CBT centre operators and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) have offered conflicting accounts of what went wrong at some examination venues on the first day of the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), even as candidates at several Abuja centres reported a seamless experience on Thursday.

More than 2.2 million candidates are registered for the examination, which is held across 966 CBT centres nationwide and runs until Wednesday, April 22.

At Skillpath International Academy in Karu, Abuja, the first session was delayed by approximately 15 minutes after examination questions failed to load on candidate screens until around 8:45 am. Faulty desktops, keyboards, and mice compounded the situation, despite candidates having been seated from 8 am.

A technician at the centre, identified as Nonso, attributed the disruption to JAMB's question upload process.

"The candidates are supposed to just walk in, log onto their system and write their exams. The delay contributes to poor performance," he stated.

JAMB's General Monitor Group Representative, Nnenna Akajemeli, disagreed, holding the centre's management responsible for failing to ensure all systems were functional before the examination commenced. She confirmed the affected batch would resit the examination.

"It is just to be fair to them," she said, adding that the centre lacked a backup system required under JAMB's accreditation standards. Centre owner Alphonsus Ekpenyong disputed the assessment, saying the facility had recorded no such problems in previous years.

A contrasting picture emerged from other venues. At Aduvie International School CBT centre, administrator Sylvester Edom confirmed the first session began as scheduled, with 235 candidates completing the examination without any recorded technical failure.

Candidate Stephen Sonde described the process as orderly from start to finish, while Elijah Itua at Gudmerc Kiddies Academy in Kurudu reported a similarly smooth experience, with only a brief delay caused by late arriving candidates.

Parents at various centres renewed calls for JAMB to establish a dedicated examination infrastructure, arguing that dependence on school facilities increases the risk of disruptions. In 2025, technical glitches across 157 CBT centres forced 379,997 candidates to resit the examination.