Which Matters the Most? JAMB Exam or Post-UTME Exam? This article will help you decide.
There have been questions amongst students which tend to raise a comparison between JAMB and Post UTME. The questions have always been on which matters more between both examinations. In this article we will explain the importance of both exams and their differences, then conclude by stating which is more important between the two (2).
The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) is a body corporate, set up with the mandate of ensuring students transition from secondary school to higher institutions like the universities, polytechnics and Colleges of Education. The implication is that no one studies in a recognised higher institution in Nigeria without passing through this body.
JAMB conducts yearly examinations known as the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) to admit students into various higher institutions across the country.
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Post UTME on the other hand stands for Post Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination. And as the name suggests, it is an examination that comes after JAMB has conducted the UTME.
This examination is only open to those who registered, sat and passed the UTME and are offered admission by JAMB. It is an examination that is used to test the competency of those who have been offered admission by JAMB.
The Post UTME is not conducted by JAMB but by the school JAMB offers to students as an institution of study. It has its own separate registration and schools decide on the mode of conducting the examination.
Similarities Between Post-UTME Exam and JAMB Exam
It is pertinent to note that even though both examinations have similar names, they are not the same and are separate from each other. Let’s look at the similarities between both examinations
- Both examinations are conducted for those who are in their final class or those who have finished having obtained their O’level results such as WAEC, NECO, NABTEB and GCE. Although over the years some secondary schools allow students who are in SS2 to register and sit for the JAMB examination, this is only to test their readiness for the exams when they finally sit for their certificate examination.
- Another similarity among the duo is that both the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination and the Post Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination are both recognised by the Board. Although the Board does not dictate how schools conduct the Post UTME.
- The questions asked in both examinations are Multiple Choice Questions also known as MCQs. What this means is that, both examination questions are objective in nature, they are questions that come with different options from which a candidate can pick from.
Now that you know the similarities, let us now look at what makes them distinct and separate from each other.
Difference Between Post-UTME Exam and JAMB Exam
The difference are;
- While the UTME examination has a national outlook, the Post UTME is institutional. UTME is recognised nation wide as it is written by all students who are desirous of going to the higher institution. All the 36 states of the federation and the FCT have JAMB offices that ensure there are centers spread across the state to afford students the opportunity of writing the exams. On the other hand, Post UTME examinations are institutional based in that administration of the examination is only peculiar to a particular institution. In fact they are written at different times depending on the academic calendar of schools.
- JAMB UTME focuses on eligibility (that is whether a candidate is qualified to be given admission to study in the higher institution based on the result of the exams) whereas Post UTME does not focus on eligibility but whether a candidate who have been found to be eligible by the Board is suitable for the course he has been offered. And when such a student does not pass the examination as expected, even though he/she has been offered admission or found qualified by the Board, admission is denied.
And to the big question of which is more compared to the other, the answer is found in the aim of bother examinations.
In truth, one can get admitted into the tertiary institution without sitting for Post UTME, however, this is only possible if the institution applied does not conduct Post UTME. If such school conducts Post UTME, your admission even if given by JAMB will be forfeited if you fail to sit for it or are unable to pass. On the other hand, you can not be admitted into any higher institution in Nigeria with passing your UTME
In conclusion, it will be unwise to say one is better than the other. If a school conducts post UTME which then becomes the acknowledgement of the existence of the examinations, you won’t be able to be admitted without either of them. They work hand in hand in ensuring your success in pursuing a higher degree. Take both examinations serious, do not look down on any!!