JAMB Registrar Clarifies Minimum Entry Score, Announces New Candidate-Friendly Measures

The Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Segun Aina, has clarified that the minimum entry score should not be regarded as a cutoff mark, but as the minimum permissible score for admission consideration.

Aina made the clarification while appearing on the Good Morning Nigeria programme on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), explaining that JAMB scores are primarily used to rank candidates against their peers.

According to him, the minimum entry score is influenced by the overall performance of candidates in a particular examination cohort.

He explained that if most candidates perform exceptionally well, a score that might ordinarily appear high could become relatively low when compared with the performance of other candidates.

“The candidate’s performance determines the trajectory of the minimum entry scores,” the Registrar said, stressing the need to properly understand the purpose of the score.

Aina also announced several measures introduced by JAMB to make its services more convenient for candidates.

He disclosed that candidates who had lost access to their registered telephone numbers or email addresses can now update them.

He further announced the introduction of a National Identification Number (NIN) alignment process in collaboration with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), allowing candidates to correct their names and dates of birth through NIMC and subsequently align the information with their JAMB profiles.

According to him, the development is expected to resolve longstanding challenges faced by thousands of candidates whose identity details prevented them from progressing with their university admissions despite completing their programmes.

The JAMB Registrar also disclosed that the board is considering introducing life skills and critical thinking components into the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

He urged candidates and the public to follow JAMB’s official social media platforms and website for updates on the new measures and other admission-related information.