25 Smart Ways To Pass JAMB Without Studying Hard or Cheating

Contrary to popular opinion, do you know that you can actually pass JAMB without studying like crazy and also without paying a dime for expo or runs?

In this guide,

You will see how to pass JAMB without studying hard but smart, right from your preparation to writing the exam and afterwards, plus real-life experiences of former JAMB candidates.

ALSO SEE: How To Register For JAMB

Yes, it is possible.

And you, too, can pass JAMB 2024 without studying as HARD as everyone else.

Aside from how to pass JAMB without studying hard, you’ll also be getting official answers to other JAMB related questions like:

• Is JAMB difficult to pass?
• How many questions are there in JAMB?
• What is a good JAMB score and why is it bad for my admission?
• How many hours does JAMB last?
• And many more.

Let’s begin,

What is a good JAMB score?

A good JAMB score is 200, and many believe that this is just the score they need because it meets the JAMB cut-off mark of all Nigerian institutions.

However,

There is a big difference between the JAMB score you need and the JAMB score you should want.

In this guide, you’ll also see how risky it is to score 200 in JAMB, why you must avoid this score and pass JAMB 2024 with higher score.

Is JAMB difficult to pass?

Short answer is NO.

But the truth of this answer depends on how well you apply each of these smart ways detailed below.

These 25 smart ways to pass JAMB without studying hard will be covered under the following stages:

• 16 ways to prepare for JAMB
• 9 tips for writing JAMB
• After JAMB, what next?

Let’s begin with the smart ways to prepare for and pass JAMB without studying hard or cheating.

Smart preparation to pass JAMB 2024

Click on any of the sixteen ways below to reach it FASTER.

#1. Choose your course wisely

A big mistake that many candidates make is their selection of a course during JAMB registration.

“Don’t aim for success if you want it, just do what you love and success will come naturally.”

— David Frost

Whatever course you register for in JAMB is the first determinant of whether you’d pass JAMB without studying hard or not.

Here’s why,

Your course determines your subject combination and it is the aggregate of your scores in each subject that determines your JAMB result.

How then can you choose a course that does not include your favourite subject in its JAMB subject combination and you expect to pass JAMB easily?

Let’s take an example.

Say your favourite subject is Agric. and you struggle with calculations but you are choosing to study Mechanical Engineering. Why?

The JAMB subject combination for Mechanical Engineering is English, Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics.

Agric., your favourite subject, is not even in the combination for Mechanical Engineering.

Physics and Mathematics have lots of calculations which you are NOT even good at.

Can you see how HARD you’d have to study?

What if you chose to study (let’s say) HORTICULTURE which will definitely require your favourite subject — Agric — as one of the JAMB combination?

First, you won’t need to study too hard to score up to 80 and above in Agric. because you are already a GURU in that subject.

Second, that course that requires your main favourite subject will also require your 2nd/3rd favourite subject in its combination.

For example.

HORTICULTURE requires English, Mathematics, Agriculture/Biology and Chemistry for JAMB.

And if your favourite subject is Agric., how hard will Biology or Chemistry be for you?

SUMMARY — choose a course that has more of your favourite subject(s) in its JAMB combination because you’d simply score higher in those subjects even without studying them too hard.

#2. Target a higher JAMB score

After choosing your course, your next step in the smart ways to pass JAMB without studying HARD is to aim higher than the average JAMB score of 200.

“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.”

— Norman Vincent Peale

Officially,

The JAMB score of 200 is the highest cut-off mark acceptable for admission in all tertiary institution in Nigeria.

But here’s the trick.

Most Universities (especially Federal) divide JAMB scores mercilessly to determine their departmental cut-off mark.

For example.

UNILAG divide JAMB scores by (8) which means that if you were a UNILAG aspirant with the JAMB score of just 200, divide that by 8 and you get 25.

Imagine what you will have to score in Post UTME plus your 25 to meet UNILAG cut-off mark for that your course.

Can you see why a “good” JAMB score of just 200 is risky?

Here is more,

Another risk is that just one mistake and your 200 falls below the official JAMB cut-off mark of your desired school.

SUMMARY — target a higher than average JAMB score because even if you later didn’t hit that high target, you will NEVER fall below 200.

#3. Share your target JAMB score

After targeting a high score, your next step in the smart ways to pass JAMB without studying HARD is to break down that score into smaller portions.

“Nothing is particularly hard when you divide it into small jobs”

— Henry Ford

Looking at your target JAMB score, what comes to your mind?

“Is this my target not too high? …maybe I should reduce it a bit.”

And you are right — the JAMB score you have targeted looks indeed high but that’s because…

You deserve a high score in JAMB, or don’t you?

You are looking at that your target as a BIG 3-digit whole number.

There’s a smart way to make that BIG JAMB score look smaller and even easier for you to achieve.

You have four subjects to take in JAMB, right?

Now take that your targeted high JAMB score and divide it by 4.

For example.

Let’s say you target to score 312 in your JAMB.

That’s (312 ÷ 4 = 78) which means you only need to score just 78 in each of your JAMB subjects.

For our Agric. GURU

Does it still look BIG?

Let’s break it down even further… 

Go ahead and take out some scores from those subjects that you are NOT too good at, and add it to the subjects that you are VERY good at.

Our Agric. GURU again.

SUMMARY — breakdown your targeted high JAMB score and share it among your JAMB subjects based on your strength in each subject.

#4. The earlier. The easier.

After sharing your high score, your next step in the smart ways to pass JAMB without studying HARD is to start studying early.

“Procrastination makes easy things hard and hard things harder.”

— Mason Cooley

Remember those Friday assignments in school that you often did on Sunday Nights or even Monday morning?

Remember how bad your handwriting was during that assignment rush and how you even failed questions that you’d have answered correctly on a good day?

Exactly.

Dying minutes come with extraordinary tension and preparing to pass JAMB 2024 under such tension will make you study HARD with frustration because there will be just too MUCH to read in too LITTLE a time.

You can reverse this case.

When you start studying for your JAMB as early as NOW, you’ll cover more of the syllabus with ease and even win yourself some free time to relax during the rush-hour of dying minutes.

SUMMARY — devote 1 or 2 hour(s) study time a day for the remaining few months to your JAMB exam because the earlier you start, the easier it gets and the lesser the tension.

#5. Don’t read WIDE!

After deciding to start studying now, your next step in the smart ways to pass JAMB without studying HARD is to NOT read wide.

“Focus is more important than intelligence.”

— Greg McKeown

Of course.

This is a controversial JAMB secret that many candidates don’t know or choose to ignore.

Let’s use English for our example.

1st Term in SS1, you probably did at least 10 topics in English, right?

Add that to the next 10 topics in English for your 2nd Term in that SS1 and the next 10 in your 3rd Term and that’s 30 topics in English for SS1 alone.

Now add that to the next 30 topics in English for SS2 and the next 30 in your SS3. That’s 90 topics for you to read in English ALONE!

What if you added the other 270 topics in your remaining 3 subjects in JAMB?

Brain Overload!

This is why JAMB gives you subject syllabus which contain selected topics where all your JAMB questions will come from.

SUMMARY — instead of reading wide to cover all the topics from your SS1 to SS3, read SMART by covering only those topics selected by JAMB in their syllabus for each of your subjects.

#6. Get JAMB recommended textbooks

These are textbooks recommended by JAMB for you to read on each of your subjects.

JAMB only recommended these textbooks because they were confirmed to contain quality explanations on all the topics in the JAMB syllabus for that your subject.

And you only need just ONE of those textbooks, but how can you get it?

See the full list of JAMB recommended textbooks for your subjects.

Buy one or two from a nearby bookshop.

Or you could borrow from a friend, your teacher or school library.

SUMMARY — read with any of the JAMB recommended textbooks but if you have a different textbook with good explanation but not on the recommended list, that’s also OK.

#7. Study at your best time

After getting the JAMB recommended textbook, your next step in the smart ways to pass JAMB without studying hard is to study at your own best time.

“To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom.”

— Socrates

Once upon time,

A young undergraduate decided to follow his friends to all-night reading.

Long story short.

He kept dozing off and waking up to read the same line of the same page on the same book over and over again till dawn.

The dozing even continued during the day because the night was wasted.

The young man was Sam
Sam was not smart
Don’t be like Sam

Some students are night readers, while others read better during the day (like Sam).

And even during these day/night times, there are different periods (early morning, late morning, afternoon, evening, midnight) for different students.

SUMMARY — read for JAMB at your OWN best time because it increases your ability to understand better. Even those frustrating topics will look friendlier at your best reading time.

#8. Study your favourite subject more

After deciding your best time to study, your next step in the smart ways to pass JAMB without studying hard is to …

“Focus On Your Strength, Not Your Weaknesses.”

— Gary Vaynerchuk

Remember our STEP #3 where you shared your targeted high JAMB score among your four subject combination?

Good.

The scores you assigned to each subject is the amount of time and focus you should devote on that subject.

Take this example.

Favourite subjects of our Agric. GURU

JAMB subject combination for the HORTICULTURE of our Agric. GURU

• English
• Mathematics
• Agriculture
• Chemistry

From the above,

Which of the JAMB subjects should our Agric. GURU read more on to score high in JAMB?

You might want to suggest that our Agric. GURU should improve on his main weakness (Mathematics), right?

Wrong.

If he was previously NOT good at Mathematics, studying that subject more will not make him any better but frustrated.

Your best option is to focus on your strengths (not your weaknesses) because it is easier to get better at what you are ALREADY good at, than trying to improve on what you were NEVER good at.

SUMMARY — not that you shouldn’t read your weak subjects at all but devote less time to them and read MORE of your favourite subjects.

#9. Blast the English

Use of English is compulsory for all JAMB candidates, no matter your course or school.

It may not be your favourite subject but JAMB English is one of the easiest to score high in if you know their format.

• They always have questions from the JAMB novel, comprehension, lexis and structure and orals.

Since it is compulsory and quite the easiest, a high mark in English can shoot your overall JAMB score to the skies.

Do you need help with this step?

See How To Score High In JAMB Use of English this year

#10. Past questions are the real EXPO

Your next step in the smart ways to pass JAMB without studying hard is to study past questions.

History repeats itself.

— George Elliot

JAMB has been conducting UTME for over 42 years now and has accumulated more than 2000 past questions on each subject so far.

So if you have ever thought that JAMB repeat questions, you are absolutely RIGHT.

Although, these repetitions are NOT word-for-word. The questions can be reframed, or the options reshuffled.

Either way,

JAMB repeats 70% of their past questions every single year.

This means that 35 out of every 50 questions in the your JAMB has been asked before in the previous JAMB.

So while JAMB syllabus gives you the 1st expo on the exact topics that your questions will come from…

JAMB past questions give you the next expo on how those questions will look like and how often some questions on a particular topic are repeated.

Here’s a smart way to prepare for their repetition this year.

Pick at random 5 years of JAMB past questions each

• 5 from 1978 – 1988
• 5 from 1988 – 1998
• 5 from 1998 – 2008
• 5 from 2008 – 2018

Study these 20 years of JAMB past questions and you’d get their trick.

SUMMARY — study JAMB past questions on your subjects to understand their pattern and pick out the frequently asked topics to read more on.

#11. Practice JAMB CBT

After choosing to study past questions, your next step in the smart ways to pass JAMB without studying HARD is to practice CBT.

“Practice makes perfect”

— John Adams

JAMB gives you only 2 hours to answer a total of (at least) 200 questions.

Let’s break it down,

• 2 hours for 200 questions
• 1 hour for 100 questions
• 30 minutes for 50 questions

Which means that you only have 30 minutes to finish EACH of your subject.

Let’s go even break it further…

• 30 minutes for 50 questions
• 15 minutes for 25 questions
• 0.6 minute for 1 question

Which means that in order for the 2 hours to be enough for all your 200 questions, you have to answer each JAMB question in less than 1 minute.

But how can you be this fast?

Practice JAMB CBT.

What is JAMB CBT?

CBT is an acronym for Computer Based Test. Therefore, JAMB CBT means that all the questions in your JAMB exam will be asked and answered using a computer.

Cool, right?

There is just one major disadvantage of CBT method, and that is, the time is automatic and every second that passes can NEVER be gotten back.

No extra time.

No “abeg”.

Practicing JAMB CBT will help you master how to manage your 2-hour exam time efficiently.

How to practice JAMB CBT

If you have a smartphone, download JAMB prep — it is an offline and free JAMB CBT practice app.

NOTE — Other CBT app may ask you to pay an activation fee before accessing some features but we found JAMB prep to be completely FREE OF CHARGE.

If you don’t have a smartphone, here’s how you can practice JAMB CBT without a phone or app.

• Get the JAMB past questions on your subject.
• Get a timer (wristwatch or wall clock).
• Open the past questions to the year you wish to attempt.
• Give yourself 30 minutes for each subject.
• START PRACTICING!

Remember that the goal of practicing JAMB CBT is to perfect your time management skill.

So whichever option you choose to practice with, try to finish the questions on or before the required time.

If you don’t meet up with the time while practicing, you can always try again and again, until you get faster.

#12. Go for CBT training

As you already know, JAMB exam is Computer-Based and so it is essential that you know how to use a computer.

Take note.

Practicing JAMB CBT is not the same as CBT training.

This is because your phone has a keypad and screen, but it does not have a MOUSE which is an essential part of the computer that you’d use for your JAMB exam.

However…

For your CBT training, you do NOT need to learn about Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint or CorelDraw.

What you need is the basic training on how to use the computer mouse, keyboard and screen.

SUMMARY — If you already know how to use these computer parts, KUDOS! But if not, attend a CBT training where you stay or see our Free JAMB CBT Training online on how to use the computer for your JAMB.

#13. Consider JAMB lesson

After deciding your level of computer usage, your next step in the smart ways to pass JAMB without studying hard is to consider JAMB lesson.

“Be strong enough to stand alone, smart enough to know when you need help, and brave enough to ask for it.”

— Ziad K. Abdelnour

Studying on your own is the best but sometimes you may encounter those stubborn topics that will prove difficult to understand on your own.

What do you do then?

You can either consult a friend who is better in that subject or find a teacher and ask for help.

A teacher is often your better option and one of the best places to find your JAMB subject teacher is in JAMB lesson centres.

NOTE — JAMB lesson centres will require a small fee which may vary depending on your area.

How much is JAMB lesson?

The amount charged for JAMB lesson near you depends on the School or Tutorial Centre and their location.

Secondary schools often charge a lesser fee of about N300 – N500 per lesson day while Tutorial centres may charge up to N1,000 for compulsory subjects.

However,

If you’d like free JAMB lesson, especially on compulsory subjects, access our FREE online JAMB lesson on English and Mathematics to start learning now.

SUMMARY — consider attending a JAMB lesson especially if there are many important topics that you are finding hard to understand in your JAMB subjects.

#14. Join JAMB study groups

After considering JAMB lesson, your next step in the smart ways to pass JAMB without studying hard is join study groups.

“Together Everyone Achieves More”

Full Meaning — TEAM

Once again,

Studying on your own is the best but studying with others is FUN and your brain will remember fun faster and for long.

The fun of friends will keep your memory fresh on those discussed topics.

Studying in a group also helps you cover more of the syllabus because you’ll be exposed to many areas that you may not have read yet.

SUMMARY — many JAMB groups exist on WhatsApp, Telegram and Facebook. Join only the relevant ones.

We have a Facebook Study Group to this regard and you can join by CLICKING HERE.

#15. Go for JAMB mock exam

JAMB mock exam is usually held a week or two before your main JAMB exam.

This is done to prepare you on some of the smart ways we’ve discussed earlier.

• Past questions
• Practice CBT
• CBT training

Many JAMB mock questions are drawn (at random) from the previous JAMB questions.

This means that you’ll be exposed to past questions which are likely to be repeated in your main JAMB exam.

JAMB mock exam will be done with all the features of JAMB CBT and this will provide you with a “safe” environment to test your Time Management Skill.

And due to its CBT nature,

JAMB mock exam will also provide you a firsthand experience on how to use the computer for your main JAMB exam.

SUMMARY — go for JAMB mock, especially if you haven’t finished the past questions, couldn’t go for CBT training or didn’t practice JAMB CBT.

But if you cannot go for the JAMB mock exam, that’s OK.

There are no punishments for mock absentees, just remember to go for the main JAMB exam.

#16. Visit your centre beforehand

On your JAMB exam slip, you will see the centre or venue assigned to you for your exam.

You are advised to visit your JAMB exam centre before your exam day to get familiar with the following:

• directions to the exam centre.
• which bus or street to take.
• the time it takes to reach the centre.

SUMMARY — if your centre is far from where you stay, find a 1-night accommodation closer to your JAMB centre and pass the night before your exam day there.

9 success tips for writing your JAMB exam

On the day of your JAMB exam, here are the smart tips to improve your chances of scoring high in JAMB.

Click on any of the tips below to reach it FASTER.

• Don’t forget your exam materials
• Reach your centre on time
• Focus 100%
• Start with your favourite subject(s)
• Do subjects with calculations last
• Skip questions you don’t know
• Crosscheck your answers
• Guessing is better than blank
• Submit only when you are done

#1. Don’t forget your exam materials

Exam materials include your JAMB exam slip and pencil.

The original (coloured) copy of your exam slip will be required at your centre.

JAMB may be 100% computer-based but you’d still need to sign your attendance or even solve some complex calculations manually.

An on-screen calculator will be provided on your computer. So do NOT go with any calculator or sheet of paper (except your exam slip) to avoid implicating yourself.

#2. Reach your exam centre on time

Arriving on time for your exam will reduce your exam tension and give you more time to revise your study or get familiar with your exam environment.

It is better to be three hours too soon, than a minute too late.

#3. Focus 100 percent

Once you click “Start Exam”, your time starts counting. Pay FULL attention to your own work and nothing else.

Your bestie (or any other person) can wait until you are done with your own questions.

#4. Start with your favourite subject

You’ve already mastered your favourite subject and that makes it easier for you to answer FAST.

Finish your favourite subject fast and you’d have saved some extra time for your remaining subjects.

#5. Do subject(s) with calculations last

Unless Maths, Physics, or Account is your favourite subject, choose to answer them after you are done with the other subjects.

This is because starting with calculation will slow you down and take too much of the time meant for the other subjects.

It’s better to calmly finish the subjects that you are good at and rush the remaining than to spend too much time on other subjects with little or no more time left for your favourite subject.

#6. Skip questions you don’t know

When you don’t know or can’t remember the answer to a question, skip it and come back later.

What is the point of wasting your time on a question that you don’t know when there are other questions that you know but yet to answer?

#7. Crosscheck your answers

Before you submit, the computer screen will show you the total number of questions, both answered and unanswered.

Click on the unanswered questions that you might have skipped on purpose or by mistake and attempt them all.

#8. Guessing is better than blank

If, at the end, you still don’t know or can’t remember the answer to that stubborn question, pick any of the option as your answer.

Your guess has a chance of being correct but if you leave the question unanswered, that chance is zero.

#9. Submit ONLY when you are done

“The good news about computers is that they do what you tell them to do. The bad news is that they do what you tell them to do.”

— Ted Nelson

Once you click on that “Submit” button, there is no going back or trying again.

So be 100% sure that you are done with all your JAMB questions before you click on SUBMIT.

What to do after your JAMB exam

Once you’re done with your JAMB exam, the next thing is to patiently wait for the results to be out.

You will be able to check your JAMB result within a week or two after your exam.

However,

Beware of fraudsters both before and after your JAMB exam. They will come in form of JAMB expo dealers and JAMB result upgraders.

Anybody can sit at home, write (1. A 2. D 3. B 4. D… 50. C) from nowhere and call it expo or runs.

JAMB questions are different for every candidate, so how did that JAMB expo dealer know all the correct answers to your OWN particular questions?

Conclusion

Shun all malpractices in JAMB because you will most likely be caught.

Those JAMB exam centres were accredited for many reasons and one is that those tiny CCTV cameras in their halls are working.

How else do you think JAMB gets the list of candidates whose results were cancelled due to malpractices every year?

You don’t have to commit exam malpractices to pass JAMB 2024 nor do you need to study like crazy.

Just study SMART instead by following the above steps and your legit exam success is guaranteed!

GOOD LUCK.

Do you have any comment(s) on these smart ways to pass JAMB without studying hard? Drop it below and our staff, other JAMB experts or fellow candidates will reply you.