Nigeria’s entrance exam board is considering introducing life skills and critical thinking assessments to the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) to better evaluate candidates applying for higher education.

The Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Segun Aina, announced the proposed reforms on Wednesday during an interview on national television.

Prof Aina explained that the changes aim to assess candidates’ practical abilities beyond traditional academic subjects, helping tertiary institutions measure problem-solving skills alongside general academic knowledge.

A committee of education experts and stakeholders has been set up to review the examination framework and determine whether the new modules should be introduced as standalone subjects or integrated into existing paper subjects.

Clarifying score rankings

Addressing public perceptions regarding cut-off marks, Prof. Aina clarified that the UTME minimum entry score serves primarily as a peer-ranking tool rather than an absolute measure of an applicant’s intelligence.

“It is not how good you are that your JAMB score speaks to. It is more about how you rank against others,” he said, noting that minimum thresholds fluctuate depending on overall cohort performance.

“If you are in a cohort where everybody scores above 300, then 299 will suddenly start to look like a very low score. So, we must put this in proper perspective.”

Administrative updates for applicants

Alongside the proposed curriculum changes, the registrar announced new measures to resolve long-standing administrative bottlenecks for candidates seeking to update personal records.

Under the updated system, applicants can now modify registered phone numbers, email addresses, names, and dates of birth by aligning their JAMB profiles directly with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) database via their National Identification Number (NIN).

“Before, you could not change your name or date of birth on the JAMB profile,” Prof. Aina said. “Thousands of people were stuck. They completed their degrees but couldn’t proceed because this wasn’t possible. It is now possible.”