Plan to pass utme

Foreword by: Rametu O. Momodu
Plan to Pass
UTME
SUCCESS IS PREDICTABLE
WALE MICAIAH
he measurement of performance in UTME is
neither your school of choice nor your course
of study; it is your JAMB Score. For the pastTfive years, from 2009- 2013, candidates'
performance in UTME has been very disappointing.
In 2010 UTME, just 36.5% scored 200 and above.
From 2011 to 2013, 40%, 44.8% and 44.9%
candidates scored 200 and above respectively, the
best result being in 2009 where 46.4% of 1,182,381
candidates scored 200 and above. This means
majority cannot even qualify for post-UME for most
Universities.
It has however been discovered that most of these
candidates prepare for UTME without a strategy to
scoring at least 200. This book will show you step by step approaches to
selecting a school, a course that matches your academic strength, set goals and
ultimatelyachieveoutstandingresultinUTME.
ABOUT THE BOOK
ForewordBy:RametuO.Momodu
WALEMICAIAH
PLANTOPASSUTME
ALE MICAIAH (M. Sc.) is the author of
“Tertiary Institution Admissions and
WCareers”, a book that has helped a lot of
Students and Jambites select appropriate course
suitable for them and ultimately secure admission.
Wale is passionate about Education because of its
inherent power to transform Individuals,
Communities, Nations and the World. He coaches and
mentors Students on how to have a successful
academic life, actively engage in personal
development as well as develop the right skills for
the dynamic work environment. Writing,
volunteering and speaking at Churches, Youth
camps,SchoolsandYouthorganizationsaresomeof
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
theavenuesWaleusestoengageStudentsandstakeholdersinEducation.
Blog:www.walemicaiah.blog.com.
GSM:08078001800

i PLAN TO PASS UTME ii PLAN TO PASS UTME
Foreword by: Rametu O. Momodu
Plan to Pass
UTME
SUCCESS IS PREDICTABLE
WALE MICAIAH
Copyright©2013WaleMicaiah
FirstEdition,
EdusenseLtd
Lagos,Nigeria
ISBN:9789788013440
All rights reserved. No part of this production may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or
otherwise, without the prior permission of the author and copyright
owner.
For information regarding the purchase and sponsor of this book,
workshops,seminarsandconferencesbytheauthor.
Contact:
............................@yahoo.com
08078001800

Endorsement
iii PLAN TO PASS UTME iv PLAN TO PASS UTME
ust like Wale’s first book, “Tertiary Institution Admissions and
Careers”, this second one is nothing but a masterpiece carefully
Jcrafted by a man who has an undying passion to see the reversal in
the failure rate of unsuccessful applications to Nigerian tertiary
institutions by Nigerian youth. What he has done with this work is to
carefully and logically outline a guide for students, which if followed,
will enable them to most certainly succeed in the UTME. While this
book is directed towards students, it is also highly recommended for
parents, teachers, tutors and everyone involved in the education
industry to use this book as a guide for all students around them who
intendtoproceedtotertiaryeducationinNigeria.
Amenze Iyamu – Life Coach, Creator of “The Genius” Online Career
Coachingmagazine,Author“YouCanBecomeYourDream”
This is what I will love to call a “TOTAL PACKAGE” for Students
preparing for UTME; It’s very important you read Plan To Pass
UTME by Wale Micaiah before stepping into the exam hall. The
information in this book will really aid your preparation and guide
you on how to prepare for UTME without Stress. This book is a
product of Hard work, Wealth of professional knowledge and great
research. Now I can say with Plan To Pass UTME by Wale Micaiah,
Jamb Students have no reasons to be scared with anything that has
got to do with gaining admission into higher Institutions because all
your fears are carefully handled and addressed in this book. Plan To
PassUTME -Endorsed!
AlexGREAT Akhigbe, Executive Director, Passion House
Internation,Author,DareToLiveYourPassion.
“Plan to pass UTME delivers a straight forward approach and
perspective on how to pass the Unified Tertiary Matriculation
Examination (UTME). This book is an excellent resource to students,
educators and admission enthusiasts. The author, Wale Micaiah, is an
author specialized in education with an emphasis on admission into
NigerianUniversities.
The organisation of PLAN TO PASS UTME allows the reader to easily
follow the steps on how to plan and also pass the UTME; these steps
include choosing a course and school of study, how to begin study for
UTME,settingagoal,goalsettingpersubject,howtousetheUTMEas
a tool to gaining admission, selecting the right subjects, getting to
know the admission guidelines into Nigerian Universities, effective
use of the JAMB syllabus, also included is the NUC admission Quota
for universities and also using UTME recommended textbooks as a
tooltoachievingyourmuchdesiredgoal.”
AkwewanuDamilare–Architecture,FUTA
Have you been told that you cannot pass UTME once and gain
admissionintouniversityallatonesitting?Ifyes,youmusthavebeen
listening to the wrong people or probably reading the wrong book.
When I was about taking my UTME in 2013, I was opportune to come
across a series of articles titled “Plan to Excel in UTME2013” on his
blog and on Facebook, it was a long series but I followed the article to
the end and applied every advice, tricks and hidden secrets I need to
knowtopass UTME. The last title was “Clam youradmission slot” in
your preferred school, I did clam my slot and now am in the
university, all at one sitting. All thanks to the articles and Wale
Micaiahforhisgreatworks.
VictorEjechi–Library&InformationScience,UNIBEN
Plan to Pass UTME was really helpful towards my success in UTME.
Following It every week was awesome, it exposed me to different
area to focus on in preparing for UTME. It also assisted me in
choosing a bettercareer and my school of choice. I’m so sure that this
book will also produce a better result in your exam. The author is a
man of integrity and who has a passion for what he does, especially
seeingStudentexcelinexams.
MosesEromoseRueben–Statistics,UNIBEN

SuccessinUTMEhasneverbeenonasilverplatter.Theexamiseither
a stepping stone or a stumbling block. This book believes in planning
asasurewaytosuccess.Nowonderitemphasisesthatitisonlythose
whosetgoalsthatcanscoregoals.
JODADCommunications
After going through this fantastic book, I concluded that it will be a
great thing for every serious students tohave. Because theywill excel
greatly with it. I did well with academics while in secondary school,
butifIhadthisasanadditionthen,Icertainlywouldhavedonebetter
and not forgetting God's hand of perfection in all things. A very
educating book every serious students should have for success in
UTME.GreatjobWaleMicaiah!
TheFutureChampionsClub,MarcellinaEhidiamen
This book is an ideal blueprint for intending UTME candidates,
training centres and counselors. This is as result of the author's
meticulous and painstaking steps clearly written out for every
candidate to take in preparing for the examination that would yield a
competitive score for any Nigerian University admission. I therefore
recommend for every UTME candidates that want to achieve
outstandingresultatonesitting.
Kuku,O.O.A.(VicePrincipal,LinksbondCollege,Ikorodu).
Again, Wale Micaiah has allowed himself to become a tool of
academic empowerment to every youth. PLAN TO PASS UTME isn't
just a book that directs every student to gain admission into a higher
institution, but travels the extra miles to help every student discover
the greatness within them and using education as a tool to combat
social problems. I recommend this book to everyone especially to
thoseyettogainadmission”.
OgbuaguKenechukwu,KcSHIINE
The alarming rate of failure in public examinations has over the years
been an issue of major concern to policy makers and other stake holders.
This has been traced to many factors which include; poor teaching
methods, wrong attitudes of students to learning, environmental factors
andeveneconomicfactor.
The approach of the author to this problem is quite interesting. He
suggestedpracticalmethodswhichiffollowedbyanystudentguarantees
success not just in UTME but in any other public examination attempted.
John. C Maxwell said, “God chooses what we go through, we choose how
we go through it.” This best explains the approach laid out by this
scholarly piece on what is required of every student to have his/her
highest possible score in any examination. Anyone really interested in
making an impact in his/her world must invest in knowledge. The
approach with which knowledge- on how best to pass the Unified
Tertiary Matriculation Examination or any other examination to which
it’s adapted-was shared in this book was so simple and realistic. Over the
years in the course of my interaction with students, I have come across
very hardworking, brilliant students and seemingly ‘serious’ students
whoperformpoorlyinexaminations.
This book provides the solution to the problem(s) of such students. Gen
Collin Powell, the former U.S Secretary of State, said “there are no secrets
to success, it is the result of preparations, hard work and learning from
failures. Wale Micaiah gave a systematic approach to an effective
preparation for the examination, hints on how to best use the syllabus,
timemanagement,effectivestudyhabitsandahostofothercrucialissues
in very simple language. The psychological/emotional preparation,
attitude and conduct in and out of the examination hall were
appropriately explained. A concise explanation on the pre - examination,
on the spot and post examination conduct of the students were well
stated. I salute the courage of the author for painstakingly providing this
piece of writing that is obviously the solution to problems encountered
by most Nigerian students in public examinations. It simply summarised
thefactthattruesuccessdependsatlastonone.
GiwaA.Babatunde,Lecturer,FCE(Special),Oyo.
v PLAN TO PASS UTME vi PLAN TO PASS UTME

vii PLAN TO PASS UTME viii PLAN TO PASS UTME
Endorsement
Dedication
Acknowledgment
TableofContent
Foreword
Introduction
Week–1: WhichCourseShouldIStudy?
Week–2: ChoosingaCourse
ChoosingaSchool
Week–3: DevelopAStudyStrategyforUTME
TimeManagementwithSyllabusand
PastQuestion
TwoWaystoApproachUTMEPastQuestion
Week–4: StudyBeginsforUTME
EffectiveUseofJAMBSyllabus
UsingUTMERecommendedTextbooks
Week–5: GoalSetting
GoalSettingperUTMESubject
Week–6: HowtoUsetheUTMEBrochure(1)
HowtoUsetheUTMEBrochure(2)
Week–7: SelectingtheRightSubjectCombination
Week–8: AdmissionGuidelinesintoNigerian
Universities
Week–9: OtherReferencesBesideTheJAMB
Brochure
Week–10: NUCAdmissionQuotaforUniversities
Week–11: BetweenCBT,PBTandDualMode
Week–12: JAMBisnottheonlyway
Week–13: DifferenceBetweenUTME&WAEC/NECO
Week–14: Collaboration&Synergy
GreatWaystoStudy
OtherGreatWaystoStudy
Contents
There are no secrets to Success. It is
the result of Preparation, Hard work
and Learning from failure.
(General Colin Powell)
Former United States Secretary of State

“Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs
to the people who prepare for it today”-MALCOLM X
Life is a series of “examinations”. These are tests to measure lessons
/informationlearnt.Intheeducationalsystem,examinationsprovide
ameanstoevaluateacademicknowledgeofthesubjectmatter.
We currently live in an era where documentary evidence of this
ability is accorded paramount importance; this same importance is
therefore given to passing examinations. This same attention should
be given to examination taking strategies as they are all connected.
This book is very timely and relevant especially with the record of
massfailureatthisexaminationinrecenttimes.
Wale Micaiah has outlined very simple but profound strategies on
how to pass the Unified Tertiary Matriculations Examination,
however I can categorically state that the strategies outlined in this
book can be applied to any examination at any level and be
consistentlyfoolproofifappliedcorrectly.
I met Wale about four years ago, I wanted to improve my computer
and presentation skills; his guide and assistance proved to be
invaluable. He has a strong passion to impart knowledge. His
enthusiasm to help people achieve their academic goals and dreams
is boundless. He provides advisory services to young people on
career matters. Earlier this year my son became unsure of the course
of study to pursue at the university. Wale invited him over for a
discussion and was able to provide him guidance pointing him in the
right direction based on his strengths and interests. My son found it
veryeasytorelatewithhim,asalsopersonifiedinthisbook.
ForewordWeek–15: TVAddictionResponsibleforLowScores
Week–16: TheStructureoftheUseofEnglish
Examination
Week–17: WhyUTMEResultsSurprisesCandidates
Week–18: ReviewYourGoal(1)
ReviewYourGoal(2)
AffirmationofSuccess
Week–19: EntertheExaminationMood
ManagingYourTimeintheExaminationHall
Week–20: TestTakingStrategies
TakeMockUTME(1)
TakeMockUTME(2)
Week–21: ExaminationCentre
Week–22: HandlingYourAnswerSheet(ShadingPaper)
StrategyforAnsweringMultipleChoice
Questions
LastMinuteExamStrategy
Week–23: IfYouBelieve…Pray
Week–24: ExaminationDayChecklists
AppendixA
AppendixB
AppendixC
AppendixD
References
ix PLAN TO PASS UTME x PLAN TO PASS UTME

Introduction
xi PLAN TO PASS UTME xii PLAN TO PASS UTME
igerian institutions are among some of the most competitive
in the world, simply because of their admission rates.
NUniversities such as the University of Lagos (UNILAG),
Nnamdi Azikwe University (UNIZIK), University of Benin (UNIBEN),
University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), University of Ilorin
(UNILORIN), Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), etc and
Polytechnics and Colleges of Education such as Federal Polytechnic
Nekede, Yaba College of Technology, Auchi Poly, Alvan-Ikoku College
of Education, Adeyemi College of Education, etc, are the most sought-
after tertiary institutions in Nigeria, with applicants in their
thousandsseekingplacementsforfewadmissionspaces.
From records, admission rates for these schools are less than 10% of
totalapplicants.Thisislargelyduetofewadmissionspacesavailable.
However, it has also been established that some are due to low
performance in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Admission
(UTME). Despite the high rate of admission denial, applicants with
outstanding UTME score are hardly denied admission irrespective of
how stiff the competition is – in their chosen school of choice as well
ascourseofstudy.
Success is not achieved overnight. It takes preparation and resolute
effort to achieve outstanding performance. Those who achieve
excellent UTME scores have learnt to prepare ahead of others. This is
the reason for the book you are reading. In it, I recommend five to six
months of preparation before sitting for the UTME. I believe when
you follow the steps and counsel in this book, you will be able to
prepare adequately for the UTME, select the appropriate course that
suits you and are most likely going to succeed in, select the school for
which your admission would be hitch-less, appraise your readiness
andultimatelyperformoutstandinglywellintheUTME.
Iwishyouallthebestasyoumakeefforttotaketowisecounsel.
This book is about achieving dreams and goals in life. It is an
invaluable resource to parents, teachers, students and anyone who
desirestoexcelatexaminationsandindeedlife.
Pharm.RametuO.Momodu(Mrs.)
Asst.Director-in-Charge
ImportedDrugs,BiologicsandMedicalDevices(IDBM)
Regulations and Registration Directorate National Agency for
Food DrugAdministration&Control(NAFDAC)

xiii PLAN TO PASS UTME
Dedication
This book is dedicated to all UTME Candidates as they take the next
steptomaketheiracademicdreamscometrue.

Which Course Should I Study?
Week 1
1 PLAN TO PASS UTME
A wise man makes his own decisions,
an ignorant man follows the public
opinion. - Chinese Proverbs

the average. Then rank the average score for each subject
in descending order. The top three subjects show your
area of strength and it is advisable that whatever course
you want to study should have those three subjects as
UTMEsubjectrequirement.
Whatever course you eventually decide to study, the last
question you need to ask yourself is “What Curse is this
Course going to break”. By this I mean, what problem is
this course going to solve. Look around you, there are
curses (problems), problems such as Injustice, Health,
Poverty, Housing, Political, etc. If a course cannot solve an
identified problem, there is no remedy to unemployment.
If a course cannot provide solutions to day-to-day issues
oflife,thereisnoremedytojoblessnessandpoverty.
Refertohttp://www.slideshare.net/statisense/plan2passnew
2 PLAN TO PASS UTME 3 PLAN TO PASS UTME
Which Course Should I Study?
1
searlyasJunior orSeniorSecondarySchool,quite
a number of us have made up our minds on which
Acourse we are going to study. Some of these
decisions were based mainly on emotions and physical
attachment to some professions. However, I advise
applicants that besides emotion, they should also take an
empirical perspective to choosing a Course. Past results –
WAEC/NECO – are good metrics that show the area of
strength of individuals in each subject. But more closely
aligned to this is performance in past UTME questions.
These past questions exist from 1978 to 2013 (36 sets of
JAMBquestionsforeachsubject).
To determine which subjects where you have great
strength, select any four years at random – say years
1982, 1988, 1994 and 2010. Test yourself on a number of
subjects; for instance, science students are expected to be
tested in Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology,
Agriculture,Geography,Economicsetc.
For each subject, test yourself for the selected past
questions. Sum your score for each year and subject, take

5 PLAN TO PASS UTME
Choosing A Course
Week 2The first essentials, of course,
is to know what you want. - Robert Collier

here are plethora numbers of courses to choose
from.AccordingtoUTME2012brochure,thereare
at least 570 courses in all Nigerian universities.TThis gives applicants quite a number of choices. However,
youcanonlystudyoneoratmostacombinationoftwo.
From past JAMB applications; some courses are very
competitive with applicants in their thousands
competing for very few admission spaces. Some of the
competitive courses are: Medicine & Surgery, Business
Admin, Accounting, Economics, Mass Communication,
Law, Political Science Nursing Science, Computer Science,
Pharmacy, Public Admin, Petroleum & Gas Engineering,
Electrical/Electronic Engineering Medical Laboratory
Science, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering,
Banking & Finance Agric.-Business, Communication Arts,
Microbiology,etc.
Thewisdomis,ifyoumustapplyforanyoftheseandother
competitive courses, understand that quite a number are
also applying for same. As a result, to increase your
chances of admission, your UTME score needs to be well
above
Unlike in the past, where you have options of selecting
first and second choice courses and schools, there is no
more provision for this option. Candidates now have only
first (one) choice but up to four institutions and courses.
That is; Degree, National Diploma (ND), Colleges of
Education (COE), Innovation Enterprise Institutes (IEI)
where you are expected to select only a course per
institution. University becomes first choice; Polytechnic,
second;CollegeofEducation,third;andIEI,fourth.
While this new development places some limitation on
having second choice (most especially for Universities) or
courses, it also gives candidates the opportunity to
explore career options in the IEI's which equips
candidates with transferable skills required for
immediateemploymentinthemarketplace.
Despite this change and restriction, candidates are
encouraged to ensure they select schools and courses
theyhavethebestchanceofadmissionin.
Choosing A Course
2

AdmissionPolicy(45:35:20)
Merit – 45%: Those who score more than the cut-off
point.
Catchments Area – 35%: This favours indigenes or
neigbouring states of where schools are located. See the
AppendixAforSchoolsandtheirCatchmentsAreas.
ELPS – 20%: Educationally Less-Privileged States; most
especiallynorthernstates.
AdmissionQuota:
Each school has allotted number of candidates it can
admityearly.Staffstrengthandthelevelofinfrastructural
development in schools are major determinants of
admissionquota.Thisdataisnotreadilyavailable;seethe
Appendix B for the admission quota for academic session
2012/2013 for Universities which are UI (5,720), UNN
(5,970), ABU (6,688), OAU (5,978), UNILAG (6,500),
UNIBEN (6,100), BUK (5,682), UNICAL (4,407),
UNILORIN (5,514), UNIJOS (4,555). (Culled from the
NUC).
Dears, whatever choice you eventually arrive at, your
UTME score is more important, put in the required efforts
andachieveyouradmissiongoal.
Same goes for your school of choice – there are
competitive and non-competitive. This is also
determined by the number of applicants. Institutions like
UNILAG, UNN, OAU, UNIBEN, UNILORIN, UI, UNIZIK,
FUTO,FUTA,ABU,DELSU,etc.arequitecompetitive.More
pathetic is the fact that they admit far less than 10% of
total applicants. Also note that some schools wouldn't
consider second choice irrespective of your score, so
consult widely before you stick to one. Other points to
consider before choosing a school are Admission Policy
andAdmissionQuota.
Choosing a School
*COE – College of Education, Uni – University, Poly – Polytechnic,
IEI – Innovation Enterprise Institutes

Develop A Study Strategy
For UTME
Week 3 Develop A Study Strategy
For UTME
3
study strategy helps you to be disciplined and
regulated. It guides how you spend your time, on
Awhat you spend it and with whom you spend it. I
have identified three basic elements of study strategy that
are vital to the success of a Student preparing for any
examination, they are: Syllabus, Textbook and Past
Questions.
Syllabus: A syllabus is an outline and summary of topics to
be covered in an examination, education or training course.
It contains the outline of what will be covered in the course,
the aims and objectives, examination format and
sometimes the list of recommended textbooks. The
syllabus defines what you are to read and will be tested on.
Luckily, JAMB includes syllabus in the application pack for
youruse,useit!
Textbook: It is suggested that you have at least a textbook
for each of your UTME subjects. You can find the list of
recommended textbooks in the Syllabus. Since it is likely
that you would have had some textbooks before, most
At all times it is better to have a method.
- Mark Caine

especially for Senior Secondary classes, these can be used
as additional reference materials. However, the syllabus
guidesyouonwhattoreadinthetextbooks.Alwaysreferto
itbefore,duringandaftereveryreadingsession.
Past Question: Using past question helps you to assess
your readiness for the exam. Most times, questions with
very similar solution procedure are repeated. Past
question helps you understand how examiners think, ask
questions and it will give you a deeper understanding of
what you’re studying. Presently, there are past questions
from 1978 to 2013. They form 36 sets of questions for each
UTME Subject. If a Subject has 50 Questions; it means you
have 50 x 36 = 1,800 Questions to test yourself on before
the exam. Definitely, quite a number of the question will be
repeatedorpatternedsimilarly.
Thosewhosucceed,succeedstrategically!Ihavetestedthis
strategy several times, recommended it for others and we
always smile when our results are released. If you keep
these three elements and use them properly to study for
UTMEandanyexam,yoursuccessisguaranteed.
Time Management with Syllabus and Past Question
Time is of essence, you don't have the whole year to
prepare for UTME; tentatively, whatever the time left
before the exam you need to manage your time
appropriately in order to cover considerable parts of the
Syllabus. Earlier, I mentioned that we currently have 36
years of Past Questions (1,800 Questions for most
Subjects). Without a proper planning, it is impossible to
exposeyourselftoeachquestion.
By now, I assume you have already chosen your three
UTME Subjects corresponding with your course of study,
howmanyTopics(Chapters)arethereforyoutostudyper
subject in the Syllabus? If you have four months
(16weeks) to prepare for UTME; for each Subject, divide
the Total Number of Topics by the Total Number of
Preparation weeks. This will give you the average
numberofTopicsyouaretocoverperweek.
Letustakesomeillustrations
Assume the UTME Subjects: Economics; from the
Syllabus, Economics has 24 Topics. With a sixteen week
preparation period, Topics per week for Economics = 24 /
16=1.5Topics.
This same calculation applies to Past Questions: Total
number of past questions for Economics = 36 (having
used four years to determine the subject to select for
UTME,wehave32yearsleft),PastQuestionperweek=32
/16 = 2 past questions. In summary, you would have to

plan to cover at least 1.5 Topics and 2 Past Questions per
weekforEconomicsalone.
The same calculation goes for all other subjects. Knowing
you have this number of studies to carry out, your time
would be properly planned, regulated and your result
wellcelebrated!
UTME Subjects and Number of Chapters
No. Subject Topics
1 Accounting 15
2 Agriculture 47
3 Arts 13
4 Biology 24
5 Chemistry 17
6 Christian Religious Studies 50
7 Commerce 16
8 Economics 24
9 English 3
10 French 4
11 Geography 21
12 Government 30
13 History 42
14 Islamic Religious Studies 20
15 Literature in English 5
16 Mathematics 23
17 Music 27
18 Physics 39
Source: Compiled from JAMB Syllabus, 2013
Two Ways to Approach UTME Past Question
There are basically 2 ways you can approach Past
Question (PQ) as you read each topic as outlined in the
Syllabus.
Theyare:
1) Topic-OrientedQuestions
2) Whole-YearOrientedQuestions.
Whole-Year Oriented Questions: This approach
considers past questions by year, for instance, after
studying a topic, you pick a past question say year 2000
and you solve the past question irrespective of the topics
covered in the past question. Most of the past questions
availablearestructuredasawhole-yearoriented.
Topic Oriented Questions: This considers attempting
past question by relevant topics. For instance, you just
read Population in Economics, Topic oriented Question

focuses on attempting past questions only relevant to the
topic just covered. This is actually a preferred approach as
it helps you to measure your performance based on what
you have just read. Few past questions exist in this format,
if you are using past question structured in the usual
Whole-Year Oriented type, all you need do is to move from
one year to the other searching for relevant topics and
answeringthem.
If you adopt the Topic-Oriented Question, reserve the
most recent four or six years past questions so that few
days to the exams having completed the topics as outlined
in the Syllabus you can have a whole year testing covering
all topics as you would be tested in the real UTME. This
would serve as a mock exam, a replica of the real exam. If
you follow any of these recommended approaches well,
yourUTMEresultwouldbeapositivesurprise,itwouldbe
almostpredictable.
17 PLAN TO PASS UTME

Study Begins For UTME
Week 4
Study Begins For UTME
4
n order to have effective preparation, Personal Study
Time Table (PSTT) is inevitable. I want to assume
there are two types of applicants I am addressingIhere; first, those that attend tutorial classes and second,
thosethatwillstudypersonally.
Whichever of these categories you belong to; a PSTT will
help you better prepared for the forthcoming UTME. Four
subjects are expected to be listed in your PSTT; for
instance, Use of English, Economics, Mathematics and
Government. Two subjects per day with a minimum of
two hours per subject:, this adds up to at least four hours
ofstudytimeperday.
Toavoidfatigueandlossofconcentration;yourtwohours
of study can be broken down into 50 – 10 – 50 – 10. Study
1
for 50 minutes at a stretch, rest for 10 minutes, study for
another 50 minutes and use the last 10 minutes to do a
summary of what you have studied so far. Below is a draft
PSTTforanapplicantwithfourUTMEsubjects.
The beginning is the half of every action.
- Proverbs
1
I'm not saying you should sleep; take a break by stretching your legs and arms

PSTT:PersonalStudyTimeTable
I’mnotsayingyoushouldsleep;takeabreakbystretchingyourlegsand
arms
Effective Use Of JAMB Syllabus
Following Week 3 discussion on Time Management with
Syllabus and Past Question and having interacted with
some candidates, this topic became imperative to how
well some will perform in the UTME. I have always
believed that JAMB didn't just include Syllabus in the
JAMB form package because they just wanted; it was
included because it is a vital element for achieving
excellentresultsintheUTME.
Majority who have the Syllabus do not refer to it when
studying, as a result they study wide without really
focusing on what they will be tested on. If you use the
Syllabus regularly, one of the things it helps you to do is to
focusontheobjectiveofthetopicaswellashowmuchyou
arerequiredtoknowconcerningthesubjectinquestion.
I have developed an approach that will help you
effectively use the Syllabus; it is called “The Triangle
Approach”.YourreadingshouldstartwiththeSyllabus.
For instance; if the topic you want to study is Population
under the UTME subject Economics, first and foremost,
go to the syllabus to see what you are expected to study
and to what extent – referring both to the
Topics/Contents/NotesandtheObjectivessections.Next,
go to your Textbook and read based on the guidelines
provided in the syllabus. Some textbooks – especially
JAMB recommended – have structured their contents
based on the syllabus. This makes the topics easier to
study as well as understand. Finally, jot in your Notebook
pointsanddefinitionsforfuturereference.
Studying this way keeps you abreast of what you are
required to know and what you will be tested on. Those
who achieve good results in JAMB don't necessarily cover
the whole syllabus but they understand quite well the
chapters they are able to cover with the help of the
syllabus.
PSTT

Using UTME Recommended Textbooks
In the past, two things usually came with the JAMB form:
JAMB Brochure and Syllabus. The Brochure is to guide
your choice of School and also Course of study. The
Syllabuscontains:
a) OutlinesandobjectivesforeachUTMESubject,
b) Someexaminationinstructions/guides,and
c) A list of recommended Textbooks for each UTME
subject.
Today, due to technology, at payment of the required fees,
you are given a scratch card which gives you access to all
the items listed above, but electronically. While it serves
some well, majority are at disadvantage because they
need to use a computer to access and read the Syllabus
and would probably need to print concerned subjects as
well. JAMB in her wisdom, having gone through detailed
research and study, has listed some textbooks that they
think would help candidates prepare adequately for the
UTME. Unfortunately most candidates do not pay
attentiontothoserecommendedtextbooks.
In view of my interactions with some candidates; I have
discovered that most candidates prepare for UTME with
Senior Secondary School (SSS) textbooks, which are
meant for the WAEC/NECO exams. In my curiosity, I
placed both syllabi side by side; sincerely, those who
follow this route are not doing themselves any good.
While it is undisputable that these SSS textbooks are
relevant, they are limited in scope as they were not
written with UTME in mind. The SSS textbooks were
preparedfollowingtheWAEC/NECOsyllabus.

In order to guide you better, I bought some of the
recommended textbooks for five subjects to confirm their
relevance with the outlines and objectives in the UTME
Syllabus. Of particular attention is the series “Exam
Focus” textbook which I think is well suited to the UTME
syllabus.
The chapters are well arranged and ordered in line with
the syllabus, I suggest you consider it but most
importantly,dosomeextraworkbyensuringthetextbook
you are using for preparation is recommended as well as
contains topics listed in the Syllabus. You can do this by
taking your Syllabus along and check the content of any of
the recommended textbooks to ensure they are similar to
thesyllabusbeforepurchasingthem.
As we look forward to the future weeks, below is a draft
plan for your guide (please draft yours), for weekly study
aswellaspracticeofpastquestions.
Note: UTME has Past Questions from 1978 to 2013; this
adds up to 36 years of Past Questions. In order to cover the
entire past questions, you need to solve more than one past
questionperweek.
The chart below was created and used for the UTME
2013/2014:
Takeacuefromtheaboveandcreateyoursasaguideforstudy.

Goal Setting
Week 5
Give yourself something to work toward -- constantly!
-Mary Kay Ash

Goal Setting
5
ow that you have been equipped with all that is
required to start, please start! It might be slow,
Njustgetatit,inashortwhileyouwillgetusedtoit.
Thisweek,wearediscussingGoalSetting.
Have you ever asked why there are goal posts in football
matches? Simple, so that the players may score goals!
When there are no goal posts, no goal can be scored. This
alsoappliestopreparingandsucceedinginexaminations.
As you begin your study, you need to set a goal as regards
the score you want to achieve in the UTME. Why is this
important? Setting a goal will help you to be more
disciplined and adhere to your reading plan. It will also
help you to want to pay more attention to achieving the
score by putting more effort and commitment to your
reading.
A good starting point for goal setting is understanding
that according to UTME admission criteria into
University, Polytechnic and College of Education, your
UTME score is expected to be at least 160 or 180 for both
Polytechnic and College of Education in order to be
considered for the Post UME, while for University it is
peggedat180or200.
Of a truth, most of the universities do not come as low as
180; in fact some institutions have specific score for
different courses. So, you may want to aim higherthan the
required minimum of 160 or 180. The higher your UTME
score, the better your chance of admission into your
schoolofchoiceandcourseofstudy.
Let your goal be Specific (S), don’t just set a goal to score
above 200 marks, hit the nail on a specific value, say, 230,
250, 280 and why not 320! Set a goal that is Measurable
(M),youcanmeasureyourscorebyhowwellyouperform
in the weekly Past Questions. Your goal should be
Attainable (A), a score that is within your reach. Let your
goalbeRealistic(R),setagoalthatisreal,realtoyou.You
knowyourselfmorethananyone,andyoualonecantellof
your strength. Let your goal be Time-bound (T). For
instance; every weekend, I will achieve a score of 265 in
mypastquestionpractice.ThatisaSMARTgoal!
Some Polytechnics and Colleges of Education peg their cut-
off mark at a minimum of 180.

Goal Setting Per UTME Subject
What score have you decided to achieve in this
examination? I understand that it may sometimes be
difficult to come up with a specific score out of 400! Let us
break it down into its respective subjects. How do you eat
anElephant?Itisassimpleascuttingitbitbybit.
This is also the approach that will help you come up with a
goal for UTME. Break down the score into the respective
four subjects. You are going to be tested on four subjects;
say Use of English, Mathematics, Economics and
Government. Assuming each subject is rated over 100,
what can you score per subject? You can set SMART goal
bytestingyourselfwitheachsubjectspastquestions.
Whatever score you achieved in each subject, sum all
together and that gives you your total score. With the help
of the available past questions, you can test yourself
weeklyoneachandinallsubjects;bythis,youwillhavean
idea of the right goal you should set. Note that your goal
can be reviewed – upward or otherwise. Sometimes,
candidates belittle their strength in some subjects,
however, through continuous and consistent practice;
they achieve better results than they had earlier thought.
As you practise and notice improvement in your scores, it
isnowwisetoraisethebar,stepyourgoalhigherandkeep
upwiththegoal.
Lastly, set a goal that will challenge you and get you
thinking all the time about achieving it. What score, if
achieved, will surprise you, your friends and your
Parents? Your success in this exam depends more on you
thananyoneoranycircumstance.

How To Use The UTME
Brochure
Week 6
All you need is the plan, the road map,
and the courage to press on to your destination.
- Earl Nightingale

very important guide for selecting institutions,
courses and UTME subject combination is the
Brochure.QuiteanumberofapplicantsdonotmakeAreference to it while making their respective choices;
eventually, when they contravene some of the stated rules,
irrespective of their UTME score, they are denied
admission.
The UTME Brochure contains both special and general
requirements of all institutions for courses on offer.
General requirements such as minimum of 5 credits in
some subjects as applicable to courses and institutions as
well as specific requirements such as “UNILAG accept only
one sitting” are well stated to guide applicants on their
choices.
Also, there are specific requirements that relate to what
some termed as Science, Arts/Humanities and Social
Science subjects. For instance, while the University of
Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) listed Accounting as a Social Science
How To Use The UTME
Brochure (1)
6
subject, it is not so for UNILAG, therefore you cannot
present Accounting in UNILAG for admission as a Social
Science subject. Spend some time on the Brochure and get
familiar with both general and specific requirements as it
relatestoyourcourseandinstitutionofchoice.
As you read deeper into the UTME brochure, you will
discover such terms as “Accepts/does not Accept”,
“Requires”, “Not more than Two sittings”, “Credit Pass”,
“Accepts two Arts/Science/Social science Subjects”, “in
lieu of”, etc. These terms, though often ignored, are
sometimesthedecidingfactorsforadmission.
How To Use The UTME Brochure (2)
The chart above is used to explain some of the terms
identified earlier in the UTME Brochure and how to use it
properly in selecting your Institution, Course as well as
UTMESubjects.
a) Course/Degree Awarding Institutions: Listed under
here are the Courses and the Institutions where the
Coursesareavailableforstudy.
b) Direct Entry: Requirements for those who will be
seekingadmissionthroughA-Level,ONDorNCE

c) UTME: This is applicable to those using NABTEB,
WAEC, NECO (as well as their respective GCE). Credit pass
meansyoumusthaveatleastaC inlistedsubjects.6
d) UTME Subjects: This is where you are required to
select the subjects to be tested in the UTME. Refer to each
institution subject categorization in order to know which
subjectsarecategorizedasScience,ArtsorSocialScience.
e) Special Consideration (Waver) Remarks: Whatever
is stated here, overrides what is stated under Direct Entry,
UTME and UTME Subjects column. If it was stated under
UTME that “with at least a Pass in Mathematics is
required” and an institution says “All subjects must be at
credit pass”, this means the candidates must possess a
credit grade in Mathematics before he can be considered
foradmissioninthatinstitution.
f) “Requires”: – if an institution says “requires a Subject
at credit level”, it means it is compulsory to have at least a
creditgradeinthesubject.
g) “Accepts”: – “BENIN accepts Agric”, this means Agric is
acceptableinBENIN.
h) “In lieu of”: – This is when a subject is acceptable in
place of another. It usually applies to subjects in the same
category; for instance, some institutions accept Agric in
placeofBiologyorCommerceinplaceofEconomics.

Selecting The Right Subject
Combination
Week 7
he Joint Admission and Matriculation Board
(JAMB) offer applicants the opportunity to select 4
institutions – University, Polytechnic, College ofTEducation and Innovation Enterprise Institute. Similarly,
they are expected to select at most 4 courses. Selecting
institutions as well as courses does not pose much
problem and confusion but the selection of three Subjects
thataretherequirementsofthese4Courses.
Applicants are sometimes denied admission because of
wrong combination of UTME subjects that did not match
the course for which they are seeking admission. The two
approaches for making the right subjects combination
choiceare;
a) Selecting Courses based on your areas of strength
in each UTME subject: (refer to Week 1) If the three
UTME subjects for which you have best scores (either in
WAEC, NECO – GCE – or during the practice of UTME past
questionsareEconomics,GovernmentandHistory,allyou
Selecting The Right Subject
Combination
7
The key to your universe is that you can choose.
-Frederick (Carl) Frieseke

need to do is select courses that require these three
subjects as UTME subjects. You will definitely score far
above200marks.
b) Selecting courses and looking for matching UTME
subjects: This second approach requires deeper
concentration and possibly a third eye to help you
validate your choice. Select the courses you wish to study
(in University, Polytechnic and College of Education),
Identify all their UTME Subjects, then pick the three
subjectsthatarecommontoallcoursesandinstitutions.
List your selected Courses with their corresponding
UTME Subjects:
Selecting UTME Subject UTME Subjects for
Course Selected in:
Your 3 UTME Subjects
Institution
University Subject 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6…
"Your UTME Subjects are the 3
Subjects that is common to ALL
Institutions & Courses selected"
Polytechnic Subject 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6…
College of Education Subject 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6…
Innovation Enterprise Institute Subject 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6…
Subject 1: Subject 2: Subject 3:
Institution

Admission Guidelines Into
Nigerian Universities
Week 8
Admission Guidelines Into
8
he Federal Government guidelines for admissions
into tertiary institutions are based on 45% Merit,
35% Catchment/Locality and 20% EducationallyTLessDevelopedStates.
Explanation:
Merit: The government mandates schools to admit 45%
of their candidates on merit. Candidates with very high
scores in UTME/post-UTME each year are given first
consideration in their institution of choice before other
candidates.
Catchment Areas: To give equal opportunities to all
applicants, the States of the Federation are grouped into
Catchment areas of each Tertiary Institution. It is also
called Locality which, in most cases, is the geographical
and/or socio-cultural areas contiguous to the institution
candidates apply to. Consideration is given to students
who fall within the Catchment area of the Tertiary
Institution.
The law helps those who watch,
not those who sleep.
- Proverbs

Some Institutions have all the states of the Federation as
their Catchment area while state-owned Institutions have
indigenes of the states as their Catchment area. According
to the admission guidelines, thirty-five percent (35%) of
the available spaces are reserved for applicants from such
statesorlocality.
Educationally Less Developed States (ELDS):
Certain states are considered educationally less
developed or disadvantaged. The following states are
considered Educationally Less Developed or
Disadvantaged States (ELDS): Adamawa, Bauchi, Bayelsa,
Benue, Borno, Cross River, Ebonyi, Gombe, Jigawa,
Kaduna, Kano, Kastina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa,
Niger, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, and Zamfara.
Candidates from these states are given special concession
foradmission.
Check Appendix A for Schools and their Catchment Areas.

Other References Beside The
JAMB Brochure
Week9
Other References Beside The
JAMB Brochure
9
AMB Brochure, though the official reference and guide
for use by applicants, the National University
JCommission (NUC), National Board for Technical
Education (NBTE) and National Commission for Colleges of
Education (NCCE) are the regulatory bodies in charge of
Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education in
Nigeria. JAMB being one of the Agencies under the Ministry
of Education; works hand-in-hand with these three bodies
on matters of legality of institutions, courses and admission
requirements.
For instance, the NUC dictates the admission quota of each
institution/course based on their carrying capacity. It also
sometimes suspends license of institutions and disaccredits
courses in some institutions which may not reflect in the
JAMB brochure. On one occasion, some applicants chose
UNILAG to study Economics Education which at that time
had not been accredited but was listed in the JAMB brochure
for that year. On getting to UNILAG they were surprised to
hear that the course was not listed for admission for that
Principles and rules are intended to provide
a thinking man with a frame of reference.
- Carl von Clausewitz

year, more painful was the fact that the candidates had over
270inUTME.
It is on this basis that applicants are encouraged to go some
extra mile in order to ascertain that the course for which
they are seeking admission has not been disaccredited by
theregulatorybodies–NUC,NBTE&NCCE.
Also, some courses are on partial-accreditation, it will be
disheartening to be told you cannot continue your
study/course because your course did not pass for full
accreditation.AcaseinpointwasUniversityofAbuja,where
some students were already in their final year before they
were asked to seek admission elsewhere since their school
didnotpassaccreditation.
Beside the regulatory bodies, the institutions are good
sources of information. For instance, in order to study
Actuarial Science in UNILAG you are expected to have
Further Mathematics at credit level, however this is not
stated in the JAMB Brochure, therefore a prospective
applicant who depends only on the brochure would be
disappointed. Another source of information site is the
institutions’ website; if it exists some usually display
admission information there. Finally, if you can take some
time to visit your institution of choice and your prospective
department to enquire if there are other requirements
besides those stated in the brochure. The more informed
youare,thelessthesurprisesyouwillmeet.

NUC Admission Quota For
Universities
Week10
s much as it is important to study well for the
UTME2013; it is also good to make informed
Adecision as regards the University, Polytechnic or
College of Education where you wish to study. The
National University Commission (NUC) has admission
quota for each University – Private, State and Federal –
based on available resources (personnel and
infrastructure)intheuniversity.
Therefore, irrespective of your score, some schools are
unable to accommodate all the applicants. This is one of
the reasons why cut-off marks vary for schools as well as
the possibility that someone with lesser UTME score is
offered admission in one school while the one with a
higherUTMEscoreisdeniedadmissioninanotherschool.
For the 2011/2012 sessions, the NUC released the
admission quota so that universities can be guided on the
number of applicants they can admit. Schools with more
candidates and few admission spaces are usually very
competitive.
NUC Quota For Universities
10
You must welcome change as
the rule but not as your ruler.
- Denis Waitley

Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (Applicants - 60,684,
Quota–6,888),
Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife (Applicants -
65,651,Quota–5,978)
University Of Benin, Benin City (Applicants - 80,216,
Quota–6,100)
University Of Ibadan, Ibadan (Applicants - 40,543,
Quota–5,720)
UniversityOfIlorin,Ilorin(Applicants-78,264,Quota
–5,514)
University Of Lagos (Applicants - 84,324, Quota –
6,500)
University Of Nigeria, Nsukka (Applicants - 79,840,
Quota–5,970)
University Of Port-Harcourt (Applicants - 48,848,
Quota–5,522)
University Of Uyo, Uyo (Applicants - 45,851, Quota –
5,046)
This information will help to guide applicants on the
school they select, know how competitive the school is
as well as inspire them to study more in order to realize
theiradmissiondreams.
See Appendix C for UTME Application for 2011/2012,
2012/2013 and 2013/2014 Academic Sessions and the
2011/2012 sessions Admission Quota.

Between CBT, PBT and
Dual Mode
Week11
Between CBT, PBT and
Dual Mode
11
s registration for UTME continues, it is important to
remind you again that you can write your exams in
Aany of these testing modes; Computer-based testing
(CBT), Paper-based testing (PBT) and Dual mode
(computer/paper-based testing – CBT/PBT). Despite the
introduction of CBT in 2012, most applicants still prefer the
traditionalPBT.
It is important you select the mode that you are well
comfortable with. Examination time is not when you are to
learn how to use a computer, so if you know you are not
proficientintheuseofacomputersystem,itisbetteryouuse
PBT.
As you decide on which of these testing modes is proper for
you, remember not to follow the bandwagon effect. Your
friends may be familiar with CBT, it does not matter, ensure
you make a choice based on the personal knowledge of your
ability to proficiently use the selected testing mode in order
to maximize your time to achieve the best result.
Peradventure you are still not sure of which toselect, stick to
thetraditionalPBT.
Success is not final, failure is not fatal:
it is the courage to continue that counts.
- Winston Churchill

JAMB Is Not The Only Way
Week12
If you change the way you look at things,
the things you look at change.
- Wayne Dyer

JAMB Is Not The Only Way
12
his week, we are focusing on the several ways to
tertiary education. Admission through JAMB is the
mostcommonandwellknown,butitisnottheonlyTway. An adage in Nigeria (Yoruba) says “There are many
ways that lead to the market”. However, admission
through JAMB ranks highest among others – Direct Entry,
DiplomaandRemedial.
a) Direct Entry: Applicants, who already have A-Levels
or have gone to polytechnic and obtained an Ordinary
National Diploma (OND), or attended Colleges of
Education and obtained a National Certificate in
Education(NCE),can usethisforadmissioninto200Level
in a university where direct entry applies. Also, some who
have Higher National Diploma (HND), seek admission to
300Levelinuniversity.
b) Diploma: Is a one-year programme organized by
respective university for admission into 200Level having
secured a minimum grade point as decided by the
universityforeachcourse.
c) Remedial/Foundation (Pre-NCE, Pre-ND, Pre-
Degree): A one year programme for admission into
100Level. The pre-degree programme is designed to be
an intensive coaching curriculum that aims at preparing
senior high school graduates (senior secondary) for
universityeducation.
Though all applicants still need to register through JAMB,
but their admission decision depends on their
performanceinDE,DiplomaandRemedialprogramme.
The University of Ibadan, in its 2012/2013 sessions,
offered 2,989 candidates admission out of which 615
were through Direct Entry. Also, of the over 7,500 that
were offered admission in the same session by UNILAG,
over2000werethroughDE/Diploma/Remedial.

Difference Between UTME &
WAEC/NECO
Week13
Success depends upon previous preparation,
and without such preparation there is
sure to be failure. - Confucius

Difference Between UTME &
WAEC/NECO
13
ur discussion centers on differences between
UTME and WAEC/NECO. The prerequisite for
Owriting UTME is the Ordinary Level (O-Levels)
certificate results in five subjects – for majority of the
schools, at least five subjects at credit level including
Mathematics and English Language. It is therefore
assumedthateveryonewritingUTMEhasalreadywritten
andpassedWAEC/NECOatonesitting,atleast.
WAEC/NECO comes in Objectives, Theories and for some
subjects, Practical question formats. However, UTME
comes in only objective question format, where you are
expected to select only one correct answer from five
optionsA,B,C,DandE.Inordertomaximizethetotaltime
given for the exam duration of 3 hours, 30minutes;
candidates are expected to select only the correct
answersasquicklyaspossible.
Majority of the candidates waste a lot of time solving the
calculation aspect of the questions, especially the
Sciences – Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics – and others
like Economics, Accounting, etc. It is important to note
that the steps taken to arrive at your answers are not
taken into consideration as there exists nowhere to show
your workings to the examiner, therefore, as much as
possible skip steps in order to arrive at your answers on
time. Unlike in WAEC/NECO where steps followed to
arrive at answers are more important than the answers,
UTMEonlyconsidersyourfinalanswerirrespectiveofthe
stepstaken.
Therefore, in as much as your steps are important, ensure
youpicktherightanswer.Thisrequiresyourfullattention
and concentration as using a ‘1’ in place of a ‘2’ would
totally affect your final answer – and unfortunately, both
answers will be in the options. Whenever you discover a
particularquestionistakingtoomuchofyourtimeleaveit
immediately for another question. The Past Question is a
good study material to practise with and master the act of
answering UTME question. They are very helpful and are
highlyrecommended.

Collaboration & Synergy
Week14
Unity is strength,
when there is teamwork and collaboration,
wonderful things can be achieved.
- Mattie Stepanek

Collaboration & Synergy
14
owhaveyoubeenstudyingfortheUTME?Areyou
doing a self-study approach, attending a tutorial
class, or still in secondary school or other tertiaryHinstitution relying on your teachers or are you combining
some of the methods listed above? The method chosen is
not as important as the commitment and discipline you
putintothestudy.
In reality, you can only do as much as you are determined
to do. However, in order to succeed both in real life and in
examinations, you need to use other people's 'head' or
knowledge. Simply put, you need to collaborate and
synergize with like-minded friends and tap from what
theyknowtoaugmentwhatyouknow.Thisiswhatalotof
candidatesdoin the exam hallsand theyarepenalizedfor,
of course such collaboration is against exam ethics.
However, you can do this extensively well without query
beforeenteringtheexamhall.
To achieve a better result, look for friends who are also
writing UTME, most especially those with same UTME
subjects as yours. Collaborate to complement one
another where either may be lacking. Arrange for
personal study time and practice solving questions
together.Aspopularlysaid,onecandefeatathousand,but
two would put ten thousand to flight. I encourage you to
find at least one or two candidates who are also sitting for
the next UTME either in your class, tutorial centre or
neighbourhood in order to collaborate for a better result.
Remember,twogoodheads,theysay,arebetterthanone!
GreatWaystoStudy
By now, we are drawing closer to the UTME; with the help
of JAMB Syllabus, Recommended Textbooks and Past
Questions, you should be able to know how well you are
faring. If you have already set goals per subject; you
should be able to tell by now how far, close or know if
those goals are actually achievable. Goals can be adjusted,
whether upward or downward, the important thing is
that you are making efforts to push towards your goals.
Don't because of failures in two or three attempts
abandon your goal. You might just need to concentrate
more as well as associate with friends who can spur you
ontoglory.Let’slookatsomegreatwaystostudy.
a. Summary: Is usually the last part of a chapter. It
contains, sometimes, bullet points loaded with the main
ideaofthechapter.Readthesummaryasmuchasyoucan.
b. Read in Layers: You read certain sentences and test
yourself on your memory recall....if you fail, go back and

checkwhereyoumissitandcontinue.Theruleis:
c. Read the first sentence of each paragraph –
becauseitisthetopicsentence.
i. Read any sentence with bold/italicized/underlined
prints
ii. Readanyothersentencethatseemsimportant,even
ifitisnotwiththetwoqualitiesabove
iii. It is not a substitute to read the whole chapter or
topic. It helps you during the preview before or after
reading.
d. Outlining: Use acronyms; turn what you read into
outlines, it helps to do your review at the last minute
reading.
OtherGreatWaystoStudy
We are looking at four more items on great ways to study,
theyare;
a) The2,1,0Method,
b) Reducing,
c) Highlightingand
d) Flashcards.
The 2, 1, 0 Method: It is a method that helps students test
their level of understanding of a section of a chapter
before proceeding to the next section. This method helps
assimilation by self-evaluation from a 0 (zero) which
represents terrible recall of what you just read to a “1”
which is okay – i.e. 50% - and a “2” which is good
representing over 70% recall. This method is more
applicable to definite headings with lots of factual
contents.
Reducing: As the name implies, Students reconstruct
what they read as much as possible with topic words
making sure that what they have constructed makes
sensewhenreadinisolation.
Highlighting: Highlight the important and factual
sentences or statements, also ensure that they sound
meaningfulwhenreadin isolation.Highlighting helpsyou
remember easily. Do not highlight entire sentences if they
are too long or just topic words. Highlighting saves times
when you are doing last minute review. It also draws your
attentionto what is important following previous reading
exercises.
Flashcards: They are useful for definitions or vocabulary
development. It also comes handy when learning to
remember formula. Do not clog too much definition on a
card, as much as possible maintain related definition or
formula per card. During practice, write a plus sign (+) if
you recall a definition or formula immediately and a
minus if you recall it after a while or not at all. When you
areabletorecalla definitionorformulathrice(3times)at
different times/days, it shows you have mastered that
definition or formula, you can safely keep aside the flash
cardandmoveontoothers.

TV Addiction Responsible
for Low Scores
Week15
I find television very educating.
Every time somebody turns on the set,
I go into the other room and read a book.
- Groucho Marx

TV Addiction Responsible
for Low Scores
15
t is important you identify and make effort to eliminate
those things that hinder your concentration and de-
focus you from achieving the best score you can achieveI 1
in examinations. Television has been identified as a major
culprit responsible for why candidates perform low in
examinationsandtheUTMEisnotanexception.
Extensive studies have been carried out on the impact of TV
on students' intelligence; it was discovered that the number
of hours students watched TV was a single predictor of low
grades – a better predictor than parents' low educational
achievement, insufficient time spent in school, insufficient
time spent with family, and a host of other negative factors.
Researchers have identified five explanations why TV
reducesstudents’intelligence:
1. TV eats up students’ time that would otherwise have
been used to study or read for pleasure – Harvard
investigators (1951). Prof. George Comstock of
Syracuse University wrote in 1999, “Learning to read is
often a difficulthard work,whereas television viewing is
comparatively undemanding. We are all tempted to
watch television instead of mastering reading, and those
who succumb will be permanently impaired
scholastically”.
2. TV makes you sleepy. Not only do people stay up past
their bedtime watching TV, watching TV during the
previous day or evening produces shortened sleep
duration and daytime sleepiness – Brown University.
(1999)
3. TV quick cuts alleviate the need to concentrate. The
average length of a shot on network television is only
3.5seconds, “so that the eye never rests, always has
something new to see.” – New York University’s Neil
PostmanReports.(1985)
4. TV impedes imagination. Watching a range of television
shows – from cartoons to educational television –
depresses the students' subsequent creativity scores.
“Children accustomed to heavy television viewing
processboththeauditoryandthevisualcuesaffordedby
that medium simultaneously,” they write, “and may
become lax in generating their own images” when
reading or listening to a story. – Harvard Prof. Dorothy
SingerandJeromeSinger(1982)
5. TV acts on the brain to suppress mental activity. The
wave the brain generates while watching even the most
excitingshowsarethoseoflowattentionstates.
(TheChildandTVDrama,1982)
1
TV here refer to media such as Social Media, multimedia Gamesand excessive Internet usage

Structure of the Use of
English Examination
Week16
A successful man is one who can lay a
firm foundation with the bricks others have
thrown at him. - David Brinkley

16Structure of the Use of
English Examination
his week, let’ discuss The Structure of the Use of
English Examination since it is a compulsory
subjectforallcandidates.TAccording to the JAMB syllabus, the Use of English
examinationisdividedintotwosections.
a) SectionA:Comprehensive/Summaryand
b) SectionB:Lexis,StructureandOralForms.
SECTIONA:Comprehension/Summary
(a) 2 Comprehension passages (10 questions in all, 3
markseach)=30marks
(b)I Closepassage (10questionsinall,2markseach)=20
marks
(c) 2 Texts (The Potter’s Wheel 10 questions -15 marks
andTheSuccessors5questions-10marks)=25marks
SECTIONB:Lexis,StructureandOralForms
(a) Sentence interpretation (10 questions in all, 2 marks
each)=20marks
(b) Antonyms (opposite in meaning - 10 questions in all, 1
markeach)=10marks
(c) Synonyms (same in meaning - 10 questions in all, 1
markeach)=10marks
(d) Sentence completion (fill in the gap - 20 questions in
all,1markeach)=20marks
(e) Oral forms (15 questions in all, 1 mark each) =15
marks
Total:100questions=150marks
A total mark obtainable is 150; however, candidates will
be rated on a score of 100. The conversion formula is not
made public by JAMB but that should not be much of
worriestocandidateswhohavepreparedappropriately.

Why UTME Results Surprises
Candidates
Week17
Success is a science; if you have
the conditions, you get the result.
- Oscar Wilde

17Why UTME Results Surprises
Candidates
his week, let’s observe one basic root of
candidates’ displeasure with their UTME results.
Earlier, I explained the benefits of using PastTQuestions to validate your level of assimilation of topics
you have studied; the point is past question gives you an
ideaofwhatyouarelikelytomeetintheexamination.
However, a lot of candidates do not study or prepare for
exams with past questions, so it is either they don’t have it
or they don’t use it as expected. I have written many
examinations, both academic and professional, and one
thing I have found sure and certain is that my experience
in solving past questions has given me an excellent edge
suchthatnoquestionintheexaminationtookmebymuch
surprise. It is either I have seen it before or something
verysimilar.
Now it is one thing to use past questions, it is another to
measure your growth and pass rate with past questions. I
have already discussed how to read with past questions,
refer to the earlier weeks. The bone of contention here is
how to use past questions to measure how well you are
preparing. If you have been following week by week, by
now you should have treated about 10 years of past
questions. Question, what has been your score in each
practice?
Some are fond of throwing away their score at the end of
every practice, most especially when the score is below
expectation, if you do this, how do you know if the score
you achieve today is better than that of last week? How do
you measure if you are actually growing and moving
towards your set goals? My candid advice is that you keep
the scores and use them to know if you are getting better
astheexamdrawscloser.
Forinstance,ifyouscore3,4,7outof10possiblemarksin
three different attempts of solving past questions on a
subject, it is a good sign that you are getting better by the
day. You are able to see this because you kept the previous
scores and are able to compare them with the current
scores. It is also an indication that you will achieve better
than 50% in the exam. The truth is, if you have
consistently been scoring about 7 out of 10 marks; it is an
indication that you can achieve about 60 to 70% in the
examproper.
Ifthescoreyougetinpracticeisfarlessthanyourgoaland
expectation, it is an indication that you need to spend

more time studying and also seek help from others who
know better. If you practice diligently the past questions
for each subject, your UTME score would almost be
predictable as you would have noticed a pattern in your
score during practice. Remember, “Practice makes
perfect”.

arlier in this series, we discussed Goal Setting and
Goal Setting per Subject. The purpose is to have a
target you are working towards as well as definiteEscore required in each subject. Based on past
recommendations, that the use of Past Questions is very
helpful to reviewing your goal in order to know how well
you are measuring up, I will like to add that you do this on
aweeklybasis.
By now, you should already have an idea of the score you
consistently get when you practise with past questions. I
once asked one of the candidates who followed this series
online his scores. He confirmed that he had been able to
progress from scoring a little over 40% to scoring over
70% in three of the UTME subjects while the fourth still
revolvesaround50to60%.
ThisisactuallythepurposeofGoalSetting.Whenyouseta
goal and you don't review how well you are performing,
the goal is hardly achieved. Goal setting helps and keeps
you on track. It makes you focus on measuring up to a
standard you have set. If you haven't set a goal yet, it is not
Review Your Goal
Week18
18Review Your Goal (1)
As you reach your goals, set new ones.
That is how you grow and become a more
powerful person. - Les Brown

too late to have one now! It is as simple as deciding the
score you want to achieve in the exam, then break down
the score into the four UTME subjects. For instance; A
UTMEscoreof263couldbedividedasfollows:
UseofEnglish=63,
Government=65,
Economics=69and
French=66.
Having set a target for each subject, then ensure that
when you practice with Past Questions. You put in your
best toachieveascorethatisatleastequaltothegoalyou
have set. If at first you fall far below your target, don't be
discouraged to reduce the target, as time proceeds you
will get better if you keep at your study. Keep a track of
your scores so that you can measure your progress and
howwellyouaredoing.
As you progress, you will know which subject requires
more study time and also for which you need to seek
externalsupportfromfriendsorseniorassociates.
Those who set goals score goals if they keep firing at
thegoalpost.Setyourgoalandaimatachievingit.
Review Your Goal (2)
till on the topic “Review Your Goal”; in the game of
football, it is a contest of a minimum of 1hour
S45minutes–45minutesforeachhalfand15minutes
of rest. Some teams that trailed behind in goals during the
first half sometimes turned games around and eventually
wonbecauseofthemagicinthe15minutesofrest.
Trust me, resting for 15minutes couldn't have been the
game changer. It isn't really about the rest; it is about
reviewing their style of play in the previous 45minutes
that made the difference. The coach probably reviewed
with the Team how they had fared so far, may be, asked
some players to change roles, made some changes or

informed some players to be more team oriented – this is
the magic! The coach basically reviewed the first
45minutes and that determined the outcome of the next
45minutes.
Similarly, reviewing your UTME goals could determine
the outcome of your UTME performance. You may not
have a physical coach to tell you how you have performed
so far, but you indeed have one in the name of UTME Past
Questions. If you have been practising, it must have
already informed you of which subject and topics you
need to adjust your study time. You have to be sincere to
maketherightadjustment,now!
If the coach has dutifully informed the player to make
specific changes, it is fair enough for the player to yield in
order to achieve the desired result for himself and for the
Team. In this scenario, you are the Player and the Past
Question is the coach, let it guide you. Whatever the coach
says is a feedback on how you have performed so far,
irrespective of how the first half has been. If you make the
rightchanges,yourvictoryissurelyassured–foryourself,
your family and much more seeing your admission dream
cometrue.
Affirmation of Success
here are many rules to success. Some are general –
anybody can apply them and achieve similar
results – while some are detailed and specific. YouTneed to do this in exact proportion and exactly as
prescribed.Likemedications,youneedtosticktotherule.
I have written several examinations; formal and informal.
School-based, seminar, training, etc. I have also written
some that are international and for professional
advancement and I have achieved considerable success in
allusingfewexamsuccesstips.

Some of them I have already shared in the course of this
series and sincerely they never fail. This has made me to
assume some fail-proof posture that gives me some level
of certainty that every exam is a done deal. I am not
worried about if I would pass, I am only concerned about
hitting the target I set for exams and more often I achieve
great results because I follow what works for me – all the
time.
Amongst many, I will share one that you can add to what
you already have. It is: Congratulate yourself everyday
before the exam. Yes, it is that simple. Write something
like “Congrats, You Passed!” “Well done, You made it!” etc.
put this message where you can see and read it often and
carry that consciousness with you everywhere and also
whenyoustudy.Itislikeconsciouslybuildingsuccessinto
your subconscious mind and affirming it in writing what
youwanttoreceiveaftertheexam.
This week, let everything about you reflect this message.
Make it your anthem, sing it to yourself,read it by yourself
and believe in it for yourself. Sometimes, people don’t get
what they deserve; they get what they unconsciously
expect. Build this congratulatory message into your
consciousness and as you exert your physical effort to
achieve success, your subconscious would agree with
your effort and give you what you truly expect– good
success.
Congratulations!

Week19
Enter the Examination Mood
s we get closer to the examination date, it is also
important to be psychologically ready for the day.
AThis preparation starts with simulating the exam
environment as much as possible when you practise with
past questions and this is all about proper time
management.
Initially in the series, I had discussed Time Management
asitrelatestocoveringtheSyllabusTopicsandObjectives
for the examination. Here time management refers to
understanding that the UTME is expected to be
completed in 3 hours 30minutes (210minutes) for the
four Subjects which is 250 Questions (Use of English =
100questions,otherSubjects=50questionseach).
With this information and to prepare yourself
psychologically for the examination, endeavour to set
aside exactly 3 hours 30minutes for the practice of past
questions. Better still, you could attempt to divide the
210minutes by five Subjects (remember Use of English is
100 questions), this comes to 42minutes per subject. The
19Enter The Examination Mood
The surest way not to fail is to
determine to succeed.
- Richard Brinsley Sheridan

Use of English being 100 questions should be assigned
84minutes (1hour 24minutes) while each of the
remainingthreesubjectsget42minutes.
My question to you is; "can you solve 50 questions in
42minutes"? This implies that passing UTME requires
more than knowingthe answer; you also need to be fast in
the process. The first thing is that you need to know the
correct answers and also very important is that you must
know the fastest route to choosing the correct answers.
Yourresponsibilityinthislastfewweeksistoperfectyour
speed on each subject individually and the whole subjects
collectively.
Useyourmobilephonealarmoranalarmclocktopractise
past questions of each subject with the alarm set to
42minutes for a subject and see how well you perform.
YouareboththeCoachandtheonebeingcoached.Besure
to stop whatever you are doing immediately the alarm
rings and continue the process until you are able to beat
thetime.
If you sincerely keep to it; in no time you will be self-
conscious of not wasting too much time on a question and
eventually become better at managing yourself in the
UTME examproper.
Managing Your Time In The Examination Hall
If candidates have meticulously and consistently
practised time management during the practice of past
questions; managing their time well during the
examination would not pose any serious problem. It is
more painful to find out after an examination that
questions left unanswered are simpler than the ones you
answered and probably are not even sure if the answers
arecorrect.
Practising proper time management prepares you
psychologically for the examination even before entering
the examination hall. We have already established that
three UTME subjects are allotted an approximate
42minuteseach,whiletheUseofEnglishis84minutes.To
conveniently answer 50 questions in 42minutes implies
that; on the average, you are required to spend at most
50.4seconds to answer a question. This means as soon as
youarespendingmorethan50secondsononequestionit
istimetoleaveitforanotherquestion.Thisisparticularly
applicable to the sciences – Mathematics, Physics and
Chemistry – where you sometimes have to do some
calculations.

As you put finishing touches to your study, practise the
shortestroutetoanswereveryquestionsoastomaximize
your time effectively and efficiently during the
examination.Remember,50secondsmakeonequestion.

Test Taking Strategies
Week 20
20Test Taking Strategies
t is time to develop a strategy on how to answer the
UTME questions. Sometimes, answers from the
questions’ options jump at you even beforeIcompleting the stem. However you must exercise caution,
be patient enough to read through before making up your
mind. This is why you need a strategy that works, it is a
good time to develop a test-taking strategy and also put
the strategy to test before the exam so you can stick to
whatworksbestforyou.
TherearethreewaysyoucanapproachanyObjectivetest:
a) Work from beginning to end, answering every
question in order. Answer every single question, even if
youhavetoguess.
b) Answer the easy questions first, then go back and
workontheharderquestions
c) Answer the hardest questions first, then go back
andanswertheeasyones
None of these test-taking methods is right or wrong.
However, with just 50seconds to a question, the second
You may not be interested in strategy,
but strategy is interested in you.
- Leon Trotsky

method works best. If you decide to use this strategy,
answer the easiest questions first, then go back to figure
out the most difficult ones. In the course of answering the
questions, there are possibilities that you may not be able
to make up your mind on some questions, put a
checkmark(x)nexttosuchquestions.Whenyougettothe
end of the section, go back to the beginning of the section
and start answering the items you skipped. Always
remember that a section i.e. one UTME Subject is
42minutes.
Per adventure you decide to go by the first approach; also
remember that you have limited time, be cautious enough
not to spend too much time on a question because you
want to get all the questions right. As soon as you are
spending 45 to 50 seconds on a question it is wise to leave
it for the next question. The last approach is applicable
wheretimingisnotachallenge.However,youcanpractise
eachandsticktowhatworksbestforyou.
Take Mock UTME (1)
Whether this exam is your first attempt or not, it should
not be your first experience. One thing I have noticed with
peoplewhogoforexamsisthattheirfirstexperiencewith
the exam is when they sit for it in the exam hall. They have
not had any form of simulated contact with the exam
before entering the exam hall. This is one of the reasons
whyUTMEpastquestionisveryimportant.
Past questionsaresupposedtobeusedtopractiseseveral
times simulating exam conditions while preparing for the
exam. It allows you to make amendable mistakes that will
not be taken against you. Any shortcomings during your
practice is usually not much of a concern but they provide
vital feedback that would make you prepare better and
achieve better result. We already know that the UTME is 3
hours 30minutes; you can take mock examinations with
theaimoffinishingbeforethestipulatedtime.
A stop watch, alarm clock or alarm from your mobile
phonewillserveasyourtimer.Itisimportantyoutakethe
mocks at 3 hours 30 minutes stretch, no stopping for
distractions. Your phone should be switched off and you
also get the cooperation of family members. If there are
outstandingorlikelyerrandsyouneedtorun,itiswiserto
run those errands or other chores before starting the
3hours30minutesexercise.

Also, inform your parents or guardians so they are aware
you would need the next four hours for some practice.
Better still; wake up in the night when others are
definitelyintheirdreamlandsandpractise.
Now, it is a matter of sincerity that you should keep to the
stipulated time. I must say that you might get a shocking
result at the first attempt but don't be discouraged, keep
to it and hopefully by the third or fourth trial, you should
noticesomeimprovements.Dothisforatleasttwotimesa
week; that is equivalent of six past questions for each
subject. At the end of the mock exercises, you should have
anideaofhowwellyouwillperformintherealexam.
By now, we should be closer to the examination – let your
mindbeatrest–thisgivesyouroomtocatchupwhereyou
may be lagging behind. I want to believe the Mock UTME
has given you some signals about how you have prepared.
It is not yet time to rest; this week, take more mock UTME
because you would need all the experience in the real
examination.
Have you ever imagined how many seconds it takes to
complete the 100meter race? It is less than 10seconds.
But do you know it takes years, months, weeks and daily
practicetobeabletocompletea100meterdistanceinless
than 10seconds. Most people cannot dare the 100meter
Take Mock UTME (2)
race, but those who do have taken painstaking efforts to
discipline themselves over a period of time such that they
have compressed thousand hours of practices to a
performanceoflessthan10seconds.
Those who sit for WAEC, have compressed six years of
practiceandpreparationtojustfewhoursofperformance
in each subject. Undergraduates compress 14 weeks of
academic activities to sit for an exam that takes less than
3hours. If you started this series with me, you will be
compressing over five months of preparation to just
3hours 30minutes of performance. You have heard it
takes two minutes to prepare Indomie, however you will
agree that it definitely requires a lot of time to produce,
package and deliver Indomie to stores. All of this is just to
letyouknowthatalotgoesintopreparation.
Finally; as you take more mock UTME this week, be very
conscious of your timing. What lessons have you learnt?
What were the causes of your delays in your last trials?
What have you noticed worked for you greatly? What
score-trend have you noticed? In which subject do you
perform lowest? Probably you need more practice in that
subject in order to bring up your score. Friends, do all that
youcanthisweekasyouaimhigherfortheultimategoal–
admission!

Examination Centre
Week21
Always bear in mind that your own resolution
to succeed is more important than any other.
- Abraham Lincoln

21Examination Centre
opefully by now, you would have been informed
of your examination centre, it is important you
take time to visit the examination centre. It is notHa surprise to know that quite a number of candidates
would be searching for the exact location of their
examination centres on the day of the examination. The
problem is that they thought they knew the location or it
sounded familiar. However they could have saved
themselves the stress by taking a day out to find out the
location.
Searching for examination centre on the day of
examination could be very destabilizing; first, you are
trying to locate the centre, second, you are also thinking
about the examination. About a year ago; I wrote a
professional exam which held on a Saturday. A Saturday
before the exam I decided to go and search for the venue
in order to know exactly how many minutes/hours it
would take from my house to the place. I was able to
determine how long it would take me to get to the exam
centre by public transportation or if I decide to drive
down to the place. This gave me a good idea of the time I
shouldleavemyhousefortheexaminationhall.
Onthedayoftheexam,Igotupveryearlyandgotthereon
time far before the examination began, hence my
psychological composition was in a perfect state just
waiting for the exam to start. You can also do the same for
the UTME. Take some time a week before and visit your
exam centre; know exactly how long it would take to get
there and possible alternative routes to the centre as this
would ensure you arrive at the venue on time and be well
settledbeforetheexamstarts.

Week22
Handling Your Answer Sheet
(Shading Paper)
A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer,
it sings because it has a song.
- Lou Holtz

22Handling Your Answer Sheet
(Shading Paper)
ome of the failures experienced in JAMB are not due
to applicants' low intelligent quotient (IQ) but how
Ssome candidates handle their Optical Mark
Recognition (OMR) sheet otherwise known as answer
sheet. These candidates are usually categorized among
thosewithinvalidandincompleteresults.In2011;28,069
candidates had invalid or incomplete results. In 2010, it
was 82,000 – this is automatic disqualification - wasted
time,effortandmoney.
Follow these steps to ensure due care when dealing with
yourOMRsheet:
DonotbendthecornersofyourOMRsheet.
Donotcrumple,squeezeorfoldthesheet.
Placeyoursheetonaflatsurfacesoyoudonotdamage
itwhileshading.
Do not press hard on the sheets while shading such
thatbumpsappearontheotherside.
Ensurethatthesheetiscompletelyflatatalltimes.
Do not accept or use any sheets where the dark
rectangles along the left edge are faint or are not
sharplydefined.
The circles/boxes on the Sheet should be filled with
duecare
Do not tick, select, just shade and avoid partial
shadingorover-spilledshading.
Completely darken the respective circle for your
answers.
UseHBPencilforshadingasinstructed.
You may change an answer by completely erasing the
wronglyfilledcircle/box.
Donotshadetwoanswersforonequestion.
Donotdistort,tearormutilatetheedgeofyoursheet.
There are “DO NOT WRITE” areas demarcated on the
sheet,avoidwritingthere
DonotwriteormarkonSheetoutsidethedemarcated
areas.
DonotmakeanystraymarksontheSheet
Your answer sheets will be marked by a computer which
has no intuitive intelligence to know your mind, or what
your thoughts were when shading. Once there is
distortion in unexpected areas, answer sheets are
automatically declared null and void. Contravention of
any of the above regulations/ guidelines may result in the
invalidationofsheetsandthatmeansnoresults!!!
Becarefulandbesuccessful!

Strategy For Answering Multiple Choice Questions
ultiple choice test require candidates to choose
one correct option from five (A, B, C, D, E)
options. It's especially important to approachMmultiple-choice test items with a logical and proven
strategy - as already discussed in Week 20. The following
suggestionsarethererecommended:
a. Useoftheprocessofelimination
Multiple-choicetest writersknowthat you are looking for
the correct answer, so they include other answers that
look correct but are in fact wrong. Since most of the
optionsarewrong,eliminatethewrongoptionsassoonas
you come across them. The more the wrong options you
eliminate,thecloseryouaretopickingthecorrectoption.
b. UseShortcuts
This is more applicable to calculation oriented subjects –
Math, Physics, Chemistry, etc. – use the shortest route to
getting your answers as no one is interested in how you
got the correct answer, what is important is get the
correct answer. Some people are better calculating
withoutcalculator;sticktowhatworksbestforyou.
c. ThinkbeforeyouSwitchanswers:
Having selected your answers in the course of solving
each question; it is possible you doubt some of your
answers, don't go back and change answers unless you
are bedrock sure that your second choice is correct.
Studies have shown that in nearly all cases, your first
choice is more likely to be correct than subsequent
choices, unless you suddenly recall some relevant
information or some questions just revealed more
information that made you think the initial answer was
wrong.
d. LookforthewordsNOT,EXCEPT,andBEST:
These questions are tricky because you're being asked to
choose an answer that is the opposite of what you expect.
The questions will be phrased like "Which is not an
example of.....", "All the following choices are correct
except.....", "The best answer is....." One way to answer this
type of question is to read the question without the NOT,
EXCEPTandBEST,mostoftenyouwillfindtheoptionthat
negatesotheroptionsorthequestion.

Last Minute Exam Strategy
Some few tips to get your mind on track for the
examination.
Don't study on the morning of the exam: There is no need
of studying on the morning of the exam, more so that
UTMEstartsatabout9:00am.
Sleep enough the night of the Exam: It is important you
catch enough sleep the night before the exam. Go to bed
early so that you can have considerable long sleep hours.
You need all the energy you require for the 3hours
30minutes exam and a good night rest is a good way to
conserveenergyfortheexam.
Arrive the examination centre early – at least
15minutes: Just relax; get calm from any kind of
nervousness. Concentrate on the exam, no extra
discussion about what you read or didn’t read. Stay away
from candidates who try to get you to remember one
formula or something related to some topics or questions
beforetheexamstarts.Discussionaboutwhatyoureador
not could destabilize you and affect your confidence level
before the exam, most especially if you actually couldn’t
coverthetopicofdiscussion.
Play by the rule: You may not have enough time to go
through the examination instructions; however, you can
do this before going for the exam. Get any UTME past
question (similar to what you will be given in the hall) and
spend some time to read the instructions. Understanding
the rule of the game would help you to compete
accordingly.

If You Believe...Pray
Week 23
Great men are they who see that spiritual
is stronger than any material force
- that thoughts rule the world.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

23If You Believe...Pray
ccording to Murphy's Law – “Nothing is as easy as
it looks; everything takes longer than you expect;
Aand if anything can go wrong, it will and at the
worstpossiblemoment”.
I know many desire success and put in the equivalent or
requiredeffort,howeversomefallshortofachievingtheir
desire.Theyhavedoneallthatishumanlypossiblebutthe
result sometimes does not reflect the amount of effort
they have put in. The explanation to this I do not have.
However, I have found something worth considering in
theBible.
1
Romans 9:16 says “It does not, therefore depend on
man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.” It takes
Desire to purchase JAMB form, similarly it takes Effort to
preparefortheexaminationandifyouhavegonetheextra
mile of registering in a tutorial class or set time apart for
personal study and have gone through this series from
Week 1 till Week 23, you have shown considerable effort.
However, I encourage you to also pray for Mercy.
According to Murphy's Law, if anything can go wrong, it
willgowrongattheworstpossiblemoment.
Sincerely, things sometimes do go wrong for some or with
their examination sheet and even their result; either on
the way to the examination hall, in the examination hall,
duringtheexam,aftertheexam,duringthemarkingofthe
answer sheets, collation and release of result. This is
where I believe Mercy comes in, most especially in the
areas for which you have limited influence but that can
makeormaryourDesireandEffort.
1
NIV BIBLE

Week24
Examination Day Checklists
Good order is the foundation of all
great things. - Edmund Burke

24
Examination Day Checklists
t is one thing to compete in a game, it is another to
compete according to the rules of the game. Some
athletes, irrespective of their skills, potentials andIrating are disqualified because they flout one rule or the
other. The winner is the one who not only has the better
skills, potential and rating but also participated
accordinglybyobservingbasicrulesandregulations.
At the point of purchase of the JAMB form, some
examination accessories such as HB Pencil, Eraser,
Sharpener and a Calculator are provided with the JAMB
form. You are expected to go to the examination hall with
these items. If you have lost any, quickly find a
replacement before the exam day because you may not be
able to borrow from other candidates during the
examination. Also, don't put it off to the examination day
thinking you will easily get some of those items around
theexamcentre.
For subjects that involve calculation, your calculator – the
oneJAMBprovides-isveryimportant;ensureitisingood
working condition. Your mobile gadgets such as phone,
Blackberry, iPhone, iPod, etc. would not be required.
Avoid carrying any kind of load such as handbags to the
hall, most of such items are easily not found after
examination as they might have been displaced or
scattered by invigilators. The safest item is an envelope
thatcaneasilycontainallrequireditems.
By now, you should have known and visited the centre
where your exam will be written. On the morning of the
exam; traffic should not be an excuse, leave your home on
time so as to get to the centre at least 30 minutes before
the exam begins. Arriving late to examination hall
destabilizes and puts you under undue pressure and also
placesunnecessarysuspiciononyou.
Avoid any form of confrontation with invigilators or
supervisors; obey simple instructions. Also avoid time-
wasting agents who might want to engage your attention
unnecessarily. Read the instruction on the question
booklet, it is of utmost importance. By all means avoid
cheating and those who do. Work/answer the questions
correctly, shade your answers appropriately and expect
congratulatorymessageswhentheresultisreleased.
Alltheverybestand,congratulations!

No. FEDERAL INSTITUTIONS STATE STATE/CATCHMENT AREAS
1 UNIABUJA Abuja All States of The Federal
2 UI, Ibadan Oyo All States of The Federal
3 UNIAGRIC, Umudike Abia All States of The Federal
4 UNIAGRIC, Markurdi Benue All States of The Federal
5 UNIPORT Rivers All States of The Federal
6 UNIAGRIC, Abeokuta Ogun All States of The Federal
7 FUPRE, Effurun Delta All States of The Federal
Appendix A –
Federal Institutions and Their Catchment Areas
Federal Institutions with all the States as Their
Catchment Areas
Appendix B –
The 2011/2012 Recommended Student Enrolment in
No. INSTITUTION
YEAR
ESTABLISHED
ADMISSION
OWNERQUOTA
No. FEDERAL INSTITUTIONS STATE STATE/CATCHMENT AREAS
1 ABU, ZARIA Kaduna
Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi,
Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba. Yobe, Zamfara
2 ATBU, BAUCHI Bauchi Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Gombe, Taraba, Yobe
3 BAYERO, Kano Kano Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara
4 FUTA, Akure Ondo Ekiti, Lagos, Osun, Oyo, Ondo, Ogun
5 FUT, Minna Niger Benue, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Plateau, Sokoto, Zamfara
6 FUTO, Owerri Imo Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Imo, Enugu
7 FUT, Yola Adamawa Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba, Yobe
8 OAU, Ile-Ife Osun Ekiti, Lagos, Osun, Oyo, Ondo, Ogun
9 UDU, Sokoto Sokoto Kwara, Kebbi, Katsina, Kano, Kaduna, Jigawa, Nasarawa, Niger, Sokoto, Zamfara
10 UNN Enugu Unn, Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Imo, Enugu, Bayelsa, Crossriver, Delta, Edo, Rivers
11 UNIBEN Edo Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross-River, Delta, Edo, Rivers
12 UNICAL Cross-Rivers Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross-River, Delta, Edo, Rivers
13 UNIJOS Plateau Benue, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Plateau, Niger
14 UNILAG Lagos Ekiti, Lagos, Osun, Oyo, Ondo, Ogun
15 UNILORIN Ilorin Benue, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Plateau, Sokoto, Zamfara
16 UNIMAID Borno Adamawa, Borno, Bauchi, Gombe, Taraba, Yobe
17 UNIUYO Akwa-Ibom Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross-River, Delta, Edo, Rivers
18 UNIZIK, Awka Anambra Anambara, Ebonyi, Imo, Abia, Enugu

Source: National Universities Commission (NUC)

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