2025 UTME broke record no one saw coming: Best in 12 years

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

For the first time since the introduction of the Computer-Based Test (CBT) format in 2013, the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) has recorded a notable leap in candidate performance, with 2025 figures showing the highest proportion of top scorers in over a decade.

According to a comparative analysis of UTME results from 2013 to 2025, a total of 17,025 candidates—representing 0.88% of the 1,931,467 results released—scored 300 and above in 2025.

This marks the highest percentage of candidates attaining such scores since 2013, indicating a rare improvement in performance at the highest level of the examination.

In contrast, only 8,401 candidates (0.46%) scored 300 and above in 2024, and just 724 candidates (0.06%) achieved the same feat in 2021. In 2015, that figure was a mere 40 candidates, while in both 2014 and 2013, no candidate reportedly reached the 300 mark.

Similarly, the 2025 data shows a sharp rise in candidates scoring 250 and above, with 117,373 candidates (6.08%) crossing this threshold, more than double the 4.18% recorded in 2024 and almost quadruple the 1.63% in 2021.

This upward trend appears to reflect increased preparedness among candidates or possibly improved teaching methods and access to learning tools.

The number of candidates who scored 200 and above also rose significantly in 2025 to 565,988 (29.3%), compared to 24% in 2024 and 13% in 2021. However, despite these improvements, a majority of candidates still scored below 200.

In 2025, 70.7% of the candidates—equivalent to 1,365,479 individuals—fell into this category, a slight improvement from 76% in 2024 and 87% in 2021.

The 2025 performance stands in stark contrast to earlier years, particularly 2013 through 2015, when the percentage of candidates scoring above 200 was as low as 11% and the proportion below 200 was as high as 89%.

The upward trend in high scores may rekindle debates around the integrity and rigour of the UTME, as well as the quality of secondary education in Nigeria.

Experts and stakeholders in the education sector may also seek to examine whether the 2025 improvement is an anomaly or an indicator of long-term progress.

As the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) continues to refine its testing systems and as schools increasingly adopt technology in education delivery, the results from 2025 may represent a turning point in Nigeria’s tertiary admission landscape.

Summary:

• 2025 UTME saw 0.88% scoring 300+, the highest since CBT started in 2013.

• 6.08% scored 250+ in 2025, compared to 4.18% in 2024 and 1.63% in 2021.

• 29.3% scored 200+ in 2025; however, 70.7% still scored below 200.

• Marks a significant departure from 2013–2021 when high scores were rare.