In an interview with Arise Television, the spokesperson for JAMB, Fabian Benjamin, discussed why some candidates may not be admitted despite scoring highly in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
Benjamin emphasized that admission hinges on the cut-off marks established by individual schools and departments, underscoring the need to comprehend the purpose behind the examination process.
He highlighted that analyzing the performance of candidates must align with the intended purpose of the examination, which is primarily a selection exercise rather than a simple pass/fail assessment.
Benjamin pointed out that scoring above 200 does not necessarily guarantee admission, as each university or institution has its own admission criteria and capacity limitations.
Using the example of scoring 300 for a physics program versus 180 for medicine, he illustrated how the choice of program and institution significantly influences admission outcomes.
Factors such as program popularity, university ranking, and available slots all play a role in determining whether a candidate with a high score will secure admission.