Technical failures and widespread safety concerns have cast a shadow over the 2026 Mock Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) on Saturday, March 28, 2026, for 227,896 registered candidates nationwide.

Parents and school administrators raised strong objections to JAMB's directive requiring candidates to arrive at their designated Computer Based Test (CBT) centres by 6:30 a.m. for biometric registration. A businessman, David Aigbojie, warned that he would not allow his son to attend if similar arrangements were repeated, questioning, "If anything happens to my child on the way, what will JAMB do about it? Will they compensate my family, reschedule the exam, or relocate the CBT centre for me?"

Fashion designer Bisi Popoola, whose daughter was posted to Sango from Oke Aro, expressed concern for candidates posted to farther locations, stating, "I know a neighbour's child who was posted to Ifo. What time do they expect that child to leave their house in this kind of area and arrive there before 6:30 a.m.? That's very bad."

The Vice Principal of Christ the King College, Agada Solomon, argued that no examination should commence earlier than 7:00 a.m., urging JAMB to make considerations for candidates genuinely affected by insecurity. At a CBT centre in Kurudu, Abuja, candidates encountered system malfunctions and unexpected timeouts, with one parent, Plangnam, confirming that his son faced repeated biometric difficulties before gaining entry with staff assistance.

The Guardian of Capital Science Academy, Egah Onakpa, disclosed that several of their students were posted to centres in Nasarawa, Kaduna and Niger, prompting parents to reconsider attendance. "We're fully aware that for the main JAMB, we'll be having it in the FCT, but it's just a few of our students that will participate in the JAMB mock because of insecurity and distance," Mr Onakpa revealed.

In a notable change for 2026, JAMB extended the mock examination from two hours to four hours, split into two consecutive sessions, from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., to better prepare candidates for the main UTME.