Guides on JAMB UTME preparation and tips on how to gain admission in 2016.
For one to be successful in any task, he has to know what he is to do and then work towards achieving it. Success in any examination comes only through hard work; there is no shortcut to genuine success.
In this write up, I‘ll share with you useful success tips that will guide you before, during and after the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, JAMB UTME.
1. Prepare ahead of Time:
Time management and organization is an inevitable step towards exam success. Most of us will always wish we had started revision earlier and that we had more time. If the thought of an examination makes you jittery, then you are probably not fully prepared.
Make a timetable that includes all your subjects, and think about combining the subjects you find difficult with those that come more naturally to you, so you have something to look forward to. Use your JAMB Syllabus to make sure you have covered everything and be sure to reserve in your time table at least two weeks prior to the exam for your revision.
2. Do the Registration yourself, if Possible:
According to JAMB, registration for UTME is only done by approved CBT centres. It is advisable to be physically present at the point you are being registered at the Cyber café or any registration point to avoid any form of error in your registration.
It will also help those that may be regarded as computer illiterates to get acquainted with the computer system, and this is very important. It is very unfortunate that in the modern world, there are still many adult Nigerians that take the desktop monitor for the computer and of course others that are too scared to even touch the computer system as if it will explode at their touch.
Every JAMBites should be able to at least have a personal e-mail address he/she operates him / herself. If you don’t, ask your friends to teach you how to get one. Go to the Cyber café with those friends of yours that uses the internet. If you can operate your mobile phone without going through any operation manual or asking anyone to help you operate your phone then you can as well operate a computer system. You only need a little guidance.
It is worth noting that JAMB exams are now conducted using the Computer Based mode. This means the UTME will be written with a computer.
3. Thoroughly go through the JAMB Brochure:
Make sure you carefully read the JAMB brochure before doing the online registration. This will help you in making a perfect choice of the courses you are best suited for. Most JAMBites have never opened a JAMB brochure and this is why they always end up applying for the few popular courses without knowledge of other less popular courses which they may be better suited for.
The JAMB Registrar Professor D. Ojerinde during a presentation at an examinations summit in Abuja last year pointed out that one of the few reasons why many students fail to gain admission is the fact that they often opt for certain courses like Medicine, Pharmacy, Architecture, Science Laboratory Technology, Business Administration, Law, Theatre Arts for admission due to their marketability.
These wrong choices may also be traced to the dearth of guidance and counselling in our high schools.
The complete JAMB brochure can be assessed on the link below;
>> https://campusportalng.com/jamb/jamb-brochure/12450/
4. Make use of Past Question Papers:
Get hold of and study regularly past JAMB exams question papers to get a feel of what’s required and to see how well you could cope with the previous exams. The best preparation is working through past papers and looking at your syllabus to avoid any surprises.
In my time, I used the One Time Success series and they were very helpful. You can get any of the numerous past JAMB question paper series in the bookshops. It will do you a lot good.
5. Minimize the use of Social networks:
It is advisable to reduce the frequency you access the social network sites when you are preparing for exams as they KILL an unimaginable amount of your study time. If you are the type that can’t help always getting online these social networks, try as much as possible to strike a balance between the time you spend on these social networks and your study time.
Invest most of your time on your studies rather than chatting away your time online. A word is enough for the wise.
6. Adhere to Instructions:
During the UTME exam, carefully read the instructions on the computer all the way through and make sure you know exactly what you have to do before you start. Make sure your computer is fully powered and all the accessories working to avoid getting stranded midway.
When you are ready to start, read each question more than once to make sure it really does say what you think it says before submitting your answer as you won’t be able to change the option once you submit.
7. Don’t Hope on “Runs” or Expo:
One serious problem plaguing the Nigeria’s Education system is wide spread exam malpractice which seems to have eaten deep into the university matriculation examination organized by JAMB. Because of the way some of the beneficiaries of this misconduct go scot free and the way these “runs” are publicly advertised, more and more JAMBites are tempted to join the cheating game. But mind you, apart from the long term effects of exam malpractice, most candidates that involve in such act end up disappointed when the result is released and they realised they were duped. Take note, anybody that encourages you to subscribe to any illegal business is only after your money. They are majorly scammers!
Don’t hope or depend on expo or any other form of JAMB runs to be successful in your JAMB exam. Just go for the exam well prepared and with confidence, you‘ll surely sail through.
8. With God All Things are Possible:
At the end of the exam, don’t trouble yourself trying to verify the correctness of the answers you supplied during the exam as it will do you no good.
Always put God first in anything you do. Be in touch with him when you prepare for your exams, during the exam, after the exam and always. You‘ll surely not regret you did.
9. Other Recommendations:
The Use of English is the only subject that is compulsory for every candidate that writes JAMB and a good performance in the Use of English will surely influence ones overall score. Therefore I recommend “Catch-Up English Language for SSCE/UME” by Prof. Peter Okebukola et al. as a perfect guide and companion for all JAMBites.
Also endeavour to read the JAMB recommended text “The Last Days at Forcados High School” By A.H. Mohammed which will be made available to you at the registration point.
Best of luck To You all…
CampusPortalNG Team
