If you follow these steps, you will pass JAMB with flying colors this year.

1. Begin your preparations as soon as possible.
This is the first and most important piece of advice any experienced person can give a JAMBite. The UTME examination is more advanced and technical than your O’level examination. Furthermore, it is extremely competitive, with over 1.7 million candidates sitting for it each year, and less than 45 percent of that number gaining admission at the end of the year.

2. Create a workable schedule for yourself.
Many people will discourage you from doing this, most likely because they have tried and failed. However, the importance and value of creating a personal study schedule cannot be overstated. Yes, it takes a lot of discipline to maintain, but it is well worth it. Set aside specific days and times for each of your four subjects.

3. Utilize JAMB Syllabuses.
This is where many candidates fail, and it is the reason they fall short of their own expectations. Many people are unaware that there is a JAMB syllabus for all subjects. So they simply purchase a JAMB form, complete their registrations, and begin reading (and many just read amiss). Please have this delivered today. JAMB provides syllabuses for all subjects on which candidates are tested, and it is very reassuring to note that they do not go beyond their syllabus.

4. Use the JAMB-recommended textbooks.
Many people are unaware that there are JAMB Recommended Textbooks. As a result, they simply read any Senior Secondary School Textbook they could get their hands on and assume they are all the same. In their wisdom and based on the coverage of their syllabuses, JAMB recommends textbooks to help candidates grasp the necessary information or knowledge to excel in the UTME examination. As a result, it would be foolish for any serious candidate with admission as a goal not to use recommended textbooks.

5. Review previous question papers.
One of the secrets to passing any examination (whether external or internal) is to learn how the examiner sets his questions, and the only way to do so is to obtain previous year’s question papers. Good enough, JAMB Past Questions are easily accessible from inception to the present day, and it may interest you to know that the majority of the questions set by JAMB in recent years are simply a repetition of questions set in the past.

6. Participate in UTME coaching.
There’s a lot to be learned from those who have more experience than you. With such people, you are protected from certain mistakes, and you will receive instructions, input, and advice from them, and everything will turn out for the better. Attending some UTME classes is a very viable option.

7. Recognize your weak points and work to improve them.
Don’t be embarrassed to admit that you’re not very good at a particular topic or subject. Accept that you are lacking in those areas and devise strategies to improve. Work on your weaknesses. Try to develop a personal interest in subjects in which you are overly skilled. Get to know your teachers better, make friends with those who are already excelling in that field, and devote more time and energy to studying those subjects.

Now, while you’re working to improve your weak points, don’t forget about your strengths. Many people make this error, but you don’t have to. It is even easier to expand in your area of strength. So, keep working on the subjects that are relatively easier for you until you reach the point where you score 100 percent on every practice test.

8. Seek Assistance!
Over 1.7 million other candidates are preparing for this exam. So you’re not the only one here. Find and connect with others who are studying for the exam. People who share similar interests and goals. Collaborate with them as a team, and use social media to connect with each other no matter how far apart you are geographically. Working as part of a team provides the necessary challenge and motivates you to work harder. This significantly speeds up the preparation process.

9. Increase your practice time.
Unfortunately, the time available for JAMB preparation is limited. More practice should be your response. If you don’t know how to use a computer, get some training and practice on the CBT mode. Prepare for the main exam by learning your way around the environment.

10. Consider the God-factor.