The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has fixed the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, to begin on Thursday, April 16, 2026, and end on Saturday, April 25, 2026, according to the board’s official 2026 timeline and training materials.
This means the main examination is scheduled to run over a 10-day window, not eight days as widely circulated in some unofficial messages. JAMB’s published documents also show that the UTME duration for each candidate remains two hours, in line with the board’s examination manual.
On the issue of slip printing, JAMB has already opened mock UTME slip printing for candidates who registered for the optional mock examination, and the board said the mock was held on Saturday, March 28, 2026 as preparation for the main exam.
However, checks on JAMB’s official website and recent bulletins show that while the board has repeatedly confirmed the April 16 start date for the main UTME, it has not yet publicly fixed an official date for main UTME slip reprinting in the materials reviewed. Candidates are therefore expected to keep monitoring JAMB’s website for further instructions on when to print their examination notifications for the main test.
JAMB had earlier announced that the optional mock UTME would hold on March 28, 2026, while the main UTME would follow from April 16 to April 25. The board also stated that the mock exercise was designed to help candidates become familiar with the computer-based testing environment ahead of the main examination.
For candidates preparing for the examination, the official timeline indicates that the most important confirmed facts for now are that the main UTME starts on April 16, ends on April 25, and that each candidate is expected to complete the examination within two hours.
Credit: JAMB.
