If someone had told me that I would write JAMB five times before getting admission, I would have laughed. I used to believe that smart students pass on their first attempt. But life had different plans for me.

Looking back, I can’t count how many times I cried, felt hopeless, and watched my mates move on while I remained stuck in the same spot. Five years of failure. Five years of regret. Five years of feeling like I was not good enough.

But somehow, I finally made it. And today, I want to share my story with you. If you’re about to write JAMB, please learn from my mistakes so that you don’t waste years like I did.

My First Attempt – Overconfidence Destroyed Me

I can still remember the day I walked into the JAMB exam hall for the first time. I was full of confidence, feeling like a genius who didn’t need to study too hard. After all, I had passed my WAEC with good grades, and I believed that JAMB wouldn’t be any different.

The truth? I was lying to myself.

Before the exam, my parents had begged me to take my preparation seriously. My elder sister, who was already in 300 level at the University of Ibadan, warned me:

“Tunde, JAMB is not like secondary school exams. You have to study past questions and practice on a computer.”

But I ignored them. I thought, “How hard can it be? I’ve always been a smart student. I’ll just revise a little, and I’ll be fine.”

Instead of dedicating myself to proper study, I spent most of my time watching movies, chatting on WhatsApp, and playing games on my phone. The only time I touched my books was a few days before the exam, and even then, I just flipped through my notebooks without really understanding anything.

I was so confident that I didn’t even bother to check the JAMB syllabus. I assumed that if I could answer the questions in my school exams, I would easily pass JAMB. I was so wrong.

The Exam Day – Reality Hit Me Hard

On the morning of the exam, I left the house feeling relaxed. My dad wished me luck, and my mom prayed for me, but deep inside, I didn’t think I needed any luck. I believed I was ready.

When I arrived at the CBT center, I saw other candidates frantically revising their notes, but I just smiled, thinking, “These people are stressing themselves for nothing.”

I walked into the exam hall with so much confidence—but the moment the computer screen displayed the first set of questions, my heart sank.

I didn’t recognize most of the questions. My mind went blank. Some of the topics looked like they were written in a foreign language. I scrolled through the questions, searching for familiar ones, but the more I clicked, the more I panicked.

I realized that I had made the biggest mistake of my life.

I had spent months playing instead of preparing, and now, the consequences were staring me in the face.

The Struggle – Wishing I Could Turn Back Time

I started sweating, even though the exam hall was fully air-conditioned. My fingers shook as I tried to click the right answers.

I thought I had understood Mathematics, but the calculations looked strange. I was good in English, but I had never seen some of the comprehension passages before. The Physics and Chemistry questions? It was like they were written for professors, not students.

I checked the time—only 30 minutes left, and I had barely answered half of the questions. My heartbeat raced. I felt like standing up and running out of the hall.

At that moment, I realized what my sister meant when she said JAMB was different. The questions were not just about memorizing facts; they required deep understanding and critical thinking.

For the first time, I felt stupid.

The Painful Realization

When I finally clicked “Submit”, I knew I had failed. I didn’t need to see my result to know.

I walked out of the hall, avoiding eye contact with anyone. My confidence had vanished, replaced by shame and regret. I saw some candidates discussing the answers excitedly, while others looked worried—but deep inside, I already knew my fate.

I got home, and my mom asked, “Tunde, how was it?”

I forced a smile and said, “It was okay.”

But the truth? It was a disaster.

The Result – My First JAMB Failure

The day JAMB released the results, I was too scared to check. I kept delaying, hoping that somehow, my score would magically be good.

Finally, my sister grabbed my phone, entered my JAMB registration number, and checked my result.

172.

I froze. I had failed.

I had barely crossed 170, and it wasn’t even close to the cut-off mark for the university I wanted. I felt my whole world collapse in that moment.

Tears filled my eyes, but I didn’t want my family to see me cry. I locked myself in my room and stared at the screen in disbelief.

How did this happen?

How did I mess up this badly?

What will people say?

I felt ashamed, useless, and completely broken.

The Regret – Wishing I Had Taken It Seriously

That night, I couldn’t sleep. I kept thinking about all the times I wasted, the moments I should have studied but didn’t.

• The nights I stayed up watching movies instead of reading.
• The times I spent playing FIFA instead of solving past questions.
• The moments I scrolled through social media instead of checking my syllabus.

I remembered how I laughed at my classmates who took their studies seriously, thinking I was smarter than them. But now, they were moving forward, and I was stuck, left behind in shame.

It hit me hard: I had no one to blame but myself.

The Lesson – Never Underestimate JAMB

That first JAMB failure taught me a painful but valuable lesson—JAMB is not an exam you joke with.

I realized that passing JAMB is not about intelligence alone—it is about preparation, discipline, and strategy. No matter how smart you are, if you don’t prepare properly, JAMB will humble you.

I told myself, “Next year will be different. I will prepare well and pass.”

But unfortunately, I still made more mistakes in my second attempt…

Second Attempt – Falling for JAMB Expo

After the painful failure of my first JAMB attempt, I told myself that the next time would be different. I was determined to do better, to redeem myself and prove that I was not a failure.

But instead of learning from my past mistakes and studying the right way, I made a worse mistake—one that wasted another year of my life.

This time, I fell for the JAMB Expo trap.

The Desperation – Looking for a Shortcut

After scoring 172 in my first attempt, I was too embarrassed to tell my friends. Most of them had scored 230 and above and were already processing their admission. I avoided them because I couldn’t stand hearing them talk about life in university while I was stuck at home.

I told myself, “Tunde, you cannot afford to fail again.”

But instead of sitting down and preparing properly, I started looking for easier ways to pass. Everywhere I went, people talked about JAMB Expo.

• “If you pay ₦10,000, you will get the questions before the exam.”
• “I know a guy that has the real questions, and they’re 100% correct.”
• “With JAMB Runz, you can even write the exam from home!”

At first, I didn’t believe it, but the fear of failure clouded my judgment. I didn’t want to go through another year of disappointment, so I convinced myself that maybe these people were right.

I started asking questions, and soon, I found someone who claimed he had the “real” JAMB questions.

The Fake Expo – Wasting Money on Lies

The guy I met was very convincing. He showed me screenshots of previous JAMB questions and even sent me testimonies from “students” who claimed they passed with his expo.

“Just send ₦10,000, and I’ll give you the real questions a night before the exam,” he told me.

I hesitated at first, but the fear of failing again made me take the risk. I quickly sent the money. That night, I couldn’t sleep—I kept refreshing my WhatsApp, waiting for the expo questions.

Finally, around 2 AM, he sent me a PDF file. My heart raced with excitement. I printed the document and memorized as many answers as possible before leaving for the exam.

I was so sure that this time, I would score 300 and above.

The Exam – The Moment of Truth

I walked into the JAMB hall feeling confident, holding my head high, convinced that this time, I had outsmarted the system.

But the moment I opened the computer screen, my world came crashing down.

The questions were completely different from the expo I had memorized.

My hands started shaking. I scrolled through the exam, desperately looking for at least one question that matched what I had read. Nothing.

I felt like crying right there in the exam hall. The expo guy had deceived me. I had wasted my money, my time, and my future.

I panicked and started guessing answers, clicking random options, hoping to get lucky. But deep down, I already knew the truth—I had failed again.

The Pain of Realization

After submitting the exam, I didn’t wait to talk to anyone. I just walked straight home, locked my door, and cried.

I kept replaying everything in my head. How could I be so stupid? How did I let myself believe that JAMB expo was real? I had let fear and desperation push me into a trap.

A week later, the result came out.

194.

Better than the first one, but still not enough for the university I wanted. Another year gone.

I was too ashamed to tell my parents the truth—that I had wasted money on fake expo. I just told them, “I tried my best, but it wasn’t enough.”

The Lesson – Expo Will Always Fail You

That year, I learned the hardest truth—there is no shortcut to success.

• JAMB Expo is a lie. Most of the so-called “real questions” are either fake or random past questions.
• The people selling expo are scammers. They collect your money and disappear or send you wrong answers.
• Even if you get the real questions, JAMB will catch you. Their AI systems can detect patterns in copied answers and flag candidates who cheat.

But despite all the pain, I still didn’t get it right the next year…

Third Attempt – Studying the Wrong Way

By the time I was preparing for my third JAMB, I was angry at myself for making so many mistakes in the past. I had been lazy and careless in my first attempt, and in my second, I fell for the JAMB Expo scam.

I told myself, “This time, I will do things differently.”

And I did. But I still failed.

Why? Because I was studying the wrong way.

The Fear of Another Failure

By now, my parents were tired of my excuses. My dad, who had been very supportive in my first two attempts, started getting frustrated.

“Tunde, how long will you continue writing JAMB? Your younger brother is about to write his first one!”

That statement broke me. It reminded me that while I was still stuck trying to cross the JAMB hurdle, my mates were moving forward.

I was determined to prove to everyone that this would be my last JAMB.

I bought textbooks, notebooks, and even downloaded JAMB apps on my phone. Every morning, I told myself, “Today, I must study for six hours.” But by evening, I would realize that I had only read for about an hour—the rest of the time, I had spent on my phone, watching random videos on YouTube.

I thought I was studying, but I wasn’t doing it the right way.

Reading Without a Plan

I made the biggest mistake most JAMB candidates make—I read randomly without a clear focus.

Instead of using the official JAMB syllabus, I studied from random textbooks that were not even structured for the UTME exam. I kept jumping from one subject to another, reading without understanding.

I spent too much time on subjects I was already good at—like English and Government—but avoided my weak subjects, like Mathematics and Chemistry.

I told myself, “I will read everything,” but in reality, I was just reading for the sake of reading.

Not Practicing with CBT Software

One of my biggest mistakes was not practicing with CBT past questions.

JAMB had switched to computer-based testing, but I was still using paper past questions, solving them as if I was writing an SSCE exam.

I didn’t time myself, I didn’t practice under exam conditions, and I didn’t get familiar with how to navigate a computer-based test.

The result? On the day of the exam, I struggled.

The Exam – Panic Mode Activated

I walked into the CBT center thinking I had done enough preparation, but my heart sank when I realized that I had made another mistake.

The timer was moving too fast.

JAMB gives two hours for four subjects, but because I had never practiced under real exam conditions, I wasted time on the first few questions, not realizing how fast the clock was ticking.

By the time I got to my last subject, I had only 15 minutes left.

Panic mode activated.

I started rushing my answers, clicking randomly, hoping for a miracle. I left many questions unanswered.

By the time I submitted, I knew I had messed up again.

The Result – Another Painful Failure

When my result came out, I scored 201.

Better than my previous attempts, but still not enough for Medicine, which was my dream course.

That night, I cried myself to sleep.

I was tired. Three JAMB attempts, and still no admission.

I started questioning myself.

• Maybe I’m just not good enough.
• Maybe university is not for me.
• Maybe I should just give up.

The worst part? My younger brother wrote JAMB for the first time that same year—and passed!

I was so ashamed that I couldn’t even celebrate his success.

The Lesson – Studying Hard is Not the Same as Studying Smart

I realized that just because I spent hours reading, it didn’t mean I was preparing effectively.

• I was studying without a plan.
• I wasn’t using the JAMB syllabus.
• I didn’t practice past questions properly.
• I never timed myself during practice.

JAMB is not about how much you read—it’s about how well you prepare.

But at that time, I still didn’t fully understand this.

So, in my fourth JAMB attempt, I made another terrible mistake…

Fourth Attempt – Depression and Giving Up

By the time I was preparing for my fourth JAMB, I was no longer the confident, hopeful student I once was.

I was tired.

I was frustrated.

And deep inside, I was slowly giving up on my dreams.

The Weight of Repeated Failure

When my third JAMB result came out (201), I couldn’t hide my disappointment and shame.

At first, my parents tried to be understanding, but now, I could see the frustration on their faces.

“Tunde, what is the problem?” my dad asked one evening. “Why are you still struggling with JAMB?”

I had no answer.

My mom was more emotional. She sat beside me and said, “My son, I know you are trying, but do you want to continue like this? Maybe JAMB is not for you.”

That statement broke me completely.

Even my own mother had started to lose faith in me.

The worst part? My younger brother had gained admission into university while I was still at home.

I had to watch him resume school, wear his matriculation gown, and move on with his life—while I remained stuck, left behind in failure.

Every time he came home with stories about university life, I felt like a complete failure.

I stopped picking calls from old friends because I was tired of answering the same questions:

• “Tunde, which university are you now?”
• “You never enter school?”
• “You dey write JAMB again this year?”

I felt ashamed of myself.

I avoided family gatherings because I didn’t want to hear my uncles and aunties ask, “What are you doing with your life now?”

Deep down, I felt useless.

I Lost the Will to Fight

By the time the next JAMB registration came, I had lost all motivation to prepare.

I no longer cared. I was tired of trying and failing.

Instead of reading, I spent my days watching movies, scrolling through social media, and sleeping all day.

I kept telling myself, “What’s the point? Even if I try, I will still fail.”

I even started considering dropping out of the admission race completely.

• Maybe university is not for me.
• Maybe I should just start learning a trade.
• Maybe I should just get a small job and forget education.

I started isolating myself, spending most of my time in my room, doing nothing.

I didn’t know it at the time, but I had fallen into deep depression.

The Fourth Exam – A Disconnected Mind

When the JAMB exam day finally came, I went to the CBT center, but my heart wasn’t in it.

I didn’t bother practicing past questions.

I didn’t revise important topics.

I just walked into the hall and sat in front of the computer, staring at the screen like a zombie.

I answered some questions, guessed the rest, and submitted.

I didn’t even wait to check my answers. I just left the hall, already knowing what the result would look like.

I had written JAMB with a defeated mindset, and the result showed it.

A week later, the result came out:

198.

The lowest I had ever scored since my second attempt.

But the truth?

I didn’t even feel anything.

No pain. No regret.

Just emptiness.

At that point, I had completely given up on ever getting admission.

The Moment That Changed Everything

One evening, as I sat outside, staring at nothing, my uncle (who had been watching me struggle for years) came to sit beside me.

He sighed and said, “Tunde, you are not a failure. You just don’t know how to pass JAMB. If you change your approach, I promise you, this will be your last JAMB.”

At first, I didn’t believe him.

But then, he said something that changed my entire mindset:

“JAMB is not about intelligence. It is about STRATEGY.”

He explained to me that many smart students fail JAMB not because they are dull, but because they don’t know the right way to study for it.

He told me:

• “You need to study past questions properly, not just read them randomly.”
• “You need to practice with CBT software, so the exam format won’t confuse you.”
• “You need to time yourself while practicing, so you don’t waste time in the real exam.”
• “You need to focus on your weak subjects, not just the ones you enjoy.”

For the first time in years, I felt hope again.

For the first time in years, I wanted to try again—but this time, the right way.

And that was how I started preparing for my fifth and final JAMB attempt…

Fifth Attempt – Changing My Mindset and Strategy

After four painful JAMB failures, I knew that if I was going to write JAMB again, things had to change completely.

I had already wasted four years, and I couldn’t afford to waste another.

This time, I listened to my uncle’s advice and completely changed my approach.

This time, I was determined to win.

Step 1: Fixing My Mindset

The first thing my uncle told me was that passing JAMB is not just about reading—it’s about reading the right way.

He said, “Tunde, your biggest problem is not your intelligence. Your biggest problem is your mindset. You already believe you will fail before even trying.”

And he was right.

I had given up mentally, and that was why I performed poorly in my fourth attempt.

So, I started telling myself every day:

• “I can do this.”
• “This will be my last JAMB.”
• “I am good enough.”

I wrote those words on a piece of paper and stuck it on my wall, so I could see them every morning.

For the first time in years, I believed in myself again.

Step 2: Studying the Right Way

This was where I made the biggest change.

Instead of just reading aimlessly like before, I followed a strategic plan:

1. I focused on JAMB past questions – Instead of just reading textbooks randomly, I practiced past questions every single day.
2. I used JAMB CBT software – I stopped using paper past questions and started using a computer-based test (CBT) app to practice under real exam conditions.
3. I created a study timetable – I dedicated specific times to each subject, making sure I covered all topics.
4. I worked on my weak subjects – In the past, I avoided Mathematics and Chemistry because I was weak in them. This time, I forced myself to focus on them until I became better.
5. I started timing myself – Every time I practiced, I set a two-hour timer, just like the real exam, so I could train myself to answer questions faster.

For the first time, I was studying smart, not just studying hard.

Step 3: Learning to Manage Exam Pressure

Another mistake I made in my previous attempts was panicking during the exam.

My uncle taught me a trick: “Always start with the easy questions first.”

He explained that when you see a difficult question, don’t waste time stressing over it. Move on, answer the easy ones first, and then come back to it later.

This simple advice changed everything for me.

For the first time, I felt prepared—not just academically, but mentally.

The Exam – Walking in with Confidence

On the morning of the exam, I felt different.

This time, I wasn’t just hoping to pass—I was ready to pass.

I entered the CBT hall, took a deep breath, and started answering my questions using the strategy I had practiced.

I didn’t panic.

I didn’t waste time on difficult questions.

I followed my plan, and before I knew it, I was clicking ‘Submit’ with confidence.

As I walked out of the hall, I felt something I hadn’t felt in five years—peace.

For the first time, I didn’t feel like a failure.

The Result – My Highest Score Ever

A few days later, JAMB released the results.

I was too scared to check it myself, so my younger brother helped me.

When he saw my score, he jumped up and shouted:

“Tunde! You scored 253!”

I couldn’t believe it.

For a moment, I just stood there, staring at the screen, my hands shaking.

253.

After five long years of failure, I had finally done it.

I had finally crossed the line.

I broke down in tears—but this time, they were tears of joy.

Final Victory – I Got Admission at Last

A few months later, I received an email from Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU).

I had been offered admission to study Biochemistry.

It wasn’t Medicine, the course I had originally wanted, but at that point, I didn’t care.

I had finally won the battle.

After five years of pain, regret, and disappointment, I was finally entering university.

When I walked into my first lecture hall on my first day at OAU, I smiled to myself and whispered:

“I made it.”

Final Words – Learn From My Mistakes

If you’re reading this and you’re about to write JAMB, please learn from my mistakes so you don’t waste years like I did.

• Don’t underestimate JAMB. Take your preparation seriously from the beginning.
• Forget about expo. It is a scam and will only waste your time and money.
• Study the right way. Use past questions, practice with CBT apps, and focus on weak subjects.
• Train yourself to manage time. Use a stopwatch when practicing, so you don’t run out of time in the exam.
• Believe in yourself. Your mindset matters. If you think you will fail, you probably will. If you believe you can pass, you will find a way to succeed.

I wasted five years because of pride, shortcuts, and poor preparation. But I finally made it—and so can you.

JAMB is not a monster. If you prepare the right way, you can pass in just one attempt.

Don’t wait five years like I did. Start preparing now, and make this your last JAMB.

If my story helps even one person avoid the pain I went through, then sharing it was worth it.

You can make it. You will make it. Just don’t give up.