JAMB Orders Review of 2025 UTME Amid Widespread Complaints, Mass Failure
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced an urgent review of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) following a wave of complaints from candidates and parents about technical glitches and a record number of low scores.
The controversy erupted after JAMB released the 2025 UTME results, revealing that over 1.5 million of the 1.9 million candidates scored below 200 out of a possible 400 marks. This statistic, indicating that more than 78% of candidates scored less than 200, triggered a national outcry.
The hashtag #ThisIsNotMyResult quickly trended on social media, with many candidates and their families expressing disbelief and frustration over unexpectedly low scores.
Several candidates reported encountering technical malfunctions, such as disappearing questions, slow system responses, and inconsistent question displays during the exam.
In response, JAMB’s Public Communication Advisor, Fabian Benjamin, confirmed in a statement that the Board is fast-tracking its annual post-examination review process, which typically takes months, to address the mounting concerns.
“We are particularly concerned about the unusual volume of complaints originating from a few states within the federation.
“We are currently scrutinizing these complaints in detail to identify and rectify any potential technical issues,” the statement read.
To ensure a thorough investigation, JAMB has assembled a team of experts, including members from the Computer Professionals Association of Nigeria, Chief External Examiners who are heads of tertiary institutions, the Educational Assessment and Research Network in Africa, measurement experts, and Vice Chancellors from various institutions. This team will review all stages of the UTME process, from registration to examination and result release.
“If it is determined that there were indeed glitches, we will implement appropriate remedial measures promptly, as we do in the case of the examinations themselves,” Benjamin added.
Amid growing dissatisfaction, reports indicate that over 8,000 candidates are preparing to file a class-action lawsuit against JAMB over the alleged irregularities.
These candidates claim their examination experience was marred by technical failures, including malfunctioning systems that caused questions to disappear or fail to load properly.
Meanwhile, Minister of Education Tunji Alausa defended the results during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, attributing the mass failure to the effectiveness of JAMB’s anti-malpractice technology.
He argued that the computer-based testing system has significantly reduced cheating and should be expanded to other national examinations like WAEC and NECO.
JAMB Registrar Prof. Is-haq Oloyede also defended the integrity of the 2025 UTME, emphasizing that the Board has implemented continuous improvements to secure the examination process against fraud and malpractice.
As the review process continues, JAMB has urged the public to remain patient, assuring candidates that any identified issues will be addressed promptly to maintain the integrity of the examination.
