JAMB Orders Review of 2025 UTME After Public Outcry Over Mass Failure, Technical Issues

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced an immediate review of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) following public outrage over alleged technical malfunctions and an alarming mass failure rate.

In a statement released on Monday by its Public Communication Advisor, Fabian Benjamin, the board said it is fast-tracking its annual post-examination review in response to what it described as an “unusual volume of complaints” from candidates, parents, and education stakeholders.

The board said the review will cover all three stages of the UTME process -registration, examination, and result release – and aims to identify and resolve any irregularities or technical faults. JAMB noted that the most disturbing complaints have emerged from certain states nationwide and are being thoroughly investigated.

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,” the statement said.

This year’s UTME results, released last Friday, have drawn ‌much criticism after data revealed that over 1.5 million of the 1.9 million candidates scored below 200 out of a maximum of 400 points.

Many candidates and parents have reported that they experienced technical issues during the exam. Complaints include incomplete or blank questions, abrupt system logouts, frozen screens, and inconsistencies in how questions were displayed. Several affected candidates pointed specifically to April 24, 25, 26, and 28 exams, with April 26 singled out as the worst-hit day.

In reaction, education technology expert and Educare CEO Alex Onyia has launched an initiative to compile a list of affected candidates in preparation for legal action. The group demands that JAMB release individual mark sheets and explain the scoring process. Onyia said over 11,000 students had filled out a form as of Monday morning.

JAMB said they are working with a panel of external experts to support the review. These include members of the Computer Professionals Association of Nigeria, Vice Chancellors of universities, Chief External Examiners, and the Educational Assessment and Research Network in Africa. Their task is to assess every aspect of the UTME and provide independent recommendations. However, no timeline has been provided for the conclusion of the review.

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