Many candidates believe that there are alternative ways through which they can pass exams such as JAMB. But the truth is those things you hear don’t actually work except that it only makes you come back next year.
Some people believe that there is a JAMB expo somewhere and decide to enrol or choose the CBT Center to write their exams. When I was writing JAMB, in my first attempt, I had chosen a place that was popularly known as “runz centre”. This made me confident and relaxed that I hardly read or even pray.
To my greatest surprise, my hope on the “JAMB Expo” was dashed as nothing that look like white paper flew past my table; everywhere, everyone was silent and minded their businesses. The result was a wait for another registration.
Now, I’m sure you will rather prefer to study than believe and wait for something that never existed. The fact is, where this JAMB secret expo had existed, it’s either mass failure or they got caught and arrested.
The good question is, why are there mass failures every year if indeed there’s an Expo somewhere?
Why you answer that within yourself, I want to calm and prepare your mind and debunk some of the popular myths about JAMB UTME in this article.
Table of Contents
Common Myths About UTME Debunked
Myth #1. UTME Is Hard
Allow me to say this; It’s not about what they say, it’s about what you repeatedly tell yourself – your mind. The world can stress it a million times, if you disagree within you, you will realize that there is nothing difficult about JAMB exams.
For you to be talking about writing exams – and reading this post, it means you must have scaled the hurdles of school tests, mid-term exams, passed WAEC and/or NECO or even GCE.
Now, the only difference between these examinations you have sat for and passed in the past and the JAMB CBT 2022 exam you are about to sit for is your MIND.
I have been where you are now and I can tell you if you are determined for success you will have it at the end of the day. And that means, shutting the doors to distractions (from friends, Families or relatives).
At times, statements from your parents might not be what you need psychologically, and you need to learn to politely listen (with no arguments) but prevent them from sinking into your mind.
Myth #2: Only prepare When JAMB Exam is Near
This is another big myth you will often hear from people. Their basis is that, even if you prepare long before the exam, you will end up forgetting everything. And so to them, they believe that preparing when the exam is only a month or few weeks will keep your brain fresh.
But do not believe this!
The secret weapon you can use to pass UTME once you have gained control of your mind with positive vibes is nothing but making a study schedule that fits your way of studying and not leaving anything for the last minute.
Why I’m I sure of this?
You cannot give what you don’t have. In our case, when JAMB Questions come knocking, begging for answers, you can only provide answers to the questions that you know.
Studying early will help your brain to accurately catalog and connect pieces of information together, such that when you need it most, it comes to rescue, providing you with the right information.
Our brains are continuously involved in the process of memory storage. It receives several pieces of information, processes them, and stores them in the form of memory. These memories are stored in the brain at different levels and the best thing you can do to help it retrieve information for you when you need it is to allow it to connect those things together.
Although some candidates do seem to thrive on last-minute studying, this way of partial studying is not the best approach for exam preparation, especially you reading my post now and hoping for success.
Myth #3: JAMB Don’t Repeat Past Questions
JAMB Secret to passing exams is practising past questions. Do not put away your past questions and materials thinking they are “old questions”. It’s past questions and not “old-school questions”
That said, remember, there’s is nothing new under the sun. Let me remind you with an excerpt from the Book of Ecclesiastes;
“The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.”
The questions that had been asked before are what will be asked again.
I hear this often because people don’t actually prepare to study. If they do, going through the past questions, they will realize that the questions being asked are just either paraphrased/rephrased or tweaked but still the same concept requiring the same idea to solve it.
Let’s take a good look at this question…
If john covers a distance of 10km in 5mins. How long will he take to complete a distance of 20km?
This question can be set differently but still within the same concept…
A dog walked from point A to B for 10 mins. If A to B is 2km, how many km can it cover in 20mins?
NOTE: No matter how the restructuring or paraphrasing a question might undergo, it can never change the formula structure or arrangement required to solve it. The formula for finding the radius of a circle will never change. Likewise, that of calculating time in the velocity-distance-time equation will never change.
Find time to study JAMB past questions, get it by all means and play around with it.
Myth #5: There are shortcuts to passing JAMB
Well, I don’t know about “short-cuts” to passing exams, but I do know how to effectively study and prepare for exams in a “short-time”. And I will share that with you. It is my secret weapon and it can be the secret to passing your next JAMB examination (UTME).
Believing shortcuts exist is the reason why JAMB keeps recording mass failure Y-O-Y.
Remember my story at the beginning of this piece? How short-cut plan turned out to be a long-cut?
The secret to passing JAMB is first believing in yourself (Debunking myth #1), creating time to study and practice early (Debunking myth #2) and letting what you practice be past questions while you study along with textbooks and other relevant materials (Debunking myth #3).
Because there is no shortcut!
Myth #6. JAMB Recommendations don’t help
Many people rely on JAMB Expo, last minutes studies, and shortcuts and they ignore JAMB Recommendations and advice.
This is not good!
Who else should you listen to first other than the people who conduct the examination you will be sitting for? They Provided syllabus, reading recommendations and advice on time management and early preparations, but candidates still choose their own ways and end up repeating the UTME exam.
If you’re reading this post now and you’re preparing for this coming UTME, tell yourself, JAMB Exam is not an election. While there is pride in losing an election, there is no pride in failing JAMB examination.
Do yourself good by first going through and following the Board recommendations. Their pieces of advice are based on experiences and to help you pass excellently.
Myth #7: JAMB Expo Exists
The rate at which students search for expos is appalling. The screenshot below is a confirmation of what we have been talking about since. If you take a look at the Google searches you will see “tomorrow jamb expo” and “free jamb expo for today”.
This is to tell you that people are actually spending their time looking for an expo when they should be studying. We can tell that the estimated number of candidates searching with these keywords have not prepared and have only relied on “JAMB secret Expo”
The good question I would like you to ask yourself is… if truly the “JAMB Expo” exists why are there still mass failures every year?
If you think deeply, you will realize that those who did not prepare and were looking for an expo must have made up the list of failures JAMB records every year.
Join study group, not “JAMB expo WhatsApp links“
Myth #8: JAMB Syllabus Doesn’t help in any way
OK… I think I now know a “JAMB exam Expo” that actually exist! Ignore my previous statement.
“JAMB Expo” is in JAMB Syllabus! And I recommend this to all of you. Go check it out. You will find the secret things that JAMB has been using ever since they started conducting UTME. The syllabus contains everything that will spur you to study and prepare adequately for the coming 2022 UTME.
Myth #9: You Can Upgrade Your JAMB Score
This is the killer and number one factor that results in mass failures. Here’s actually what’s happening…
Most people don’t believe in themselves and the #1 Myth is what they carry into their heads and allow it to sink into their minds. And with that, they are already thinking of how to upgrade JAMB results, where to upgrade the result of the exam they haven’t written. These are candidates who will wait until the dying minutes before they open past questions. You know why? they believe is tough and “I can’t come and kill myself kind of statement” follows. So, they turn to Google looking for how to upgrade JAMB results.
Myth #10. Prayers Don’t Work
Prayers work wonders. When I mean prayer works, I don’t mean is the only secret to passing JAMB 2022 exam. Going to the mountains without studying will amount to failure. The best prayer you definitely need at this moment is the Prayer of thanksgiving – not fall down and die type of prayer.
For everything man receives is by grace, therefore, you should thank God for the grace to prepare in good health, Thank God for granting you wisdom to even understand what you are reading. There’s a miracle in thanksgiving to God!
To summarize, JAMB has no secret. JAMB does not hate, prefer, or favour one candidate over the other.
How to effectively study and prepare for UTME in “short-time”
- Be determined and remain positive
- Arrange All Necessary Study Materials and give priority to study
- Motivate yourself; be confident that you can do
- Take Regular Break
- Get adequate Sleep
- Get Syllabus Outline
- Study question Paper Pattern
- Schedule/Time table for Preparation
- Solve Previous questions; they are not “old-school” questions
- Identify the Most Important and Repeated Questions
- Don’t be shy to Ask for Help
- Arrange or join a Group Study
UTME exam hall tips:
- Don’t be hurry when answering questions.
- Don’t be nervous.
- Read all questions carefully.
- Take all required material along with you
- Don’t try to cheat.
- Manage your time very well
- Don’t miss any questions, but feel free to skip difficult questions and come back to them.
Bonus Tips: Drink plenty of water, eat healthy foods and have adequate sleep.
While studying and preparing for the JAMB—Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), it is advisable to drink enough water to keep you hydrated. Eat healthy foods and have adequate sleep to avoid breaking down your system.
