Parents and candidates in Lagos, on Thursday, expressed mixed feelings as the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) began across 966 accredited Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres in Nigeria.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) had announced that the examination would commence on April 16 and end on April 22.
More than 2.2 million candidates are taking part in the UTME.
At some accredited centres in Lagos, the exercise recorded early arrival of candidates, security checks and orderly accreditation.
Some parents, who accompanied their children to the centres, commended the orderliness but appealed for continued improvement in logistics and timing.
Mrs Funke Abiodun, a parent who brought her child to a CBT centre at Akoka, described the conduct as impressive.
“I am impressed with the organisation so far. Officials came early and the environment is calm.
“My prayer is that the system will work smoothly and there will be no technical issues to delay the children,” she said.
Another parent, Mr Tunde Ayodele, urged JAMB to sustain transparency and integrity in the examination.
“We have heard of centres being delisted for poor standards; so, I believe JAMB is trying to improve the process.
“My concern is that no candidate should suffer because of computer malfunction or network problems,” he said.
Some candidates expressed confidence of success.
Miss Esther Olaleye, a candidate at a centre at Yaba College of Technology, said the questions were not too difficult but time management was a challenge.
“The exam was okay, but time ran fast. You really had to think and answer quickly.
“I believe that adequate preparation helped me because the questions were within what I studied,” she said.
Another candidate, Master Daniel Akinyemi, said that he was initially nervous but became relaxed after the examination commenced.
“I was anxious before entering, but after starting, I gained confidence,” he said.
However, some candidates expressed sadness over transport difficulties.
Miss Blessing Okafor said that getting to the centre early was stressful because of heavy traffic.
“I had to leave home before 5 a.m. to avoid being late.
“JAMB should consider distance when posting candidates to centres because some people travel very far,” she said.
