The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has fixed April 11 for the commencement of the 2019 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). The examination is expected to hold for about a week across the country.

The board also said the mock examination which was earlier scheduled to hold on March 23 will now hold April 1.

The mock examination is optional and is only meant to prepare interested candidates for the main examination. It does not in any way add to the grades for the main examination.

The main JAMB examination was expected to begin on March 16 and end on March 23 at JAMB’s computer-based test centres nationwide, but the postponement of the general elections affected the dates.

After the initial postponement of the main examination, no new date was announced until April l1 commencement date was announced on Wednesday.

However, the mock exam which was scheduled to hold on March 23 is now being postponed allegedly because of supplementary elections in some states scheduled for March 23.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the electoral commission, INEC, announced March 23 for supplementary elections in states and constituencies where elections were declared inconclusive.

Governorship elections were declared inconclusive in six states: Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Kano, Plateau, and Sokoto.

SALE OF FORMS

This year, the sale or registration forms to all candidates (UTME/DE) including those outside Nigeria, started January 10 and ended February 21.

In a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES Wednesday evening, JAMB’s spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, said the change is due to ”certain circumstances beyond the Board’s control.”

According to him, candidates who had indicated interest in the mock examination at the point of registration and have since printed their mock examination notification slips need not print them again.

“All the details on the slips remain the same except the (mock) examination date which is now April 1,” he said.

He said candidates are to begin printing the notification slips for the main examination from April 2, about one week before the examination.

“All candidates who registered for the 2019 UTME are to ensure that they print their examination notification slips before the day of the examination as no excuses would be entertained. The public should note that the Board would not reschedule examination for any candidate,” he said.

He said candidates can print their slips anywhere and that sale of forms for the examinations remain closed.

“Nigerians would recall that the Board had closed the sale of its Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination and Direct Entry application document on Thursday, 21st February 2019,” he said.

Mr Benjamin said 41,063 candidates have so far created their profiles and procured either UTME or DE ePINS but were unable to complete their registration formalities after initiating the process.

“Given this, the Board has opened the registration portal effective from Wednesday 13th March, for all candidates with either UTME or DE ePINS to complete their registration formalities. The portal would be closed on Friday, 15th March 2019 by midnight,” he said.

Mr Benjamin said the opportunity is only meant for candidates who had created a profile and procured UTME or DE ePINS before the close of registration.

“Please endeavour to register before Friday midnight if you are holding any of the ePINS (UTME/DE),” he said.