The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has introduced a mock Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination for candidates below the age of 16. This mock exam is not for admission into tertiary institutions but for underage individuals looking to assess their abilities.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, revealed this information during a meeting with media executives in Lagos. He also announced that the UTME for this year is scheduled to take place on March 8, 2025. The sale of forms will commence on January 31 and end on March 5. A mock exam will be held on February 23, with the main UTME taking place on March 8.
Oloyede emphasized that the mock exam is specifically for trial-testing purposes this year. It is intended for individuals under 16 years of age who do not yet qualify for admission into universities, polytechnics, or colleges of education. To be eligible for UTME and admission into these institutions, candidates must be 16 years old on or before September 30.
Candidates who are not seeking admission for 2025 but wish to experience CBT can register for the mock exam for trial testing purposes only. The sale of Direct Entry application documents and e-PIN vending will begin on March 10 and April 7, respectively.
Oloyede clarified that candidates wishing to write UTME with the mock exam will pay N8,200, while those opting for UTME only (without the mock) will pay N7,200. Trial-testing mock registration for underage candidates or testing purposes only, as well as direct entry candidate registration, will cost N5,700.
The JAMB registrar stressed that the board will enforce the 16-year age limit for UTME registration this year. Only exceptionally gifted candidates below 15 years old will be allowed to register. To secure admission as an underage candidate, one must score a minimum of 280 marks in UTME and excel in senior secondary certificate and post-UTME examinations.
In response to the age limit policy, former Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, had announced that only candidates aged 18 and above would be admitted to tertiary institutions in the country. However, this decision was later reversed by Mamman’s successor, Dr. Tunji Alausa, in November 2024.
Oloyede also mentioned that 870 computer-based test centers have been screened and provisionally listed for the 2025 UTME, an increase from the 747 centers approved the previous year.