JAMB Exam: The Unfortunate

Imagine after paying and registering for JAMB and then preparing for months, at the crucial time something unexpected happens and you miss out on the exam. Very unfortunate.

Let's read the experience of a candidate:

MY JAMB MOCK EXPERIENCE

MY JAMB mock was certainly a very interesting experience. Considering it was my first attempt, I was both excited and nervous. Now let me begin with a little backstory, starting from the morning of the exam.

I woke up in the wee hours of the morning, specifically by 1 am to do some last-minute revisions. I was able to utilize 4 hours to revise all subjects before getting ready at around 5 am.

Taking into account the time of the exam (7am), I had to leave an hour early to get to my exam center-Sascon International School, Maitama. I got there 30 minutes before the exam time and patiently waited outside while enjoying the cool weather. About 10 minutes before the starting time, we were told what to bring in and what not to bring into the exam hall. Among what was not to be brought in was a pen. This caused a lot of controversy among the admins and the students. In the end, many of us had to do away with our pens and begin looking for places to purchase pencils which, unfortunately, were not readily available in the area. However, after much hustle and bustle, we were able to acquire pencils and finally start the process.

We (the candidates) were separated into two groups as there were two centers on the premises. Both males and females were searched by their respective genders. Afterward, we stood in a single file waiting for our biometrics (fingerprints) to be taken. It was a smooth process and soon after, we were seated and waiting to start the exam. The atmosphere of the center was very relaxing. The air conditioner was on and wasn't overpowering, making me feel less nervous and more calm and collected. I noticed there were no CCTV cameras in the hall and there was strict adherence to the COVID-19 protocols.

The time came for the exam to start. It was time for me to experience the exam many were afraid to take. Weeks of preparation had finally come to an end and I had to put all I had learned into practice. I clicked on the "proceed to take the exam" and waited for the questions to come up. However, I was met with a blank screen. Confused, I requested the attention of an admin in charge. It was then I realized that many other candidates had the same problem. In fact, more than half of the candidates either had a blank screen or issues with their registration number. We were told to wait as the issues would be resolved soon. 2 hours passed and nothing had changed. The few who were able to write the exam had already begun leaving the hall. I was really tired as I had been awake since 1 am but I was determined to wait. An extra hour had passed before I was told to try using another computer for the exam. I became grateful to God as I saw this as a solution to my troubles and immediately did as I was told. But unfortunately, again, things didn't go as planned as I was told to wait for another hour before I could write the exam. Feelings of frustration came over me as I tried my best to keep calm. I looked around and saw other candidates putting their heads down and I decided to do the same. Another hour passed, making that a total of 4 hours spent. All efforts aimed at resolving the issues were futile and many candidates got upset. Because of this, some walked out angrily, while others remained to wait for an explanation. A while later, we were informed that we wouldn't be able to write the exam anymore and would get back the 1,000 naira fee we paid to the CBT center to write the exam. After I did just that, I returned home feeling tired and dreary.

My JAMB mock clearly didn't turn out the way I wanted but it was certainly quite an experience.

My Reaction

Unfortunately, the candidates (especially first-timers) were robbed of the chance to experience the JAMB examination process which is aimed at preparing them for the main examination. They paid for the sins of the CBT Centre - unpreparedness and not following recommended standards.

The only explanation I've got for the unfortunate incidence is a network failure. The recommended network pattern is Star topology. Here each table in the CBT examination hall is connected by a separate network cable to a network switch. This is so that when there is network failure on one table or section it won't affect others and the problem can easily to discovered and resolved in time. Also, the ends of the network cables should be labeled for easy and quick recognition of the cable supplying a particular table or section. This makes for quick resolution of network issues. But some centers fail to adhere to this and the candidates end up paying heavily.

Though if this happens during the UTME examination and many candidates miss out, JAMB will likely organize a mock-up exam for such candidates. However, hope no one experiences this during the main UTME examination.