Double Fingerprints, five other new JAMB guidelines

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has provided new guidelines to ensure seamless conduct of future operational processes, including the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.

The board made this known in its Weekly Bulletin of the Office of the Registrar on Monday in Abuja.

In this piece, The PUNCH highlights six new guidelines, including the introduction of double fingerprints, exemption candidates, and others.

Double fingerprint

As a requirement for printing registration slips, a candidate must use at least two fingers and any of the two fingers taken would be used for biometric verification before entering the examination hall on the day of the examination.

The two verifiable fingers of all candidates must be consecutively indicated on the candidates’ registration and examination slips.

Centre prohibition

The JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, has warned that some cybercafes and tutorial centres had been prohibited from participating in any of the board’s exercises.

Oloyede said that no CBT centre would be allowed to collaborate with the prohibited group, adding that any violation of the directive, whether in part or whole, would lead to the revocation of the licence of the erring CBT centre.

CBT centre accreditation

No new Computer-Based Test centre would be accredited without meeting the new requirements.

To this end, new CBT centres must use laptop computer systems; zero thin-clients or Remote Desktop Protocol would no longer be accepted.

No CBT centre must install any clients with less than 2 gigabyte RAM.

It is now mandatory that the Autobot system be used for the accreditation of CBT centres; there should be three Autobot tests: Pre-accreditation during Mock – UTME and the dummy examination.

Biometrics accreditation

The registrar also said that biometrics of all accredited CBT centre registration officers would be captured ahead of the exercise.

This, he explained, was because the board, as a proactive agency, must move with the tide to stay ahead of the machinations of cheats and safeguard the integrity of the system.

Exemption Candidates

At the registration point, candidates with bad fingerprints would be scheduled for the examination as ‘Exemption Candidates’.

Their registration slips would be colour-coded and visually different from those for other candidates.

Such candidates would sit their examination in Abuja on the last date of the national examination calendar, and their results would not be released until after being subjected to proper scrutiny.

To further consolidate its data collection efforts, the board would consider separating UTME registration from that of Direct Entry beginning from 2026.

And to further condone illegal admissions and printing of indemnity forms, all candidates’ registrations, including UTME, DE, and others, must be completed with fingerprint authentication.

Related Article: List Of Schools In Nigeria That Accept Direct Entry Without Jamb

Double Fingerprints, Five Other New JAMB Guidelines: FAQs

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) introduced several operational guidelines to strengthen the integrity of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and curb examination malpractice. These measures include the use of double fingerprints, stricter CBT centre accreditation, enhanced biometric verification, and revised registration procedures.

What is the new double fingerprint requirement introduced by JAMB?

JAMB now requires every candidate to register at least two verifiable fingerprints. Either of the two fingerprints may be used for biometric verification before the candidate is allowed into the examination hall. The selected fingerprints are also indicated on the candidate’s registration and examination slips. This measure is intended to reduce identity fraud and impersonation.

What are the other major new JAMB guidelines?

Besides the double fingerprint policy, JAMB introduced several key guidelines, including:

• Stricter accreditation requirements for CBT centres.
• Mandatory biometric capture of accredited CBT registration officers.
• Special procedures for candidates with fingerprint challenges (“Exemption Candidates”).
• Prohibition of partnerships between CBT centres and blacklisted cybercafés or tutorial centres.
• Separation of UTME and Direct Entry (DE) registration processes to improve data management.

How does JAMB handle candidates with fingerprint problems?

Candidates whose fingerprints cannot be properly captured during registration are classified as Exemption Candidates. Their registration slips are specially colour-coded, and they are scheduled to sit the examination in Abuja on the final day of the national examination. Their results are released only after additional verification and scrutiny by JAMB.

What changes were made to CBT centre accreditation?

JAMB introduced stricter standards for Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres. New centres must meet updated technical requirements, including the use of laptop client systems with a minimum of 2GB RAM and successful completion of Autobot accreditation tests. Centres that collaborate with prohibited organisations risk losing their accreditation.

Why did JAMB introduce these new guidelines?

JAMB explained that the new measures are aimed at improving the credibility, transparency, and security of its registration and examination processes. The guidelines are intended to reduce impersonation, prevent examination malpractice, strengthen biometric verification, and ensure that admissions are processed through legitimate procedures