JAMB to introduce pre-registration app, tighten biometric checks for 2027 UTME

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) is set to introduce a pre-registration mobile application and enhanced biometric verification ahead of the 2027 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) to ease registration and curb examination malpractice.

The Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Segun Aina, disclosed this in Abuja on Saturday after a five-kilometre walk organised for the board’s staff as part of preparations for the 2027 UTME.

Aina said the proposed application would enable prospective candidates to begin their registration from home by retrieving their personal information from the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), filling in their biodata, selecting preferred subjects, courses and institutions before visiting registration centres.

He explained that the application would also provide candidates with advance guidance on course and institution selection, including information on the previous year’s admission requirements and entry marks for their preferred programmes.

According to him, the initiative is designed to help candidates make informed decisions based on their academic abilities while reducing the time spent at registration centres, particularly during biometric capture.

“There are a lot of innovations that are coming up. Now we are rolling out what we are calling a pre-registration application. It is a mobile application that allows you, from the comfort of your own home, to get your details from NIMC, register with your biodata, select your subjects, your courses and your institution,” he said.

The JAMB registrar also disclosed that the board would introduce a technology-driven mechanism to prevent candidates from selecting inappropriate subject combinations for their intended courses.

He said the system would automatically flag incorrect combinations and prevent candidates from proceeding with their applications until the required subjects were selected.

“Before now, you could potentially make wrong subject choices for the course you intend to do. We are going to make that technically impossible, which means you cannot progress with your application if the subject combination is wrong,” Aina said.

On examination security, the registrar said JAMB would strengthen biometric verification at examination centres to prevent impersonation, malpractice and other irregularities.

He explained that while the board had made concessions to reduce difficulties candidates encounter when seeking corrections to their biodata, it would compensate for the flexibility with stricter identity checks during the actual examination.

“We have given up some ground and made some concessions to reduce trauma for the candidates in terms of being able to change their biodata and things like that. In exchange for that, we will be applying enhanced checks at the point of the examination to make sure that we protect the integrity of the system,” he said.Aina further announced plans to introduce a feature that would allow candidates to report questions they consider faulty during the computer-based test.

He said the feedback mechanism would enable the board to collect data on disputed examination questions, investigate complaints and ensure candidates were assessed fairly. According to him, candidates would also be able to rate their experiences at computer-based test (CBT) centres immediately after completing their examinations.

He said the initiative was part of efforts to strengthen accountability among private-sector partners operating CBT centres, while maintaining the standards expected of facilities conducting the examination.

The registrar commended the centres for their support since JAMB introduced CBT more than a decade ago, but stressed that the board would continue to demand high standards in service delivery.He said the proposed innovations were part of broader efforts to improve candidates’ registration experience, strengthen examination credibility and make the 2027 UTME more efficient.