For the first time since the introduction of the Computer-Based Test (CBT) system in 2013, the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) has recorded an extraordinary surge in candidate performance. The 2025 results mark the highest rate of top scorers in more than a decade.
A comparative review of UTME scores from 2013 to 2025 reveals that 17,025 candidates—equivalent to 0.88% of the 1,931,467 results released scored 300 and above in 2025. This is the highest percentage of candidates achieving such scores since the CBT format began.
By contrast, only 8,401 candidates (0.46%) reached the 300+ benchmark in 2024, while just 724 (0.06%) did so in 2021. Back in 2015, only 40 candidates hit the 300 mark, and in both 2013 and 2014, none reportedly did.
The upward trend continues in the 250+ score range, where 117,373 candidates (6.08%) crossed the threshold in 2025 more than doubling 2024’s 4.18% and nearly quadrupling 2021’s 1.63%.
A similar rise was recorded among those scoring 200 and above: 565,988 candidates (29.3%) in 2025, up from 24% in 2024 and just 13% in 2021. Nonetheless, the majority still scored below 200, though the proportion dropped to 70.7% in 2025 from 76% in 2024 and 87% in 2021.
Compared to earlier years—particularly between 2013 and 2015, when only 11% scored above 200 and up to 89% scored below—it’s a striking shift.
The 2025 results may spark fresh debate over the credibility and difficulty of the UTME, as well as the state of secondary education in Nigeria. Observers may question whether the sharp improvement signals genuine progress or a one-time spike.
As JAMB continues to evolve its testing systems and as more schools leverage digital learning tools, 2025 may well mark a turning point in Nigeria’s approach to tertiary education admissions.
Highlights:
- 0.88% of candidates scored 300+ in 2025—the highest since 2013.
- 6.08% scored 250+ in 2025, up from 4.18% (2024) and 1.63% (2021).
- 29.3% scored 200+, while 70.7% scored below 200.
- Results reflect a major performance leap compared to 2013–202