JAMB considers critical thinking, life skills in UTME

…Registrar says scores reflect candidates’ ranking, not absolute intelligence

By Joseph Erunke, Abuja

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) is considering an overhaul of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) to assess candidates’ critical thinking and life skills, signalling a possible shift from conventional academic testing to a broader evaluation of their readiness for higher education.

The board’s Registrar, Prof. Segun Aina, said the proposed reform was aimed at determining not only what candidates know but also how effectively they think, reason and apply knowledge to real-life situations.

Aina disclosed this on Wednesday during an appearance on the Good Morning Nigeria programme on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), where he said the board was reviewing its examination framework to make it more responsive to the demands of modern education.

He said a committee comprising education stakeholders and experts had been established to develop recommendations on how the proposed competencies could be assessed.

According to him, the committee would determine whether critical thinking and life skills should be introduced as separate components of the UTME or integrated into its existing subject-based structure.

If adopted, the proposal could mark a significant change in Nigeria’s university admission assessment system, which has traditionally focused on candidates’ performance in prescribed academic subjects.

In a related clarification, Aina cautioned against interpreting UTME scores as an absolute measure of candidates’ intelligence or academic ability, explaining that the examination was primarily designed to rank candidates relative to one another.

He said individual scores should be understood within the context of the overall performance of candidates who sat the examination in a particular year.

“It is not how good you are that your JAMB score speaks to. It is more about how you rank against others,” Aina said.

He explained that the distribution of scores within a particular cohort could influence how individual results were perceived.

“If you are in a cohort of JAMB candidates where everybody scores above 300, then 299 will suddenly start to look like a very low score. So, we must put this thing in proper perspective,” he said.

His explanation highlighted the distinction between a candidate’s raw score and their relative standing among other applicants competing for limited admission spaces.

It also underscored the need to consider the wider examination results when interpreting candidates’ performance, particularly in a system where admission decisions depend on competition, institutional requirements and available spaces.

Beyond the proposed examination reforms, Aina disclosed that the board had introduced measures to address difficulties candidates face when trying to update their personal information.

He said candidates who had lost access to the telephone numbers or email addresses used during registration could now change them through procedures established by the board.

The registrar also announced a National Identification Number (NIN) alignment process that would enable candidates to correct relevant personal information through the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and subsequently align their records with their JAMB profiles.

He said the process was designed to resolve cases in which discrepancies in personal details had prevented candidates from progressing with their admission plans.

“Before, you could not change your name or your date of birth on the JAMB profile,” he said.

“Thousands of people were stuck. They completed their degrees; they couldn’t go to university because this wasn’t possible. It is now possible,” Aina added.

The development is expected to provide relief to affected candidates whose academic progression has been hindered by inconsistencies in their personal records.

Aina advised candidates to consult JAMB’s official website and social media platforms for detailed information on the new procedures and other services available to them.

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