WHAT NO ONE TELLS JAMBITES ABOUT WRITING JAMB IN NIGERIA
Where dreams are tested: Jambites in the exam hall By Victor Olubiye As thousands of candidates prepare to sit for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board this week, the conversations are familiar—cut-off marks, past questions, and “how to score above 300.” But beyond the tutorials, motivational posts, and late-night reading, there are realities many jambites will encounter—things no one really tells them. This is not in the brochure. It is not in the syllabus. Yet, it shapes the outcome. The Fear That Starts Before the Exam For many candidates, the exam does not begin in the hall—it begins days before. There is the silent anxiety: “What if I don’t pass?” “What if this is another year?” In homes across Nigeria, expectations hang in the air. Parents remind, relatives ask questions, and comparisons quietly creep in. A first-time candidate in Ogun State, David, told this reporter, “I’ve been reading, but sometimes...