The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has announced an adjustment to the arrival time for candidates sitting the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), particularly those scheduled for the first session.

The board also released a detailed timetable for candidates participating in its Computer-Based Tests (CBT), outlining arrival and examination times from Monday through Friday.

In a notice posted on its X handle on Monday, JAMB stated that candidates for the first session are now expected to arrive at their examination centres by 7:00 a.m., instead of the earlier scheduled 6:30 a.m.

It added that the examination will commence at 8:30 a.m. and end at 10:30 a.m.

“This is to notify you of a slight adjustment to the arrival scheduled time, particularly for the first session, which is now 7:00 a.m. as against the earlier published 6:30 a.m., while the scheduled start time for the session is now 8:30 a.m.,” the notice read.

The board added that the candidates “need not to reprint their examination slips” following the adjustment.

Nigerians had criticised the examination board for asking candidates, most of whom are teenagers, to arrive at the CBT centres by 6:00 a.m. which means they must have left their homes before dawn.

Most CBT centres are several kilometres from the residences of candidates. The situation sparked criticism against the board in the past and was renewed this year.

Heeding these concerns, JAMB asked candidates to arrive later.

UTME 2026

According to the schedule, four sessions will be conducted daily between Monday and Thursday.

The first session requires candidates to arrive by 7:00 a.m., with examinations running from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

READ ALSO: UTME 2026: JAMB delists 23 CBT centres, sanctions many others over technical issues

The second session begins at 11:00 a.m. and ends at 1:00 p.m., while the third runs from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The final session of the day is slated for 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

On Fridays, the timetable remains largely the same, except for the third session, which has been marked as “reserved.”

This adjustment means only three active sessions will be held on that day, with the reserved slot intended for contingencies or administrative purposes.

The UTME is scheduled to hold from Thursday, 16 April to Saturday, 25 April.

JAMB had earlier emphasised the importance of punctuality, urging candidates to adhere strictly to the arrival time to ensure smooth conduct of the examinations.

More than two million candidates are expected to sit this year’s UTME across the country. The UTME is used to rank candidates seeking admission into Nigerian tertiary institutions.

UTME 2026: JAMB Changes First Arrival Time After Complaints

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