The exam conducted by the Joint Admission and matriculation board (JAMB) is one of the most important exams a student will take in Nigeria if they are seeking admission into the University. JAMB is a body that conducts an exam known as UTME (Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination) in all the states of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
For a student to gain admission into the University/tertiary institution, they must be able to beat the general cut off mark set by JAMB and the University they are applying to study. However, passing with flying colors when you write UTME does not ultimately guarantee admission into the University.
Some schools at the time of writing this article still make use of POST-UTME, an exam conducted by a University to test applicants. Students who apply for Jamb will either emerge with a passing score or a score that will require them to rewrite the exam the next year.
In this article, we are going to be focusing on the 10 reasons students fail JAMB.
Not following Jamb Syllables
Extensive research shows that over 90% of students who make adequate use of the Jamb syllables often come out with very high scores. Meanwhile, students who do not make adequate use of the Jamb syllables are often left hanging and they tend to perform poorly during the UTME.
In order not to fail Jamb, it is the best that students who are seeking to gain admission into the University, make adequate use of the Jamb syllable for each of the 4 subjects that they are going to be writing. When you obtain the syllable for the subjects you are going to be writing in Jamb, study them very well and go through over and over again. Jamb Syllable is very important because it guides you on the likely areas of the examinations.
A lot of students have recorded success in their UTME exams because of the constant study of the Jamb syllable which is available to all Jamb candidates.
Poor reading habits
No matter how you follow the first point, if you have a poor reading habit as a student who wants to write Jamb, you will fail woefully. It is one thing to get the Jamb syllable and a study guide, it is then another thing to be able to read them very well and let it stick to your head.
The ultimate thing you have to do as a Jamb candidate is to study, otherwise, you risk failing which will bring disgrace to you and your family members who have hoped in you to gain admission into the University. Apart from the lesson or school, you may be attending in order to ensure success in your UTME, the ultimate thing here remains that you will have to study well in order to come out of the exam center with a high score that will guarantee admission for you.
Lack of speed during the exams
If you are not fast while answering the questions during your UTME, you will never finish and this could be a hindrance to having a good score. A lot of students fail Jamb because they are simply not fast enough to answering the questions before them. It is important to know that Jamb requires god time management skills.
Since each candidate has limited time in order to answer the questions, you must be very fast in order not to be caught napping when your time finally elapses. Good time management skills can only be acquired with practice. While practicing for Jamb, always endeavor to time yourself so as to prepare you for the main exam.
Computer Illiteracy
We might be in a computer age but a majority of students still do not know how to operate a computer system. It is quite disheartening that a great number of students still do not know how to operate a computer system since computers can be found everywhere. Jamb is a computer-based examination and it is very important that all candidates become familiar with a computer system so as not to be confused during the day of the exam.
You don’t want to spend 5 minutes wondering what to or not to click! Not being able to operate a computer effectively could result in failure in your Jamb. The only solution to this problem is to enroll in computer-based training and get fully trained. Even if you are a very brilliant student, if you do not know how to operate a computer system, you risk failing Jamb.
Not acknowledging your name in the attendance sheet
It’s very common to see JAMB candidates chatting away in the exam hall even when announcements are being made! When in the center for your exams, it is very important that your ears are very attentive so that you do not miss any vital information. Missing vital information may come back to haunt your results. One of the most important information to look out for is the attendance.
The purpose of attendance is to clarify that you were present for your exams and that you wrote your exams. Failure to participate in the attendance exercise will clearly show that you did not participate in the exam thereby causing failure even if you might have done well in the exams.
Incomplete materials
How can you pass any examination if you do not have complete materials? This situation is similar to a farmer going to his farm with incomplete farming tools. Incomplete study materials is one of the basic reasons why lots of Nigerien youths fail Jamb. When preparing for Jamb, it is important that as a student, all major textbooks and past questions are obtained to ensure success in your examinations.
Cramming Past Questions
No doubt, Jamb past questions are simply a guide to the things you should be expecting in your Jamb examination. While questions sometimes reoccur, it is not certain that the questions you see will be repeated again during your Jamb examinations.
The past questions provided are meant to be studied or practiced and not memorized. Past questions are guides for you on how questions will be asked and to show you the possible forms one question could take.
Procrastination
A lot of students fall victim to this. It’s easy to while away time instead of reading because the examination day often seems so far. Procrastination is one of the basic reasons why a lot of students fail the Jamb examination.
They prefer to watch T.V, play video games, go out with friends and engage in other frivolities. While engaging in fun activities isn’t the case of failure, the major cause is not creating a balance between fun time and study time.
Lack of Understanding
Unarguably, this is another major reason students fail Jamb. It is one thing to be able to read, it is another thing to be able to understand what you are reading.
Every student has a weakness in one subject or the other. However, the ability to deal with that weakness through consistent practice is what differentiates a successful student from an unsuccessful student.
Lack of dedication towards reading
Distractions are bound to occur especially when you are preparing for an examination. These distractions are very much capable of causing you to fail your Jamb examination if you do not put them aside and get over them.
As a popular saying goes, there is time for everything. Devote enough time to read in order to pass your Jamb examination and when you are finally done, you can do other things with your time.
There you have it; reasons why students fail Jamb examinations. All you need is a good study plan, good materials and a good tutor if you’re having problems assimilating what you’ve read. Of course prayers considering that people do all of the above and our corrupt system ends up messing them up with issues like exam malpractice and missing results.
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