JAMB to Reschedule Candidates Affected by UTME Disruptions

By Rosemary Etim Bassey

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has said candidates who missed the 2026 UTME due to issues at their exam centres will get another chance to write it.

JAMB’s spokesperson, Dr Fabian Benjamin, gave this assurance on Friday in Abuja while officials monitored the ongoing exams.
According to the board, about 2.2 million candidates are expected to sit for this year’s UTME across 966 computer-based test (CBT) centres nationwide.

However, on the first day of the exam, some candidates complained about technical problems and delays at certain centres, which stopped them from writing their papers.

Reacting to this, Benjamin said such challenges can happen during a large exam like UTME but assured candidates that no one will be left out.

Every candidate who registered for this exam will have the chance to write it,” he said.

He explained that if a centre fails or a candidate misses their exam for any reason, JAMB will reschedule them for another date.
Even if a candidate misses the rescheduled exam, they will still be given another opportunity.

To make this possible, JAMB has planned a special “mop-up” exam for affected candidates after the main exam ends.

This mop-up exercise will ensure that anyone who couldn’t write their exam due to technical issues or other problems gets another chance.

Benjamin also said small disruptions are expected when conducting an exam across many centres, but the important thing is that solutions are already in place.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions, Mohammed Dandutse, said steps will be taken to improve how CBT centres operate.

He added that it is unfair for candidates to travel long distances and still be unable to write their exams, promising that such situations will be addressed.