The Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, on Wednesday admitted that an error affected the performance of many candidates in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

Speaking during a press briefing in Abuja, the registrar became emotional and wept while addressing journalists. “What should have been a moment of joy has changed due to one or two errors,” he said.

Following this development, 379,997 candidates will now rewrite the UTME, according to the board.

The UTME is a key examination required for admission into Nigerian universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education. Candidates are tested in four subjects, including the compulsory Use of English.

Out of the 1.9 million candidates who sat for the 2025 exam, over 1.5 million scored below 200 out of 400 — a result that caused widespread concern across the education sector.

JAMB shared the following breakdown of scores:

Only 4,756 candidates (0.24%) scored 320 and above.

7,658 (0.39%) scored between 300 and 319.

73,441 (3.76%) scored between 250 and 299.

334,560 (17.11%) scored between 200 and 249.

983,187 (50.29%) scored between 160 and 199.

488,197 (24.97%) scored between 140 and 159.

The remaining candidates scored between 100 and 139, with some scoring even lower.

This means more than 75% of candidates scored below 200, which is generally seen as the average pass mark.

Following the poor results, some candidates and parents have threatened to take legal action against JAMB, demanding accountability for what they call a major failure in the exam process.

JAMB has promised to conduct a fresh exam for all affected candidates, while also assuring the public that measures will be taken to prevent such issues in the future.