JAMB UTME Guide: Exam Format, Past Questions, Syllabus and 140 Free Practice Questions
What JAMB's own 2026 Manual for Officials says about the computer-based UTME, a study method for past questions and the syllabus, and 140 original practice questions in Use of English, Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry. Facts were checked against JAMB's pages on 28 October 2026.
The 2026 UTME is computer-based: 180 multiple-choice questions in two hours, each with four options lettered A to D. Use of English is compulsory with 60 questions, and you add three subjects of your choice with 40 questions each. JAMB's pages that we read do not explain how the score is calculated, and the official syllabus sits behind JAMB's IBASS eligibility checker, which we could not open, so this guide gives no score scale and no topic lists from JAMB.
JAMB UTME facts at a glance
| Questions | 180: Use of English 60 plus three chosen subjects at 40 each |
|---|---|
| Time | 2 hours: fixed; JAMB's manual says the duration cannot be altered |
| Answer options | A to D: four options per question; press A, B, C or D, or click |
| Time per question | About 40 seconds: our arithmetic: 7,200 seconds divided by 180 |
| Calculator | On-screen only: handheld calculators are on the prohibited list |
| After you submit | No going back: per the manual, a submitted candidate cannot return to the test |
| Score scale and computation | Not published: none of the JAMB pages we read explain how the UTME score is worked out |
| Practice questions here | 140: original, not JAMB questions; no past paper is copied |
Checked against the official JAMB (Nigeria) page and the sources listed at the end of this page on 2026-10-28.
JAMB UTME practice: 140 questions with answers
Three sets in one drill: a 50-question mixed mini mock (Use of English, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry), 50 Use of English questions (lexis, structure, idioms and sentence meaning, comprehension) and 40 Physics questions (mechanics, heat, waves, light and sound, electricity and magnetism, atomic and nuclear physics). Pick an answer and press Check Answer to see the explanation; missed questions go to a retry queue. Every question is original and none is a real JAMB question. Physics questions take g as 10 m/s squared where it matters.
JAMB's pages do not explain how UTME scores are calculated, so do not compare your count with a real score. As a planning goal on the 50-question mini mock, 38 or more correct (76%) is our own estimate; use the category results to find weak areas.
How the UTME is built
From JAMB's Manual for Officials of the 2026 UTME. The share of questions is our arithmetic (60 of 180 and 40 of 180).
| Subject | Questions | Share of the paper | Our pace at 40 s each |
|---|---|---|---|
| Use of English (compulsory) | 60 | 33% | About 40 minutes |
| Your second subject | 40 | 22% | About 27 minutes |
| Your third subject | 40 | 22% | About 27 minutes |
| Your fourth subject | 40 | 22% | About 27 minutes |
| Total | 180 | 100% | 120 minutes |
Source: JAMB, Manual for Officials of 2026 UTME (sections 1.2 and 1.3)
Minimum admission scores announced for 2026
JAMB's homepage reports the 2026 Policy Meeting's minimum tolerable admission scores. These are floors for admission, not a pass mark, and each school and course can ask for more.
| Institution type | Minimum score |
|---|---|
| Universities | 150 |
| Colleges of Nursing | 150 |
| Polytechnics, Monotechnics, Colleges of Agriculture and Colleges of Education | 100 |
| Innovation Enterprise Institutions (IEIs) | 100 |
Source: JAMB homepage
The format, from JAMB's manual
JAMB's Manual for Officials of the 2026 UTME describes a computer-based test. Every candidate takes Use of English with 60 questions, plus three other subjects of their choice with 40 questions each: 180 questions in all, each with four options lettered A to D, in two hours. You can answer by clicking or by pressing A, B, C or D. N and P move to the next and previous question, S submits and Y confirms.
The manual also covers the rules around the test. There is an on-screen calculator icon, and calculators, phones, wrist watches and pens are on the prohibited list; only ordinary pencils are allowed for rough work. Once you submit, you cannot go back. For 2026, the manual names a general reading text, "The Lekki Headmaster" by Kabir Alabi Garba, for all candidates.
- Pace is the main constraint: about 40 seconds a question on average, and Use of English alone takes about 40 minutes at that pace.
- Practise with the keyboard keys, not only the mouse, because the computer-based format uses them.
- Decide before test day how long you will give a hard question before moving on; you can come back to it only until you submit.
Entry rules and fees named in the 2026 manual
For the 2026/2027 session the manual lists a minimum age of 16 by 30 September 2026 (with a waiver process), registration from 26 January to 28 February 2026, and an optional mock on 28 March 2026. The e-PIN categories were N7,200 for the UTME without the mock, N8,700 with the mock, and N5,700 for Direct Entry.
For degree programmes the manual requires at least five credit passes in English and other relevant subjects in not more than two sittings, and Mathematics is mandatory for Science, Technology and Social Science programmes. These are the 2026 cycle's figures; we did not find dates or fees for the 2027 cycle, so check JAMB before you plan around them.
How to use JAMB past questions
This method is ours, not JAMB's. We do not host or copy any JAMB past paper, and we did not verify claims that questions repeat from year to year, so do not rely on memorising answers. A past paper helps only if you learn from it.
- Set a baseline: do one timed set under the real conditions (40 seconds a question, no handheld calculator) and score it.
- Keep an error log: for every miss, write the topic and the reason (did not know, misread, careless, ran out of time).
- Tally the log by topic after each paper, and study the topic with the most misses first.
- Redo the missed questions a few days later without looking at the answers, then repeat a week after.
- Alternate subjects across the week so Use of English, which carries 60 questions, never goes cold.
How to use the syllabus
JAMB publishes the e-brochure and e-syllabus through its IBASS eligibility checker, reached by scanning the QR code in the manual. The same checker lists the subject combination for each course at each institution, so confirm your combination there before you register. We could not open the e-syllabus, so this page does not list JAMB's topics and does not claim the topic groups in our practice sets match JAMB's list.
A practical way to use it once you have it: copy each topic into a tracker, rate it red, amber or green after one practice set, and spend your next study week on the reds. Our practice groupings are ordinary secondary-school headings that we chose, such as mechanics, heat, waves, electricity and atomic physics for Physics, and lexis, structure, idioms and comprehension for Use of English.
Changes to literature texts
A JAMB notice says the set texts for the language subjects Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba and Arabic, and for Literature-in-English, changed from the 2022 UTME. If you sit one of those subjects, read the current notice for the titles rather than relying on older books.
Sample JAMB UTME questions with answers
One question from each content area of the practice set above, with the answer and explanation. Try it before you open the answer.
Mini mock: Use of English
Choose the word nearest in meaning to CANDID: 'The manager gave a candid account of the losses.'
- Secret
- False
- Brief
- Frank
Show answer
D. Frank
Candid describes someone who speaks openly and honestly. Frank is the closest match. A secret account would be the opposite.
Mini mock: Mathematics
Simplify 3/4 + 5/6.
- 19/12
- 8/10
- 15/24
- 2
Show answer
A. 19/12
Use a common denominator of twelve. Three quarters is nine twelfths and five sixths is ten twelfths. Together they make nineteen twelfths.
Mini mock: Physics
What is the SI unit of power?
- Watt
- Joule
- Newton
- Pascal
Show answer
A. Watt
Power is the rate of doing work. Its SI unit is the watt, which is one joule per second.
Mini mock: Chemistry
The atomic number of an element is the number of
- Neutrons
- Protons
- Nucleons
- Electron shells
Show answer
B. Protons
The atomic number counts the protons in the nucleus and identifies the element. Nucleons are protons plus neutrons.
Use of English: Lexis
Choose the word nearest in meaning to UNANIMOUS: 'The jury was unanimous in its verdict.'
- Divided
- In full agreement
- Doubtful
- Angry
Show answer
B. In full agreement
Unanimous means that everyone agrees. A divided jury would be the opposite.
Use of English: Structure
Each of the students ___ been given a certificate.
- has
- have
- are
- were
Show answer
A. has
The subject is each, which is singular, so the verb is has. The plural word students comes after of and does not control the verb.
JAMB UTME FAQ
How many questions are on the JAMB UTME?
180 in the 2026 computer-based test: 60 in Use of English and 40 in each of the three other subjects you choose, per JAMB's Manual for Officials of 2026 UTME. You have two hours.
How is the UTME score calculated?
The JAMB pages we read do not explain it, so we do not state a score scale or formula. Check JAMB directly for how results are reported.
Are these real JAMB questions?
No. All 140 questions are original editorial practice. No JAMB past question was copied or paraphrased.
Can I use a calculator in the UTME?
The computer-based test has an on-screen calculator icon, and the manual lists handheld calculators among prohibited items.
What is the minimum score for university admission?
JAMB's homepage reports a 2026 minimum tolerable admission score of 150 for universities and Colleges of Nursing, and 100 for polytechnics, colleges of education and agriculture, and IEIs. Individual schools and courses can set higher cut-offs.
Where do I find the official syllabus?
JAMB points candidates to the e-brochure and e-syllabus through its IBASS eligibility checker. We could not open it, so this page does not reproduce JAMB's topic lists.
Related practice and guides
Sources
Exam facts on this page were checked against these official pages on 2026-10-28.
- JAMB, Manual for Officials of 2026 UTME
- JAMB homepage (2026 minimum admission scores)
- JAMB, frequently asked questions (IBASS eligibility checker)
- JAMB notice: new literature texts for language subjects and Literature-in-English
OpenExamHub is an independent study resource and is not affiliated with JAMB. All practice questions are original, not from a real UTME. JAMB does not publish how scores are computed in the pages we read, so our pace figures and target score are estimates. Rules, dates and fees change by cycle: confirm them with JAMB.