No fewer than 2.2 million candidates are participating in the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board.

The nationwide examination began on April 16 and will run until April 22 across accredited Computer-Based Test centres.

The JAMB Registrar, Is-haq Oloyede, urged officials to maintain high standards of professionalism, noting that the success of the exercise depends largely on their performance.

He commended staff for the mock examination but pointed out that most challenges experienced were due to inadequate assessment of some centres.

Oloyede reiterated the board’s zero-tolerance policy on examination malpractice, warning candidates against bringing prohibited items into exam halls.

To ensure credibility, he said biometric verification and real-time monitoring systems have been deployed, adding that candidates who fail biometric verification will be rescheduled.

The UTME, one of Nigeria’s largest coordinated examinations, is being conducted in about 966 centres nationwide, with daily sessions divided into four batches to reduce congestion and improve efficiency.

Monitoring at a centre in Jahi, Abuja, showed a slight delay, with the first session scheduled for 8:30 am starting around 8:40 am.