The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) says it has registered over 700,000 candidates for its upcoming Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
Ishaq Oloyede, the JAMB registrar, spoke on Friday while inspecting some computer-based test (CBT) centres in Lagos.
“As of today, we have registered 779,714 candidates. This is the second week and the tenth day of registration,” he said.
He further stated that 780,202 candidates had been registered, including 11,512 underage applicants, with 443 registering on Friday alone.
JAMB introduced a policy this year allowing exceptionally gifted underage candidates to register, despite maintaining the minimum age of 16. Oloyede clarified that while underage candidates can apply, they are not yet considered full candidates.
“We identify only a few truly exceptional individuals, perhaps 30 to 50 across the country,” he explained.
JAMB has also created a trial testing category for candidates who are underage or overage but want to familiarize themselves with the CBT format. Those under 16 in this category are considered applicants, not full candidates.
He warned that candidates who do not meet the age criteria may risk losing their registration fees.
“For those who do not qualify, it would be better to wait rather than waste money,” he cautioned.
The registrar also confirmed that trial testing candidates are not charged registration fees by JAMB, although they pay for a mandatory book, CBT centre charges, exam venue fees, and bank commissions, totaling N3,500.
“So far, 523 candidates nationwide have registered under this trial testing programme,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Oloyede also visited several CBT centres on the Lagos Mainland as part of the inspection.
