No fewer than 2.2 million candidates are sitting for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), which commenced nationwide on Thursday.

The examination, conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, will run from April 16 to April 22 across accredited centres in multiple daily sessions.

Registrar of JAMB, Is-haq Oloyede, urged examination officials to maintain professionalism, noting that the success of the exercise depends largely on their commitment.

He said lessons from the mock examination showed that some challenges were linked to inadequate assessment of centres, adding that improved supervision would enhance the process.

Oloyede also announced incentives for officials who demonstrate exceptional performance and reiterated the board’s zero-tolerance stance on examination malpractice.

He disclosed that advanced technologies, including biometric verification and real-time monitoring, have been deployed to ensure credibility, while candidates with biometric issues will be rescheduled.