The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) is considering changes to the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) to assess candidates’ critical thinking and life skills alongside their knowledge of academic subjects.
The board’s Registrar, Prof. Segun Aina, disclosed this on Wednesday during an appearance on the Nigerian Television Authority’s Good Morning Nigeria programme, saying the proposed reforms would help determine candidates’ abilities beyond what conventional examinations measure.
The plan is part of a broader review of the UTME aimed at making the examination more relevant to the demands of higher education and improving the selection of candidates for admission into universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.
Aina explained that a candidate’s UTME score should not be viewed solely as a measure of academic ability, noting that the examination was primarily designed to rank candidates against one another.
“It is not how good you are that your JAMB score speaks to. It is more about how you rank against others,” he said.
He said the significance of a score depended partly on the overall performance of candidates in a particular examination year.
“If you are in a cohort of JAMB candidates where everybody scores above 300, then 299 will suddenly start to look like a very low score. So, we must put this thing in proper perspective,” the registrar said.
The proposed reforms could introduce life skills and critical thinking as separate components of the UTME or incorporate them into existing subjects.
A committee comprising education stakeholders and assessment experts has been established to examine the options and recommend an appropriate framework.
The committee, inaugurated in September and chaired by psychometrician Prof. Boniface Nworgu, is expected to assess how candidates’ reasoning, problem-solving and decision-making abilities can be tested reliably.
JAMB said the initiative was intended to complement existing academic assessments rather than replace them. Candidates already sit examinations conducted by bodies such as the West African Examinations Council and the National Examinations Council to demonstrate their knowledge of secondary-school subjects.
Beyond the proposed examination changes, Aina announced measures to address difficulties candidates face when trying to update their personal information on JAMB’s records.
He said candidates who had lost access to their registered telephone numbers or email addresses could now apply to change them through the board’s established procedures.
The registrar also highlighted a National Identification Number (NIN) alignment service introduced in collaboration with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to help eligible candidates resolve discrepancies between their JAMB profiles and national identity records.
The service covers inconsistencies in personal details, including names, dates of birth, gender and state or local government of origin.
“Before, you could not change your name or your date of birth on the JAMB profile,” Aina said.
He said the restrictions had left some people unable to proceed with further education despite completing their previous programmes.
“Thousands of people were stuck. They completed their degrees; they couldn’t go to university because this wasn’t possible. It is now possible,” he added.
JAMB reopened the NIN alignment service on 16 October, describing it as a one-time opportunity for eligible candidates. The board cautioned that applications would be subject to verification and that approval was not automatic. It also advised applicants to correct errors in their NIMC records before applying to align their JAMB details.
The registrar urged candidates to consult JAMB’s official website and social media platforms for guidance on the new procedures and other services.
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