Mr. Fabian O. Okoro
#4. The Department of Special Duties:
This department is being headed by its director and is responsible for the execution of peripheral but crucial assignments in the organization like check for viability and feasibility of potential examination centers.
Current Director Special Duties Department: Mrs. Mabel E. Agbebaku
#5. The Department of Finance and Accounts:
They are responsible for keeping the financial records of the board. This department also has its own director as the head of the department.
Current Director of the Department of Finance and Accounts: Mr. Mufutau A. Bello
#6. The Department of General Service:
This department makes sure of the proper functioning of the board and they provide assistance to other departments that are deficient in the administration of her duties. It is headed by the department’s director.
Current Director, General Service Department: Hajia Jarimatu Amina Abubakar
#7. The Department of Quality Assurance:
This also works with the department of general service and other departments to make sure that the overall process of the examination and other activities of the board lives up to required and accepted standards
Current Director Quality Assurance Department: Dr. Mrs. Beatrice Nma Okorie
#8. The Department of Corporate Support Services:
They are responsible for handling the corporate activities of the board and other cooperative bodies.
Current Corporate Support Service Department: Mr Bolanle Abake Elushade
#9. The Admission Department:
This is the department that is in charge of granting admission to students who made it up to the required cut off mark at their various fields of endeavor.
Current Director Admission department: Dr. Mahmuda Adamu Mahmud.
#10. The Legal Department:
This department is in charge of handling legal cases of the board. They represent the board in the law court and try to defend the interest of the organization.
Current Director Legal Department: Abdul Wahab Oyedukun Ph.D.
#11. Internal Audit Department:
This department is responsible for the review and examination of records and activities to access the adequacy of the system controls, to ensure compliance with established operational procedures and policies. Also, to recommend necessary changes in controls, policies, and procedures.
Current Director, Internal Audit Department: Mr. Patrick Anoruo Obilor
#12. The Department of Media and Publicity:
This department is in collaboration with the department of information technology to ensure adequate proselytization of information to target minds. They let students know what they are to know about their forthcoming examination.
Head, Media, and Publicity: Fabian Benjamin, Ph.D., ANIPR, FCIA.
#13. The Department of Psychometrics:
This department is involved in the preparation of the exam questions used to grade the students.
Deputy Director, Department of Psychometrics: Dr. Akinyele Oyetunde Ariyo.
Why Write JAMB?
As we have emphasized earlier that, JAMB is an entrance examination and to gain admission into any tertiary institution it is one of the prerequisites with which one can gain admission into any tertiary institution. Students who seek to gain admission into Nigerian admission must participate in this examination. Participating in the examination is one fact that must be enacted, another is passing the exam to required standards. So students aspiring for admission into tertiary institutions must be prepared for the exams, so as to make good grades that beat their dream course cut-off mark.
Location of JAMB Headquarters:
The headquarters of the joint admission and matriculation board is located in the federal capital territory of Abuja, Nigeria. It is located at the Bwari, in Abuja. It has its annexes sited in other parts of the country such as Ikoyi, Lagos state, and Liaison office FCT.
JAMB Examination Centers:
The joint admission and matriculation board make provision for examination centers where the unified tertiary matriculation examination can be conducted. These centers must meet some agreed standards to earn JAMB accreditation as an examination center. There are different examination centers, scattered all over the country, for carrying out the UTME (unified tertiary institutions exams) exams. Students who seek to participate in the UTME exams are being accustomed to centers nearest to their habitation. This is achieved when students fill out their JAMB forms, and they fill in their preferred examination town, then with this information, they can be posted to centers nearest to their residential home. Centers that engage in biased code of conduct or examination misconduct are being barred from representing jamb as one it is centered.
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How to Register for JAMB
Prospective candidates of the unified tertiary matriculation examination have to take procedural steps in order to be legitimate candidates of the examination. These steps must be taken with great care and consciousness, little mistakes can lead to costly consequences. Students who know nothing about the process should seek assistance from those who are knowledgeable about it or follow the steps below.
Steps to Apply
#1. Profile Registration
Candidates send their names through SMS to 55019. The name which they are to send should have a maximum of 40 characters, 38 characters for the names, and 2 characters for the space between the names. The name should be arranged in such a way that the surname comes first before the first name and then the middle name. It is of great importance that the surname and the first name are present. It is written in this form; surname: first name: middle name. For example; Obiji Emmanuel Lawrence. It is worthy of note that a mobile number can only be used by one candidate, that is to say, that a mobile number cannot be used to register more than one candidate. The cell phone users will be used by JAMB to communicate with the prospective candidate whose identity is tied to that mobile number. Students are advised to be conscious of the names they send as their identity and the syntax of its arrangement because it has a lot to do with their certification. Secondly, candidates must keep their mobile numbers safe and ensconced because subsequent communications will be made through them.
After the details have been sent, the candidate will receive an SMS containing a profile code of 10 characters on the same mobile number with which he sent his/her required data.
After the candidate must have received the profile code, he presents it to the code to the point of procurement of form (Banks, MFBs, USSD Partners, switches, MMOs). Thus the E-PIN for the form is then sent to the candidate as a text message
Afterward, the applicants are to present the generated E-PIN to any JAMB accredited center for registration. The registration fee is #3,500 only and an additional #500 is paid for the literature text to be studied in preparation for use of English, making a total of #4,000 only. Candidates from the eight foreign countries are to pay a total of $20 for their registration. After the registration, some items are given to candidates in preparation for the exam items like a CD containing Jamb E-Syllabus, E-Brochure, the literature prose, and other items, and all of these are given free.
Note: The applicants are to bear in mind that the E-Pins purchased are tied to individual profiles, that is, and the E-pins carry their identities thus not transferable. Candidates are also advised to keep their security details such as their registration numbers, passwords, email addresses, and ePins confidential and secret.
#2. Self-help In Case Of Mistakes/Loss Of Profile Code
Some candidates make mistakes while trying to do their jamb registration. Some of these mistakes can be addressed as follows;
Jamb E-pin Selling Points
The main selling point for the JAMB e-pin are;
Methods of Payment or Procurement of E-Pin for JAMB Registration
#1. Payment through Banks (Steps Involved)
#2. Payment through Mobile Money Operators
#3. Payment through POS
#4. Payment Using USSD (ERCAS)
#5. How to Pay Online On JAMB Portal
How to Apply for JAMB UTME Examination for Candidates Abroad
Candidates who seek to be admitted into one of the Nigerian tertiary institutions are to write the unified tertiary matriculation examination organized by JAMB so they can be disclosed to the institutions thus applied for.
The JAMB UTME fee for non-Nigerian candidates from the eight foreign countries who wish to participate in the exam is $20 or equivalent. The prospective foreign candidates are to download the application from the JAMB website which is www.jamb.gov.ng, and complete and submit it with the fee at the eight designated centers as shown on the website of JAMB.
Application Fee for JAMB Examination
As stated earlier, students who are in Nigeria are to pay a total of #4,700. Where #3,500 is for the registration fee, #500 is for the compulsory text to be read in preparation for use of English and finally, the #700 remaining is for the service charge for the registration, making a total of #4,700.
Foreign prospective candidates are expected to pay a total of $20 or any of its equivalents as said earlier.
Jamb Subject Combination For All Courses
The joint admission and matriculation board has a standard subject combination for all courses in which prospective candidates seek to study in tertiary institutions. These various subject combinations must be strictly followed by the prospective candidates if they wish to gain admission into the tertiary institutions, if not followed they will not be able to gain admission into their desired field of study. The subject combination consists of a total of three subjects, including the use of English which is compulsory for all courses, making a total of four subjects.
Jamb Ranking
The joint admission and matriculation board is the number one examination body that has the power to grant admission to students who seek to study in any tertiary institution in Nigeria. This is to say that candidates who seek to be admitted into any tertiary institution in Nigeria must present their JAMB UTME certificate to become a student of that institution. With the JAMB UTME result, the candidate’s preferred course of study will be made known to the institution and the score so obtained will decide if the candidate is or isn’t palatable for being a student of the institution in the preferred course of study. Therefore a student should be aware of their JAMB cut-off mark for their dream courses so they will know what is expected of them and work towards getting it.
JAMB Grading System/Admission Requirements
The joint admission and matriculation board (JAMB) has it is a unique way of grading students who participated in their UTME exams. This process has to do with assigning scores to students according to their performance in the UTME exams also their grade in their secondary school certificate exams (SSCE) is in some way inculcated in their overall score and this total score will determine how possible it would be for the candidates to gain admission into the tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
The SSCE certificate result can be any of the SSCE exams written by students when they are about to leave secondary schools, such as The West African Secondary school certificate Examination (WASSCE), National Examination Council (NECO), NBTEB, and GCE. The requirement is that the candidate must make at least five credits in the core courses in not more than two sittings.
The standard way of grading candidates according to their scores is as follows;
For the O’level Certificate grading, the grading is as follows;
In addition to that, if a candidate happens to have written the O’Level exam in one sitting and made good grades without getting nothing less than credit in relevant subjects, then automatically he has 10 points added to his/her grade points. But if the candidate made use of combined results in order to make up the required number of credits in relevant subjects, the candidate gets a total of two (2) points added to his total grade.
For Example;
If a candidate scored a total of 250 points in his /her JAMB exam, he has earned a total of 33 points based on his JAMB performance. Now, if the candidate passed all his relevant or required subjects in one sitting of the exam, then automatically he/she has earned a total of 10 points. Also, he scored a total of four (4) A’s, one (1) B, and four (4) Cs then mathematically he has earned.
(4×6) + (1×4) + (4×3) = 40.
This is to say that the total score obtained by the student will be
33+10+40=83 points and that’s how JAMB prepared scores for prospective students.
JAMB Admission Requirements
There are some items or certificates that JAMB request from students who seek to gain admission into any Nigerian tertiary institution. These items include
The JAMB UTME Examination Report
This certificate contains all the details of the prospective student in the UTME examination. It has the total score so obtained by the candidate, the subject combination, the score obtained in each subject, etc. The candidates who participated in the exam must beat the JAMB cut-off mark in other to gain admission.
The O’Level Examination Report:
Students are also required to present their O’Level examination report or certificate. The rule here as said earlier is, that students must make at least five (5) credits in relevant subjects. Secondly, the exams won’t be written in more than two sittings.
Can You Use Jamb To Apply For A Scholarship Program?
Successful JAMB UTME candidates can gain scholarships through their JAMB results if they scored high in the exam and met several requirements. But it is worthy of note that JAMB as a body doesn’t give scholarships to students, rather external bodies and organizations may decide to grant scholarships to successful candidates who made it to the required range of scores. Companies, organizations or co-operate bodies like the shell company, Stanbic IBTC, MTN, GLO, etc, may decide to give scholarships to successful candidates who made it to their required standards.
Some of the qualifications which students must meet in other to gain a scholarship are;
JAMB Online Community
There are several online communities that students aspiring or preparing to write the JAMB UTME exam can connect to. Hence, these online communities provide trending information on JAMB happenings and help the students stay updated. Since most of these platforms are on regular social media pages. Nonetheless, our team of professionals will regularly ensure to keep the students updated on any latest changes that will have an effect on them in the long run during JAMB activities.
To see the available JAMB online communities see below;
Twitter Communities
Facebook Communities
How to Best Prepare for JAMB
The JAMB UTME examination is one of the most feared exams in the country of Nigeria. It rarely produced a successful candidate with outstanding results. So student finds it difficult to make it to the required points for their admission so they end up failing the exam.
The only cause of failure is the inability to prepare on time. If you must pass the JAMB UTME examination, then you must be fully prepared to face it in a legally accepted way. What I meant by a legally accepted way is by following the rules of the examination. Those who engage in examination malpractice end up in doom, this is because copying isn’t allowed because all questions are not the same, though they are the same, they are not arranged in the same sequence. So candidates who copy during the exam are failures already.
Even if some candidates somehow made it through examination malpractice, there are More than a thousand negative effects it will have on them if they are to make it into the tertiary institution. So below are the steps to make in other to gain desired results in JAMB.
Step 1: You Need to Define Your Target Score
It is said that “until you know what you want will you find what you want”. Your definition of your goal is an important and initial step you must take in other to archive it. You must make sure you know the official general JAMB cut off mark and the cutoff mark of the school and department which you are aspiring for, from there you can evaluate what is expected of you. This is to say that after evaluating the cutoff mark for JAMB and the department you are aspiring for, then you must aim higher than the evaluated cutoff mark, because if you in any way score less than expected there will be an increased chance of you not gaining admission into the tertiary institution applied for. So it is advisable to shoot for the stars, so if you miss you can land on the moon. This is to say that it is advisable to aim higher than the normal.
Step 2: Make a Blueprint for Your Studies
What I meant by blueprint here is a pattern of study. Setting a goal is one thing, working towards that goal this set is another important thing. So you must at this stage outline learning goals and set your study time. Setting a study pattern helps a student to know when he/she must be studying a particular subject and also what he/she must achieve during this study period.
There is no particular study pattern students must follow, rather students are advised to make their own study pattern that way the find it most suitable for them to cope with. To achieve this they should
#1. Map Out Moments of the Day When You are Free
Students should look out for times when they will be free from house chores or extracurricular activities. If this time isn’t enough for them to study then they should reschedule activities to have time for studies.
#2. You Should Develop a Reading TimeTable
Students are expected to, at this stage, share the time into sections in which they study different subjects. It is better to have the schedule written down because having it written down makes it look more important and more like a must-do.
#3. You Must Stick to Plan
Students must be committed to their study plan and consistency in following it is of great importance. They must not procrastinate, no matter what. They must be Serious about it so that they won’t lose interest in it. They must not spend too much time on one subject maybe because they find it easier and fun leaving other subjects unattended. They must ensure that they follow the timetable and ensure the adequate study of subjects registered.
Step 3: Study Past Questions
One of the main ways of being successful in the JAMB UTME examination is by studying past questions on previous UTME exams. This is a very effective and efficient step towards success as it will make you know what to expect on the day of the examination, what the questions should look like and it will also make you know how ready you are for the examination.
Some previous UTME examination questions are being repeated in subsequent years, and the ability of candidates to go through these recurring questions and master what is known about the questions is of great importance and helpful in boosting the speed of the students in the exam hall. While you go through the questions, try to solve them on your own and know how good you are.
Step 4: Study Exam Focus Textbooks Using Exam Syllabus
This will guide the study pattern of candidates letting them know why they are expected to know in preparation for the exam. Though the JAMB syllabus is always a vast one, it is important that you do whatever you can to cover it. You can achieve this by using the past questions to know what pattern of question they have been using in recent years if it is much of calculation and less of theory in calculation courses or vice versa. While studying these exam focus textbooks it will direct your study pattern so you may not concentrate on what is not needed much or at all, and it will prevent you from studying haphazardly.
Step 5: Solve Many Questions as Possible
At this point it is of great importance that you practice what you have learned, don’t be too lazy to write or memorize what needs to be memorized. This is to say that you better study than just read, because practice makes perfect. You should have at least solved 20 previous years of past questions in all your four (4) subject combinations before the exam. This will make you get used to the questions and help increase your speed and accuracy during the exam. I know this will take time, but if you can make it before time, at least twice or more, it will boost your speed and accuracy towards attaining higher grades. JAMB has been conducting the exam for more than three(3) decades, so what they do in recent years is a modification of previous questions and only very few new questions are being added, so there is a great chance that those who study the past questions will do well in the exam.
Step 6: Practice Timed Tests Every Day Before Study Begins
You must try to test your speed, and I know how fast you can answer questions accurately, within the given space of time. This is a very crucial step you must take, as the main reasons candidates fail is that they make too many mistakes during calculation and when this answer does not correspond with any of the given options they end up guessing, making them pick the wrong option. Some waste too much time on a particular question or subject, and when 5th time elapses they will end up not touching a whole subject or they will guess answers or chi random options when the time is almost up. So training your mind on how to tackle questions quickly and get desired answers accurately is an important skill that needs to be acquired
In addition to the above tips to success, you must try to at some point, practice the exam itself, that is, following its rules and writing it and grading yourself so you can examine yourself and know-how ready you are. And above all, you must pray to God to grant you success.
About JAMB CAPS
The JAMB CAPS is a platform where all the admission processes are being communicated from JAMB to various students and required documents are sent from students to JAMB. The JAMB caps are an abbreviation of the JAMB Central Admission Processing System. It is an admission processing system whose function is to ensure quality control, transparency, and credibility of the admission processes. It is a platform where institutions go to seek students that made it to their cutoff mark to admit them into their schools. So it is left for the students to accept the admission thus given or to turn down the offer.
How to Check Admission Status in Your JAMB Profile through JAMB CAPS
Step 1: Log on to the jamb e-facility portal. It is advisable you use a laptop or desktop for this, and if you must use a mobile phone then you should use the chrome browser.
Step 2: Log in with your email account
Step 3: Locate and click on check admission status
Step 4: In case you are using your mobile phone for this, you will see welcome then you click on the option located at the top right corner of your phone screen and change the view of the page from mobile view to desktop view.
Step 5: Click on the admission status on the page at the left panel.
Step 6: After the details have been fully loaded, you check if you have been given admission.
Step 7: if you have been given admission, you will see that the accept admission and reject admission buttons will be active, if not then you should know that you have not been given admission yet and the buttons will appear faint.
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FAQs On JAMB
Is it possible to register a Jamb in one state and write it in another state?
You can register JAMB in any location of your choice following the registration procedures and you can write it at any location of your choice. Your preferred examination state or town is being chosen by you the candidate during registration, so it is possible to choose any preferred location. So candidates are advised to choose locations they are familiar with and closest to their residential homes to enable easy access on the day of the exam.
What course should I choose while registering Jamb?
Your choice of course of study is a personal decision to make long before the day of registration. You must not allow anyone to make such a decision for you. In addition to that you must be precise on what exactly you want while making decisions, for example, if you want to take up an engineering course, you shouldn’t just say engineering, you must specify what type of engineering faculty you want to belong to, for engineering has many faculties or types like mechanical, electrical, civil, mechatronics, material and metallurgical, etc. So you are to specify which one of them you want to study.
How do I know the subject combination for my preferred course?
The subject combination for all courses is listed above, so you are to know what subjects are required to be registered for your chosen course. Note that the subject combination for all engineering courses is the same.
What are the subjects required for studying law at the University of Lagos for both WAEC and JAMB?
To study law it is required that you are an art student or commercial art student, this means that you are to study art subjects and have nothing to do with science subjects except mathematics.
For WAEC, the students are expected to get at least a credit in the following subjects
- Use of English
- Mathematics
- Literature
- Government
- Any trade subject.
For JAMB, the required subject combination is listed above.
Why is the check result not showing on the jamb website?
There several reasons why the check result icon is not showing where it should on the JAMB website, they are:
- The results are not ready
- The device used in checking the result.
You are advised to use laptop or desktop computers for this operation, but if you must use a mobile phone then you must employ the chrome browser and change the setting to desktop vision so all can be visible to you.
I missed my JAMB exam today, what do I do?
If in any way you missed your schedule for the exam for any reason at all, then you should go to your examination center and explain yourself and after that, you rescheduled for the exam. There is always time set aside for students who missed their exams, maybe immediately others must have finished their exams.
Will it be possible for a candidate who scored 137 in Jamb to gain admission?
This is possible if the candidate is aspiring to be a student of a college of education. The chance of gaining admission into a mono-technic or polytechnic is almost impossible and as for the university, it is not possible because the candidate did not meet the required cut-off mark.
Can someone who scored 198 in Jamb get admission to study Law?
To study law at the university requires scoring high in the jamb, at least 250 points. For a candidate who made it up to 198, he/she has made it to the required cutoff mark which is 180 so there is still a chance that the candidate will score higher in post UTME to make up the required score. Some institutions may consider this score but the chance of getting admission is very low.
Conclusion
Drawing the curtain here, we hope you understand all you need to do to successfully enroll for JAMB. While you also take note of the subject combination to avoid making mistakes in your career option. Meanwhile, we are always here to help in case you run into any issues relating to JAMB.
