ABUJA — The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has announced an adjustment to the schedule of the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), with a change to the arrival time for candidates in the first session.
In an official update released on Tuesday, the board stated that candidates scheduled for the first session are now required to arrive at their Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres by 7:00am, instead of the earlier communicated 6:30am.
The examination itself will still commence at 8:30am and end at 10:30am.
JAMB clarified that the adjustment is minor and does not affect other details of candidates’ examination schedules. As such, candidates are not required to reprint their examination slips, as all changes have been automatically updated.
Full Examination Schedule
According to the board, the UTME will continue to run in four daily sessions from Monday to Thursday:
Session 1: Arrival – 7:00am | Exam – 8:30am to 10:30am
Session 2: Arrival – 9:00am | Exam – 11:00am to 1:00pm
Session 3: Arrival – 11:00am | Exam – 1:30pm to 3:30pm
Session 4: Arrival – 2:00pm | Exam – 4:00pm to 6:00pm
For Fridays, the third session remains reserved, while other sessions follow the same structure.
JAMB further noted that the updated timing also applies to Saturday examinations, addressing concerns raised by candidates over whether the change would affect weekend schedules.
Candidates React
The announcement has sparked reactions among candidates, many of whom welcomed the slight shift in arrival time, especially those travelling long distances to their centres.
However, some candidates expressed confusion over how the changes apply to their individual schedules, particularly those with Saturday exam dates. The board has since reiterated that the revised timetable is uniform across all examination days.
Advice to Candidates
Candidates are advised to:
Arrive early at their designated centres
Follow the time indicated on their slips
Ignore unofficial instructions or rumours regarding rescheduling
The 2026 UTME is expected to begin this week, with thousands of candidates across Nigeria participating in the nationwide examination.
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