JAMB set to conduct mock for 160,617 candidates on June 3

• 160,617 candidates will be taking part in JAMB's UTME

• The exam will be conducted at the approved 802 computer-based centres

• More people are encouraged to partake in the examinations

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has said a total of 160,617 candidates will be taking part in its mock unified tertiary matriculation examination (UTME) which is slated to hold on June 3.

The examination, which had earlier been scheduled to hold on May 20 before it was postponed, will be conducted at the approved 802 computer-based centres (CBT) located in 104 designated examination towns across the country.

The head of JAMB’s public affairs and protocol unit, Fabian Benjamin, disclosed this on Monday, May 24.

Mr Benjamin advised all candidates who had registered for the examination and indicated interest to sit the mock examination to reprint their notification slips.

“It is imperative for the mock examination candidates to reprint notification slips because the new slips will have a new date This is as a result of the change of date for the UTME-mock,” he said.

He added that the slip can be reprinted by candidates anywhere they find convenient “as long as they have access to the internet.”

Meanwhile, one week after the announcement of the registration deadline for the examination, JAMB has only recorded an additional roughly 200,000 candidates comprising both the UTME and Direct entry candidates.

According to the examination body, a total of 124,519 candidates, who have indicated interest to register for the examination and had procured profile codes, are yet to obtain the required registration pins.

Mr Fabian enjoined interested prospective candidates not to wait till the last minute to register for the examination, saying the body would no longer consider an adjustment to its calendar.

Meanwhile, as of May 14, the JAMB registrar, Ishaq Oloyede, said only 1,134,424 candidates, comprising both UTME and DE candidates, were registered.

The low enrolment reportedly caused by the difficulties encountered by candidates in their efforts to set up profile codes.

But after a meeting held between May 14 and 15, the stakeholders including the representatives of the telecommunication operators, Nigerian Communications Commission, digital service providers, among others, resolved to extend the registration deadline by two weeks.

They concluded that the problem of transporting the profile codes to the end-users by the telecommunication companies is as a result of technical challenges being faced by the concerned organisations.

They, however, expressed their commitment to addressing the issues.