Before you sit down
You arrive well before your slot, queue, and go through verification — your exam slip and your fingerprints. Biometric capture is the single most common cause of delay and distress at the centre. Fingerprints that will not read are usually dry, dirty or worn hands, so do not wash with harsh soap right before, do not arrive with oily hands, and stay calm if it takes several attempts. It usually resolves.
Phones, bags, watches, calculators and written material stay outside. Assume anything you carry in beyond your slip and yourself is a problem.
The screen itself
You get one question at a time, a question-number grid, a timer, and navigation buttons. The three things worth knowing in advance:
- You can move around freely. You are not forced to answer in order. Sweep the paper for the questions you can do quickly, then come back.
- The grid shows what you have answered. Use it at the end to catch anything blank. An unanswered question is a guaranteed zero; a guess is not.
- The timer does not stop. If the system restarts, staff can usually resume your session — raise your hand immediately rather than trying to fix it yourself.
The part nobody mentions: the mouse
If your practice has all been on paper or on a phone, the mouse is a real tax. Every answer is a click, every navigation is a click, and unfamiliar hardware costs you seconds each time, across 180 questions. Practising on any computer at all before the day removes that tax. This is a small thing that quietly costs candidates marks.
Pacing across four subjects
The paper covers four subjects in one sitting, and the clock runs across all of them, so time spent stuck in the first subject is taken directly out of the last. Decide your rough split before you start and check yourself against it. A question that is not moving after about a minute should be marked and left; the same minute spent elsewhere collects a mark you can actually get.
Afterwards
Scores are released electronically rather than handed to you on the spot, and the wait is short but unpleasant. Two things to keep in mind: your score is not your admission, and one paper is not your ceiling. Candidates resit and improve every year.
If something went genuinely wrong at the centre — a broken machine, a lost session — report it there and then, in writing, before you leave. Complaints raised days later are much harder to act on.
Questions people ask
What happens before I sit down at the CBT centre?
You arrive well before your slot, queue, and go through verification with your exam slip and your fingerprints. Phones, bags, watches, calculators and written material stay outside. Biometric capture is the most common cause of delay, and it usually resolves.
Can I answer JAMB questions out of order?
Yes. You get a question-number grid and can move around freely, so sweep the paper for the questions you can do quickly and come back. Use the grid at the end to catch anything left blank.
Does it matter that I have only practised on my phone?
Yes. Every answer is a click and every navigation is a click, and unfamiliar hardware costs you seconds each time across 180 questions. Practising on any computer at all before the day removes that tax.
What should I do if the machine fails during the exam?
Raise your hand immediately rather than trying to fix it yourself, as staff can usually resume your session. If something went genuinely wrong, report it in writing before you leave the centre. Complaints raised days later are much harder to act on.
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