JAMB is perhaps the most popular exam in Nigeria given the number of candidates that sit for it (over 1.6 million based on this year's JAMB statistics) and how critical the UTME exam is for gaining admission into the universities and other higher institutions in Nigeria.
To add to the fact that there are almost 2 million that sit for the exam, there is a limited admission quota for all the schools in Nigeria, meaning that the majority of the JAMB candidates cannot gain admission into the tertiary institutions in Nigeria the same year/session they sat for the exam. This is because our universities don't have the capacity to take all the JAMB candidates each year!
The questions JAMB candidates ask
Given the competitive nature of gaining admission into the tertiary institutions in Nigeria, it is important that the candidate preparing for JAMB should have a game plan. That is, have a plan of how you should prepare for the exam to greatly increase your chances of scoring high when the results are out.
But the reality is that many JAMB candidates either don't have any plan at all or do but want to know if it is the right plan.
Every now and then I get questions (on WhatsApp) from JAMB candidates and the questions usually go like:
- "Please, how do I study so I can score high in JAMB?",
- "Which years of the past questions should I study?",
- "What are the likely questions that will be set?",
- Etc.
How to prepare for JAMB exam
To answer some of the questions, here are some tips I want to share with the JAMB candidates on how to get ready for the exam:
Solve, not just read
The way some people study is that they read both the questions and answers. But, you should not do that. Instead, try to answer the questions yourself. What you learn will stick in your memory longer when you try to solve the questions yourself.
This does not mean that there are not occasions when you can just read through without solving. But whenever the environment permits you, try to answer the questions yourself.
Don't joke with past questions!
With JAMB past questions you can cover most possible kinds of questions that JAMB set. So, it is very important to solve as many past questions as possible!
Pro tip: study thousands of JAMB past questions and answers offline with our JAMB app.
Solving many different past questions will help you get ready for whatever questions JAMB might decide to set and however they might decide to phrase the questions.
Let's face it, JAMB also repeats questions oftentimes by just changing the grammar or values in the questions!
Textbooks also matter
I want to also add this here because a JAMB candidate once asked me if he should study using the textbooks or the past questions.
Please study using both. Textbooks will explain things so much better than just past questions and answers. So, textbooks are important as well.
However, you should not for any reason not study past questions.
You have been reading the textbooks that are meant to prepare you for JAMB from your SS1 to SS3 and WAEC/NECO. So, my point is you need both, but make sure to study the past questions.
Apply JAMB tricks
Finally, take a few minutes to go through these resources that will help you score high in JAMB and gain admission on merit into any school and course of your choice:
All the best!
