More than 260,000 applicants took the mock Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (Mock UTME) at 793 Computer-Based Test (CBT) locations nationwide.
Professor Ishaq Oloyede, the Registrar/Chief Executive of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), announced this after visiting some Centres in Abuja on Thursday to monitor the progress recorded.
Oloyede, who expressed delight at the exercise’s faultless execution nationwide, clarified that the exam’s goal was to determine applicants’ level of preparation for the main UTME, which is set to begin on Friday, April 19, 2024.
He revealed that the exam body had successfully conducted a recruitment exam for the Nigerian Police on Wednesday.
Oloyede noted that a few incidents were recorded in the Mock UTME in about four centres, which would be resolved.
“So far, so good; we are doing mock after mock, just yesterday we conducted recruitment for the Police Service Commission throughout the country; that was a mock before today’s mock, and that was in 411 centres across the country, and today we are conducting our mock in 793 centres across the country.
“We are working to resolve the roughly three or four locations where they now have problems. It is a good one, then, since even with those three (where there are problems), we will be able to accommodate them if they fully collapse. However, everything is proceeding smoothly, and from the reports we have, we seem to be doing fine,” stated the JAMB Registrar.
Speaking further, the head of JAMB stated that approximately 260,000 of the 1.98 million applicants who registered for the primary 2024 UTME also sat the mock exam.
Regarding readiness for the main UTME, Oloyede said JAMB was fully prepared for the smooth conduct of the exam, even as he revealed that new mechanisms would also be deployed to further fortify the exam system.
“We are adequately ready for the exam. Today is a very special day for us. We know we are doing some internal revolution this year, and we were apprehensive about its workability.
“We can now say we have arrived, at what we said to ourselves about six, seven years ago, we have been able to achieve it today,” he said.
Oloyede stated that the results of the mock UTME would be revealed either on Thursday (today) evening or tomorrow (Friday).
Earlier, an information and communications technology (ICT) consultant named Damilola Bamiro said that the exam body was in constant communication through JAMB’s Situation Room with each centre taking the exam.
