The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has emphasized that it does not select examination towns for candidates taking the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, or the Optional Mock examination.
The announcement was made on Sunday in a statement by the board’s spokesman, Dr. Fabian Benjamin.
He said the clarification become necessary as 90% of the available spaces for the optional mock exercise across the country had been filled, leaving only a few states with available slots.
He said JAMB had observed unusual preferences among candidates regarding their choice of examination towns, likely in an effort to participate in the optional mock examination.
“This notice aims to advise candidates against desperately selecting examination towns, only to later accuse the Board of assigning them to examination towns that are far from their residences, towns, or states,” he said.
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The only states with remaining slots for the optional mock examination are Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba, and Yobe, he said.
He advised that candidates interested in taking the mock examination in the states were encouraged to select their examination towns accordingly.
Benjamin stated further that, “While candidates have the right to choose their preferred examination town, JAMB urges them to consider the implications of their choices. Some candidates may select towns that are quite distant, potentially outside their home state. The Board should not be held responsible for such decisions.
“The Board allocates Mock examination spaces for candidates to select based on the availability of Mock examination centres, and once a town’s capacity is reached, it will no longer be available for selection.”
He said the board did not want to be overstressed, as the mock examination was only meant to give deserving candidates the opportunity to experience the CBT environment and enable it (board) to test its facilities.
Candidates are encouraged to choose their examination towns consciously with travel logistics and convenience in mind, ensuring a smoother experience on examination day.
