Nigeria’s university admission examination may be heading for a significant change, with the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) exploring ways to assess candidates’ critical thinking, life skills and reasoning abilities rather than relying predominantly on subject-based knowledge.
The proposed reform could reshape how millions of candidates prepare for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), particularly if the board adopts a new framework that places greater emphasis on problem-solving, analytical reasoning and the application of knowledge to real-life situations.
JAMB Registrar, Professor Segun Aina, disclosed the development during an appearance on the Nigerian Television Authority’s Good Morning Nigeria programme on Wednesday, October 21, 2026. He explained that the board was reviewing how the examination could better assess candidates’ readiness for higher education.
Aina also challenged the assumption that a candidate’s UTME score directly represents the person’s overall intelligence or depth of knowledge, explaining that the examination primarily serves as a mechanism for ranking candidates against one another.
“It is not how good you are that your JAMB score speaks to. It is more about how you rank against others,” the registrar said.
He illustrated the point by explaining that a score considered impressive in one examination year might appear comparatively low in another if candidates generally performed better. According to him, the interpretation of a candidate’s score must therefore take account of the performance of the wider group sitting the examination.
The planned review is intended to examine whether the existing assessment system adequately identifies candidates with the potential to succeed in universities, polytechnics and colleges of education. It also raises questions about whether an examination that has traditionally concentrated on subject knowledge should incorporate additional competencies needed for tertiary-level learning.
The proposal is not entirely new. In September, JAMB inaugurated a committee of education stakeholders and assessment experts to develop recommendations on introducing life skills and critical thinking into the UTME. The committee was also tasked with examining whether these competencies should be assessed separately or incorporated into existing subjects.
The review follows concerns that the UTME’s subject-based approach may overlap with assessments candidates have already undertaken through the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO).
Under the proposed approach, analytical, logical and verbal reasoning could receive greater attention, alongside the ability to apply knowledge rather than merely recall information. However, the precise format, question types and implementation arrangements remain subject to the outcome of the review process.
The implications for secondary schools could be considerable. If the reforms are adopted, teachers may need to place greater emphasis on comprehension, reasoning, interpretation and problem-solving instead of preparing students primarily to memorise facts and reproduce textbook answers.
Candidates and parents will also need clear information about any changes before they are implemented. Advance notice of the examination format, sample questions and appropriate preparation materials would help prevent confusion and reduce the risk of misinformation during the transition.
For universities and other tertiary institutions, the central question is whether the proposed competencies can improve the identification of candidates who are prepared to cope with demanding academic programmes. A strong admission assessment should not only distinguish candidates by their scores but also provide useful evidence about their potential to learn and perform after admission.
Nevertheless, introducing additional assessment components would require careful planning. Questions would need to be reliable, relevant to the skills being measured and fair to candidates from different educational and socioeconomic backgrounds. Any new framework would also need to be tested to establish whether it improves the examination’s ability to predict academic performance.
The development comes amid wider efforts to reconsider how educational achievement is measured in Nigeria. As higher education places increasing emphasis on research, innovation and the application of knowledge, admission assessments face pressure to reflect competencies beyond the recall of information.
For now, JAMB’s proposal remains under review rather than a fully implemented change to the examination. Candidates preparing for upcoming UTME sittings should continue to follow official announcements from the board and avoid treating unconfirmed examination formats as established requirements.
The eventual success of the reform will depend on whether the board can translate its ambitions into a transparent, evidence-based and accessible assessment system that supports fair admission decisions while recognising the skills students need to succeed in higher education.
