JAMB bans smart watches, lenses, calculators as UTME begins April 19

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has concluded plans for the 2024 Unified Matriculation Examination (UTME).

The exam will be held between Friday, April 19, and Monday, April 29, in over 700 CBT centres nationwide.

Over 1.98 million candidates successfully registered to sit the 2024 UTME.

In its latest bulletin, JAMB published a list of items candidates must keep out of the exam hall.

Some of these items are smart watches, smart lenses (unprescribed glasses), calculators, smart rings, smart pens, bluetooth devices, and flash drives, among others.

JAMB said candidates are also advised to avoid using decorative tattoos on their palms as these can impact their biometric screening.

The board said candidates are warned to steer clear of all items that have been banned from the examination centres.

It said these items have been noted to have aided some dishonest candidates in their quest to perpetrate examination malpractice.

“To signal the commencement of the process, candidates have been directed to print their 2024 UTME notification slips, which would enable them to know their examination centre as well as the date and time of their examination,” the board said.

“Candidates are enjoined to adhere to the etiquette and guidelines of the examination as stipulated in their notification slips and be at the venue of their examination at the scheduled time to afford them the opportunity of going through biometric verification.

“Any candidate who is 30 minutes late would not be allowed to sit the examination and would be marked as absent.

“The board also reiterates its zero tolerance for examination infractions and other unwholesome practices that could be detrimental to the conduct of the examinations.”

JAMB said parents are requested to refrain from being around the examination premises.

It said any candidate found with a parent in the examination vicinity would face penalties.