2025 UTME results: Knocks, kudos for JAMB as parents, candidates protest low scores

Mixed reactions have continued to trail the results of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME) recently released by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

For some Nigerians, JAMB deserves commendation for the innovative and transparent manner the examination was conducted, especially the robust deployment of technology to tackle the menace of examination malpractice associated with public examination in Nigeria.

However, some parents and candidates have rejected their results, urging JAMB to review them. Some of these candidates took to social media using the hashtag #thisisnotmyresult to protest their scores.

According to statistical analysis of the results, out of the 1,955,069 candidates who sat the examination, only 420,415 candidates scored higher than 200, which by implication, means that more than 1.5 million scored below 200 — the threshold more public universities accept for admissions into some courses.

The data showed that 75 per cent of the candidates scored below 200 in the examination, with less than 1 per cent scoring above 300.

Executive Director of Education Rights Initiative (ERI), Dr. Solomon Udah, said JAMB should be commended for the various innovations deployed annually towards ensuring that Unified Tertiary Matrication Examination candidates are exposed to global standards of examination conduct.

According to him, JAMB is a placement examination body that has little or nothing to do about training and preparation of candidates for the UTME, which is usually Computer-Based Test (CBT). 

Udah added that parents often should be blamed for encouraging their children to indulge in all manner of examination malpractices, pointing out that some candidates do not even prepare adequately because of false hope that they would be assisted in the examination.

“What I’m saying in essence is that mass failure or whatever people refer to it is not caused by JAMB. JAMB does not prepare candidates for the examination but administers the examination to candidates who feel that they are well-groomed to secure admission to a tertiary institution.

“What is happening is a reflection of systemic rot in the educational system in Nigeria, and that is one of the things we always emphasise, that the government should check the kind of education being delivered to children in the country. We have the issue of shortage of teachers, poor infrastructure and a host of other challenges. I can tell you for free that JAMB has nothing to do with the mass failure of candidates.

Udah’s position aligns with the Minister for education, Dr. Olatunji Alausa, who insisted that the high failure rate was a clear indication that efforts of government through JAMB to tackle examination malpractice is yielding results.

He said, “That’s a big concern, and it’s a reflection of exams being done the proper way. JAMB conducts its exam using a computer-based testing system. They’ve implemented strong security measures, and as a result, fraud or cheating has been completely eliminated. Unfortunately, we cannot say the same for WAEC and NECO”, he said.

Despite these assertions, some parents and candidates have vehemently rejected the results as a true reflection of what transpired during the just-concluded examination. Some of the candidates have taken to social media to condem JAMB and express worries  over the results.

A candidate who said he scored 162 and applied to study Economics at University of Abuja, said he would apply for remarking of his test, insisting that the released results was not a reflection of his actual performance.

Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, while answering questions from newsmen at the news conference to officially announce the release of the results, said the results were consistent with the trend over the years. 

He explained that in 2024 for instance, 76 per cent of candidates who sat the UTME scored less than 200 points.

In 2022, 1.3 million candidates out of 1.7 million –or 78 per cent– who sat the 2022 UTME scored below 200, according to JAMB.

In 2021, only 803 candidates out of 1.3 million –or 0.06 per cent– who sat the 2021 UTME scored above 300, at that time.

However, a former Anambra State governor and 2023 Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, argued that the poor results was a reflection of Nigeria’s deteriorating education system.

Public Communication Advisor of JAMB, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, clarified that every result released is a reflection of a candidate’s result performance.

He said, “For us and the system we run, this is a reflection of their performance. Examination is the only test of ability. Most ‘brilliant’ candidates fail exams at times because of overconfidence.”

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