Several candidates who recently sat for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) have rejected their results and are urging the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to conduct a thorough review.

These candidates, along with their families and concerned Nigerians, have taken to social media platforms to express dissatisfaction with the scores.

Many insist that the released results do not accurately reflect their true performance.

Alex Onyia, the Chief Executive Officer of Educare—a software provider for schools—has also begun compiling a list of affected candidates in preparation for legal action against the examination board.

However, JAMB’s spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, stated that the released results are an accurate representation of candidates' performance.

“For us and the system we operate, these results represent how the candidates performed,” Benjamin said in response to an inquiry from PREMIUM TIMES on Saturday.

He added, “Examinations are a test of knowledge, and even those considered academically strong may underperform due to overconfidence.”

JAMB administers the UTME annually using a Computer-Based Testing (CBT) format, which serves as the entrance examination for applicants seeking admission to tertiary institutions in Nigeria.

In the 2025 edition, over 78 percent of candidates scored below 200 out of the total 400 marks. Each candidate is examined in four subjects, with each subject carrying a maximum of 100 marks.

The results have sparked widespread concern, with many describing the outcome as indicative of mass failure.

JAMB Registrar, Professor Is-haq Oloyede, however, stated that the scores are consistent with historical trends. Last year, 76 percent of candidates scored below 200.

In 2022, the board reported that 1.3 million out of 1.7 million candidates—or 78 percent—scored below 200 in that year's UTME.

In 2021, only 803 out of 1.3 million candidates scored above 300, representing just 0.06 percent, according to Mr. Oloyede.

Amid the reactions, candidates have taken to social media using the hashtag #thisisnotmyresult to contest the accuracy of their scores.

One concerned individual, identified as a parent, shared that their ward, who had previously scored 236, 271, and 290 in the UTME for the years 2022, 2023, and 2024 respectively, suddenly received a score of 169 in 2025.

“To our greatest surprise, this most recent result shows a dramatic drop: Use of English: 45, Physics: 41, Biology: 39, Chemistry: 44—an aggregate of 169 out of 400,” the parent explained.

A social media user with the handle @Pennyfabz, who received a score of 156, also expressed frustration, stating that their previous UTME score had been 285.

“Dear @JAMBHQ, something is wrong with my result. I’m very confident this isn’t what I earned. Please investigate. I’m trying to stay calm, but this drop from 285 to 156 is very distressing,” the candidate posted.

Another comment by user @quwam001 reads: “Dear @JAMBHQ, the recently released UTME scores are questionable. These scores don’t reflect the actual abilities or past performance of many candidates.”

The post cited the case of one candidate who scored 295 in the previous UTME but reportedly received a score of 132 this year, among other similar concerns.

Meanwhile, Mr. Onyia, CEO of Educare, has confirmed plans to initiate legal proceedings against JAMB to compel the board to release detailed scoring breakdowns.

In a post on X, Onyia invited candidates who suspect errors in their results to fill out this form in preparation for the court case.
Link to form: forms.gle/1NW5ZYz7ffiPjNhw7

“If you're a candidate who believes your score is significantly lower than expected, and you're confident there has been a mistake, please fill out this form immediately,” the post read.

“We will proceed on Monday to the Federal High Court to request that JAMB release the marking scheme and full scoring details, allowing candidates to verify their results.”