Ever wondered whether it is possible to Gain Admission into the University or a Polytechnic of your choice this year 2023? Welcome to the Ultimate Guide to Gain University, Polytechnic or College of Education Admission.
Admission is one of the most discussed topics among Secondary School Leavers. To gain admission, you don’t only need to study hard; you need the right information.
Some admission dreams are shattered, not because they are chartered or cheaper but because they are not ordered. Information is what puts you in the right position.
Gaining Admission into any School in Nigeria is not as difficult or as bad as painted. You must not pay people to give you admission. You can gain admission even when you don’t know anyone in the school.
I was admitted to study at the University of Benin without knowing anybody. In fact, my name was on the First Batch Admission List (Merit List). I know “1001 People” in different schools who gained admission on Merit.
With an excellent Jamb UTME and Post UTME Score, your admission is sure. This article will answer the following questions concerning admission in Nigeria and more:
- How is admission Cut off mark gotten?.
- How come I scored above the cut-off mark, yet I wasn’t admitted?
- I wrote very well but it didn’t reflect on my result, how come?.
- How can I score very high in JAMB?
- Is post UTME very important?
- It is very difficult to gain admission without bribing?
- Jamb is not sincere, they cheat people?
- University admission is all about luck, not hard work. How true?
- What can I do with my low Jamb Score?
Take a bottle of chilled water, grab some popcorn and let me take you through how admission works in Nigeria. This will give you the right view and help you to gain admission this year.
The 3 Criteria For Admission
- Merit Admission
- Catchment Admission
- Educationally less developed States.
Merit Admission
Be it Federal, State or Private Universities, Merit is a major criterion for offering admission. Merit means you gained admission because you deserved it. It is a result of high Jamb and Post UTME Score.
Catchment Admission
Another yardstick for admission is the catchment area. Catchment is the admission advantage you get when the University is in your State or Neighbouring State.
After admitting Candidates who deserve the admission (Merit Admission), those who are from the State or nearby areas are favoured next. If you have the same score as them, they may still gain admission before you.
For example, if you are from Portharcourt and another person is from Edo State; even with the same aggregate score, it is possible for the persons to gain admission into DELSU while you are not offered admission. This is because Edo is a catchment area for Delta State University.
Does it mean choosing a school in your state or close to your state help in admission? Yes
The catchment area admission factor makes candidates think the school is cheating them. You must do your best to be on the Merit list if the school in question is not in your Catchment.
Educationally Less Developed States
States and People who generally don’t like going to school are also given admission slots. These are areas where the academic standard is very low.
If you are from a State where an average person doesn’t talk about school or no good schools, you have a chance of gaining admission even with a lower score. This is to encourage you to go to school and motivate others.
An average northern person could gain admission with a lower score than you. While you may not be offered admission with a higher score. This is why you must score high in Post UTME to be on the Merit List (1st Batch).
How To Choose Course Or School In Jamb
What you should know about Courses and Schools…
- Some courses are tougher to get than others
- Tough courses require higher Jamb and post UTME scores
- Competitive courses have higher departmental cut-off marks
- Be ready to prepare extremely well if you are going for hot cake courses like Medicine and Surgery, Engineering, Law, Pharmacy, Accounting, Business Admin, etc.
- If you hate calculations, don’t go for engineering, Physics or Mathematics; Follow your strength.
- If you are unserious, please avoid serious courses so that you don’t look for admission all your life.
- Know yourself and Always tell yourself the truth when it comes to choosing a course and school.
- The less popular the school, the easier it is to gain admission to that school.
Recommended: Guide to picking a first choice school
General And Departmental Cut Off Marks
Universities, Colleges of Education and Polytechnics usually have two cut off marks which are:
- General cut off
- Department cut off
General Cut Off Mark
This is the mark below which one cannot gain admission to study any course. It is 50% for the University of Benin and many other Federal schools. If the general cut off mark for a school is 50, you can not gain admission to study any course in that school even if you scored 49.
Jamb and schools do have general cut off marks. For example, if Jamb General Cut off mark is 150 for Universities and you score 149 or less, you will not be able to gain admission into any University. Schools also set their minimum Jamb cut off marks. For top schools in Nigeria, it is 200.
Departmental Cut off Mark
This cut off mark is released by departments every year and it is based on the performance of students in Jamb and Post UTME. It determines if you will be admitted to study your desired course.
Candidates who score Above the general cut off but Below departmental cut off marks are usually admitted to study related courses (without lower cut off marks) or not offered admission at all.
The departmental cut off varies for MERIT, Catchment and Educationally less developed States, with that of merit always higher. The catchment area is the geographical area from which students are eligible to attend a local school.
You now understand how the University admission cut off mark is gotten and why some candidates are not offered admission even when they score above the general cut off mark.
Now let’s answer the remaining frequently asked question.
High Score In Jamb And Post UTME
How to get a high Jamb and Post UTME Score to gain Admission…
- High Jamb Score
- High Post UTME Score
1. Early Preparations:
Click Here to Get Flashlearners Jamb App for sweet preparations and a high score.
Don’t wait for the exams to be close before you start preparations. Early preparation gives you an edge; don’t think that there is still time.
Live your life with a sense of urgency. Have the mentality, ” I am behind schedule”. Begin to set targets because it will give you a powerful drive towards the exam.
Do you want to score 350+ in Jamb? It all begins now. Remember, a man who fails to plan is indirectly planning to fail.
Joshua Abuwa said, “The problem with a lot of young persons today is that they don’t have visions, they only have a television”. In your quest for university admission, what can you see?. Your worth in life is tied to the quality use of your mind.
Don’t wait for Jamb to be very close before you employ a fire brigade approach.
2. The Right Materials:
Empty the coins in your purse into your mind and your mind will fill your purse with gold. Reading quality books for your examination will give you nothing, but quality grades.
For every examination, there is a course outline. This guides you on the topics and parts of the topicS to cover. It is essential you get the books that cover the required topics and sub-topics.
The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) usually recommend texts. Get them and start studying as soon as possible. You may want to buy Dandy English or New Testament of the use of English by Joseph Omofomah for your Use of English. You may also click here for a list of Jamb recommended books.
3. A Great Study Habit:
Your habits determine your habitat. It is high time you develop a solid study habit. Need help? here is how to start.
Before you study, make sure that you are relaxed physically, emotionally and mentally. The following study practices might be of good help to you.
- Study in an environment that is best conducive for you. It doesn’t really need to be calm; if a noisy area is OK for you, go with it.
- Read with revelation. Draw a plan of what you should achieve after the study.
- All materials that guarantee smooth learning must be ready to avoid searching in the midst of learning.
- Get a Jotter to put down salient facts.
- Don’t skip any part of the material if you don’t understand it.
- Prepare a study timetable and follow it consecutively.
- Prepare a rest and recreation timetable too. Funny?
- Read the 10 secrets of successful students
- How to remember 90% of what you have read
Recommended: How to pass Jamb without expo
4. Use of Past Questions:
Past questions are the picture of the future. The future here speaks of the exam you are preparing for. Studying with past questions will act as a positive catalyst for your exam. The importance of past questions is that they help you to:
- Know the nature of questions to expect.
- Identify the dark spots in your textbooks.
- Take note of the frequently asked questions.
- Examine your level of preparation by putting yourself in the exam condition.
- Boosts your confidence.
Note: Most past questions pack have answers at the back. Do not check the answers before you solve the problems. Just make sure that you understand the Questions. You are advised to get Flashlearners Jamb App.
5. Identify Your Weak Point:
Like I always say, “telling yourself the truth is honesty but telling others is integrity.
Find out what works for you and what doesn’t. Find the subjects and topics you find very easy to learn. In addition, don’t run away from the ones giving you a tough time.
Do everything possible to give them a tough time too. Just imagine losing 80 marks in mathematics just because you fail to fall in love with it. Handle your weakness or your weakness will handle you.
6. Associate with Scholars:
Who you associate with determines whether you will dissociate or appreciate. There are people who add to your life, those that subtract from you, those that divide and those that multiply you.
Identify those who add to and multiply your success. There is nowhere you want to go that people haven’t gone to. Look for people whose realities are your dreams.
7. Learn Jamb Strategies:
There are things that don’t seem reasonable but are capable of making you responsible. Understand the following strategies:
- Any question you get wrong, there are people who will get it right.
- Some answers follow a pattern. This pattern can help you get the questions you don’t know the correct answers to.
- After every 30 minutes go back to the questions you think you have answered to be sure if you actually answered it correctly. Sometimes the brain deceives.
- Increase your speed and don’t leave any options blank.
8. Study Deep:
No matter the motivational books you have read on exam success, the efficacy of hard work cannot be overemphasised. Don’t study for Jamb the way you study newspapers.
Put in effort in your study. Study, but study wise. Make sure you understand every topic in Jamb Syllabus.
9. Be Up To Date:
Be up to date on your exam date and procedures. Don’t fail to read articles relating to exam success as well. Follow Jamb latest guide here.
10. Learn Success Skills:
Learn computer skills since Jamb is computer-based. Make sure to click the answers and confirm that you have ticked is correct. Don’t submit when you have not attempted all the subjects.
Recommended: how to pass jamb without expo
How To Pass Post UTME 2023
Post-UTME is very important when it comes to admission. In fact, Post UTME is more relevant than Jamb. Even with a high Jamb score, you can fail to gain admission if your score is low in Post Jamb (Post UTME).
After scoring high in Jamb, you need to also score high in Post UTME. For some schools, Post UTME score is 50% while Jamb score is the other 50%. Waec result is not counted in most schools (Just have it for clearance sake). To tackle post UTME this year, I have two beautiful articles:
University Admission! University Admission!! Your University Admission is sure. Share it with your friends. I will like to hear from you via the comment box below.
Recommended: How to score 350+ in Jamb easily
