The 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results were marred by a major technical error, impacting 379,997 candidates across Nigeria. The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) confirmed the issue, attributing it to a server update failure that caused missing candidate responses during the exam’s first three days.
If you or someone you know took the UTME, this guide explains which candidates are affected, how JAMB is fixing the problem, and what steps to take next.
Which Candidates and Centers Were Affected?
The error primarily disrupted exams in 157 test centers across two key regions:
- Lagos State: 65 centers, 206,610 candidates
- South-East Zone: 92 centers, 173,387 candidates
JAMB stated that a technical service provider failed to properly install a software update, leading to incomplete data uploads before grading.
How JAMB Is Fixing the Problem
JAMB has announced a rescheduled UTME for all affected candidates, starting Friday, 16 May 2025. Students must:
✅ Reprint their exam slips with updated details
✅ Check SMS, email, and phone calls for notifications
✅ Prepare for the new exam date
Avoiding Clashes with WAEC Exams
To prevent conflicts with the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), JAMB collaborated with WAEC to ensure students can take both tests without issues.
Why Were 2025 UTME Scores So Low?
When JAMB released results on 9 May 2025, many students scored below 200/400, sparking nationwide concern. JAMB clarified that shuffled answer options (introduced for fairness) caused grading errors in some servers, particularly in the LAG zone (South-West, South-East, and parts of the North).
JAMB’s Measures to Prevent Future Errors
Following the incident, JAMB initiated a system review with independent experts, including psychometricians and computer scientists.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, took full responsibility, stating:
“I hold myself personally responsible, including for the negligence of the service provider. I unreservedly apologise for it.”
He confirmed that while pre-exam tests were conducted, some server updates were incorrectly applied, leading to missing data.
What Affected Candidates Should Do
If you took the UTME in one of the 157 affected centers, follow these steps:
1️⃣ Monitor SMS and email for JAMB updates
2️⃣ Reprint your UTME slip once notified
3️⃣ Prepare for the rescheduled exam (from 16 May 2025)
4️⃣ Stay updated via JAMB’s official channels
JAMB assures that the rescheduled exams will be marked fairly and will not conflict with other national tests.
For the latest updates, visit the official JAMB website and check the UTME reprint portal.
