High UTME Scores Don’t Guarantee Admission for Some Candidates — JAMB

JAMB has spoken on why some candidates who score high scores in the 2024 UTME might not secure an admission in their desired course or university.

The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, JAMB, elaborated on why certain candidates might not secure admission despite achieving high scores in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME.

In an interview with Arise Television, JAMB spokesman Fabian Benjamin emphasized that admission hinges on the cut-off marks set by schools and specific departments.

Benjamin stressed the importance of understanding the purpose and intent of the examination, highlighting that it’s a selection exercise rather than a pass-fail test.

He illustrated this with examples, explaining that admission isn’t solely determined by high scores but also by factors like program popularity and university capacity.

In essence, while a high UTME score is commendable, admission ultimately depends on various factors beyond just the numerical performance in the examination.

“Admission is contingent upon the cut-off marks set by schools and specific departments.

“There is nothing wrong with analyzing the performance of any exercise, but the first issue that one will have to bear in mind is understanding the purpose for which such exercise is undertaken.

“If you look at our examination and begin to analyze it without understanding the basic principles for which we conduct this examination, you may likely be misleading the public,” he said.

The Board image maker further stated that the purpose and intent of an issue in every exercise are very critical in analyzing such an exercise.

“Otherwise, you begin to concentrate on the disruptive element of such exercise. Our examination is not a pass-fail examination; it is a selection exercise,” he explained.

According to him, “If you look at the statistics that we keep reeling out and discussing out there, you will discover that a reasonable number of these candidates score less than 200 and above. They have not really failed this examination because it depends on what you want to do with such an exercise.

“Our examination, just as I’ve said earlier, is a selection exercise. You can only say a candidate has failed if, in the final analysis, the purpose of such an examination is not achieved.

“I will give you an example. We want to celebrate candidates who have scored 300 or above. And I want to shock you by saying that there are some of them who may not even be admitted with that high score, depending on where they want to go, while some candidates who have scored less than 200 will end up succeeding and being admitted.

“For instance, if I want to read physics today and I have 180 or 200, I may likely gain admission, while somebody who wants to read medicine, for instance, has 320, but he may not be admitted. Because if you want to go to the University of Lagos with 320, on the ranking order of the University of Lagos, you may be number 300.

“Also, maybe the current capacity for that program is just around 200. So it depends on the subscription to the program that you are aspiring to go to. It depends on the university to which you want to go. It depends on the tertiary institution, whether it’s a polytechnic or a college of education.”

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SOURCES: ALLSCHOOL, DAILY POST