The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced a slight change to the arrival time for candidates writing the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), especially those in the first session.
In a notice shared on its official X handle on Monday, the board said candidates for the first session should now arrive at their examination centres by 7:00 a.m., instead of the earlier time of 6:30 a.m.
JAMB also stated that the examination will start at 8:30 a.m. and end at 10:30 a.m.
“Attention 2026 UTME Candidates: This is to notify you of a slight adjustment to the arrival scheduled time, particularly for the first session, which is now 7:00am as against the earlier published 6:30am, while the scheduled start time for the session is now 8:30 am and end time 10:30 am,” the notice read.
The board also made it clear that candidates do not need to reprint their examination slips because of this change.
JAMB added that the full daily timetable includes four sessions from Monday to Friday, with adjusted times for all groups to ensure smooth operations at Computer-Based Test centres across the country.
The adjustment was made following complaints from candidates and parents about the difficulties of travelling very early in the morning. These concerns include safety issues before dawn and challenges faced by candidates coming from far locations.
The UTME is scheduled to take place from Thursday, April 16, to Saturday, April 25, 2026.
