The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has issued a strict advisory to candidates preparing for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), stressing the importance of arriving at their examination centres on time.

1. According to the board, every candidate scheduled for the UTME has a specific examination session and seat number, and failure to appear at the designated time could result in the candidate missing the examination.

The board explained that the computer-based testing format used for the UTME requires strict adherence to scheduled time slots because each seat is allocated to a particular candidate at a particular session.

1. Officials emphasised that candidates who miss their scheduled examination time cannot be immediately rescheduled, as another candidate would already be assigned to the same seat and session.

1. The advisory further clarified that rescheduling is only possible under genuine and verifiable circumstances beyond the control of the candidate.

Examples of such situations include power failure at the examination centre, network disruptions, or other technical issues affecting the computer-based test system.

However, the board stressed that lateness on the part of the candidate does not qualify as a valid reason for rescheduling.

• To illustrate the rule, the board explained that a candidate expected to arrive at the centre by 9:00 a.m. for a 10:30 a.m. examination session who shows up even a minute late, such as 10:31 a.m., would be considered absent and may not be allowed to sit for the examination.

• The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board therefore urged all UTME candidates to carefully check their examination slips, which contain their centre location, reporting time, session details, and seat numbers.

NB: Candidates have been advised to arrive early at their designated centres, complete the required verification procedures, and be fully prepared before the commencement of their scheduled examination sessions.