Plenty candidates have already concluded that this year is gone.
The UTME held in April, the computer failed some people, the fingerprint machine rejected others, and some results entered investigation. Since then, family and friends have moved on, and some candidates have quietly started planning for 2027.
If the system failed you this year, hear this one well. Na lie.
The year is not gone. JAMB kept one final door open for you, and that door closes this Saturday.
What is the JAMB mop-up exam 2026?
The JAMB mop-up exam 2026 is one special sitting of the UTME that holds on Saturday, 13 June 2026. It is for candidates who registered, showed up, and were biometrically verified for the main exam in April, but could not write it through no fault of their own.
JAMB calls it the final phase of the 2026 UTME. The board’s spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, said it plainly in the official announcement covered by Punch: after this exercise, there will be no further opportunity for any candidate to sit the 2026 UTME.
So this is not a rumour or a maybe. It is the last bus of the year, and it leaves on Saturday.
Who can write it, and who cannot
This part is important, because there is a second myth flying around that anybody can just show up for the mop-up. That one is also not true.
You are eligible if you were duly registered and verified for the 2026 UTME, but your exam was disrupted by a technical failure at your centre, the biometric machine could not verify you even though you presented yourself, or your result was withdrawn while JAMB investigated an alleged infraction.
You are not eligible if you never registered, you registered but did not show up at all, or you wrote the exam, saw your score, and now want a second attempt. The JAMB mop-up exam 2026 is not a resit for people who scored low. Abeg, do not let anybody collect your money with that story.
Print your mop-up slip today, not tomorrow morning
The notification slip printing has been open since 6 June. Go to the official JAMB website and click on Print 2026 Mop-Up UTME Slip.
That slip carries your examination centre, your date, your time, and the instructions you need to follow. Print it now, not on Saturday morning.
Here is why the timing matters. Your centre may not be the one you used in April. It may even be in another town. If you print your slip today, you still have this evening to locate the centre, plan your transport, and arrange where to sleep if the journey is long. Candidates who wait till the morning of the exam are the same ones who arrive sweating at 9am for an 8am paper.
If the portal says you are not eligible
Some candidates have checked the portal and seen a painful message: not eligible. A few of them are genuinely confused, because they know they missed the exam through no fault of theirs.
If that is you, do not just close the browser and cry. The portal works with JAMB’s own records of who was registered and verified, so the first step is to complain through an official channel today. Use the JAMB support ticketing platform, call the official support lines, or visit the nearest JAMB state office with your registration number and your evidence.
And please, hold your money tight. This is the season when fraudsters promise to add your name to the mop-up list for a fee. Nobody can add you. If an offer does not come from JAMB directly, it is a trap.
One day to go: how to prepare without panic
You cannot read a whole syllabus in one day, and you do not need to. You already prepared for this exam once. The knowledge is still inside, it just needs dusting.
Spend today on light revision. Pick your weakest subject and run past questions on it for one or two focused hours. Past questions do two jobs at once: they remind you of the format and they show you the topics JAMB loves to repeat.
Then handle the practical things. Keep your printed slip in one safe place tonight. Charge your phone for the journey, but remember that phones, calculators, and smartwatches will not follow you into the hall. Eat proper food. Sleep early. A rested brain at a CBT screen beats a tired brain that read till 3am, every single time.
On Saturday morning, leave home with plenty time in hand. Aim to reach your centre at least one hour before the time on your slip.
After Saturday: results and your next move
Once the JAMB mop-up exam 2026 is done, attention moves to results. You can check yours by texting UTMERESULT to 55019 or 66019, using the phone number you registered with. JAMB has also been clearing the backlog from the main exam, including 279 withheld results that were released after investigations.
The original result slip printing has not opened yet, so do not panic when you cannot print it immediately. JAMB will announce when that portal goes live.
While you wait, start thinking like an admission strategist. Check how your score stands against this year’s JAMB 2026 cut-off marks before you fix your heart on one school. If the score comes back lower than you hoped, read our guide on what to do with a JAMB score below 200 before you make any decision. And whatever your score, the next gate after JAMB is the screening, so our Post UTME 2026 preparation guide should be your next read.
One last thing before Saturday
JAMB has said there will be no extension and no special arrangement after this exercise. The JAMB mop-up exam 2026 is the full stop on this year’s UTME, so treat Saturday with the seriousness it deserves.
To every candidate the system failed in April, this weekend is your chance to collect what is yours. Print the slip, locate the centre, revise small, sleep well, and go and write your paper.
We will be here when the results land, with guides for every score and every next step. If you need a hand with the journey after admission, from essays to projects, send us a message at hello@delightdataexploration.com. We dey for you.
Go and finish what you started. 😀