The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) is considering introducing critical-thinking, problem-solving and life-skills assessments into the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) as part of efforts to reform Nigeria’s tertiary admission process.
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The Registrar of JAMB, Professor Segun Aina, disclosed this while receiving a delegation from Veritas University, Abuja, led by its Vice-Chancellor, Reverend Father Professor Hyacinth Ichoku.
Aina said the proposed reform would move the UTME beyond its current emphasis on subject knowledge to assess the broader abilities candidates need to succeed in universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.
According to him, candidates already undergo subject-based assessments through their Senior School Certificate examinations, making it necessary for JAMB to reconsider whether its existing approach sufficiently identifies those best prepared for higher education.
He explained that the board’s primary responsibility was to rank candidates for admission based on their potential to succeed at the tertiary level, rather than simply repeat assessments of knowledge already tested by other examination bodies.
Aina disclosed that JAMB had established a committee to examine how critical-thinking and life-skills assessments could be incorporated into the UTME. The proposed changes are expected to provide institutions with additional information when making admission decisions.
He suggested that universities could be allowed to consider candidates whose performance in the new assessment components demonstrates strong potential, even when their conventional UTME scores fall slightly below the institutions’ usual cut-off marks.
For instance, he said an institution that normally requires a score of 200 for a particular course could consider a candidate with 190 if the candidate performs exceptionally well in critical-thinking and life-skills assessments.
The registrar noted that some candidates might not achieve the highest scores in conventional examinations but could possess practical abilities, sound reasoning and other competencies that make them suitable for specific programmes.
He said the proposed approach could make admission decisions more inclusive by recognising candidates’ wider abilities alongside their academic performance.
The initiative would require collaboration between JAMB and tertiary institutions to develop appropriate assessment methods and ensure the additional components are useful, fair and relevant to admission decisions.
Aina also urged university administrators to work closely with JAMB to ensure that admissions are properly processed through the approved Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS), warning that admissions conducted outside the system could create serious documentation and recognition problems for graduates.
The proposed UTME reform forms part of broader efforts to review Nigeria’s tertiary admission system and improve how candidates are assessed for higher education.
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