The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has initiated plans to incorporate life skills and critical thinking assessments into the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). The proposed reform aims to modernize candidate evaluation and better align tertiary entry testing with problem-solving skills required for higher education and professional environments.
​Speaking during an interactive session with UTME candidates at the board’s Zonal Office in Abuja on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, JAMB Registrar Prof. Segun Aina explained that evaluating critical thinking alongside academic knowledge is becoming increasingly necessary for higher institutions and employers alike. Earlier in the day, Prof. Aina also highlighted the initiative during an appearance on NTA’s flagship morning program, Good Morning Nigeria.
​”It is not how good you are that your JAMB score speaks to. It is more about how you rank against others,” Prof. Aina stated. “We must put this thing in proper perspective. Technical knowledge alone is no longer enough, healthcare practitioners, for instance, need sound analytical reasoning and real-time decision-making skills to assess complex situations effectively.”
​To ensure a seamless transition, JAMB inaugurated a broad-based expert committee chaired by Prof. Boniface Nworgu, a leading psychometrician. The committee brings together key stakeholders, including representatives from the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), the National Universities Commission (NUC), the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), and assessment experts.
​The committee has been tasked with evaluating whether the new competencies will be integrated into existing subject disciplines or tested as a standalone paper.
The panel was given an initial four-week deadline to submit a comprehensive preliminary report on feasibility, fairness, and predictive validity. Subject to committee findings and testing phase approvals, the broad integration of logical, verbal, and analytical reasoning is projected to commence in the 2027 examination cycle.
The board reassured candidates that traditional subject mastery will not be abandoned, but rather supplemented to identify students whose problem-solving aptitudes match their intended fields of study.
​Beyond curriculum updates, JAMB disclosed administrative changes designed to resolve long-standing candidate profile issues. Candidate profiles can now be harmonized directly with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) database to allow updates to names, birth dates, phone numbers, and email addresses, resolving previous bottlenecks that left thousands of prospective students unable to complete their university processing.
