JAMB’s 2026 official training manual specifies that UTME consists of 180 multiple-choice questions — 60 in Use of English plus 40 in each of the candidate’s three other subjects — taken in two hours.
Understand your four subjects
Your combination is Use of English plus three subjects you choose. Build a preparation plan covering all four. Spending most of your time on your favourite subject is the most common self-inflicted wound in UTME prep.
Do the arithmetic on your time
180 questions in two hours averages out to roughly forty seconds per question, including reading. That number is worth internalising early, because it changes how you practise: a method that reliably takes you three minutes is not a method you can use on the day.
Practise questions early
Do not wait until the final weeks. Use practice questions from the start to find weak areas while there is still time to fix them.
Develop speed gradually
Speed comes from familiarity, not rushing. Practise:
- Understanding what a question asks quickly
- Eliminating clearly wrong options
- Not overthinking questions you already know
- Moving on from a question that has stalled
- Returning to skipped questions when time allows
Use of English needs consistent attention
With 60 of the 180 questions in the 2026 structure, Use of English is a third of your paper. Treat it as a subject you practise weekly, not something to cram at the end.
Do not neglect the other three
Each of your other subjects carries 40 questions. Together they are two thirds of the paper. Your timetable should show all four.
Simulate the exam
Occasionally sit a full set under timed conditions with your phone away. Then review the result properly — not just the score, but where the time went.