Differences between UTME and Post UTME

Posted by Felix Okoli on Thursday March 20, 2014 at 13:12:16:

Any Student seeking to be admitted in any of the higher Institutions in Nigeria has to pass both the UTME and Post UTME entrance exams. The two exams serve as Entrance exams into Universities, Polytechnics ad Colleges of Educations in Nigeria. Due to the massive number of Students seeking to be admitted into various Higher Institutions in the Country, these two exams are conducted to help the Institutions choose the best Candidates to be offered admission to study in the School. Some People confuse these two entrance examinations, especially Students who are yet to sit for these exams.

UTME for which is a short form for Unified Tertiary Matriculation Exam is an annual entrance exam held for Students seeking for admission into different Institutions of Higher Learning in Nigeria. Candidates are expected to register for the exam Online after purchasing UTME registration card. During registration, the Candidate is expected to make a choice of the Institutions that He or She intends to go and study. The choice has to contain two Universities, two Polytechnics and two Colleges of Education. They are also expected to register four Subjects that they will write, though English Language is compulsory, the Candidate gets to choose three other Subjects relating to His choice of Course. For instance, a Candidate applying to study Law is expected to register English Language, Literature-in English, Government and Religious Studies. The entrance exam is usually conducted on Saturdays to enable all intending Candidates to sit for the exam and the exam takes place in various locations around the Country. The total score for the UTME is 400 and Students are expected t score at least 200 to proceed to sit for Post UTME.

On the other hand, Post UTME is an Entrance exam conducted by Various Higher Institutions for Students who chose their Institution during UTME Registration and scored and at least 200 in the UTME. Post UTME serves as the final screening test for the School to choose Candidates that will be admitted into the School for that Academic year. The Post UTME take place inside the school and it is the School that will determine the date for the exam, the number of Courses the Students will sit for and when the result will be released.

It is possible for a Candidate to pass the UTME entrance exam, and fail the Post UTME, when such happens; the Candidate is denied admission that year and is expected to retake both UTME and Post UTME the next year.

MAJOR DIFFERENCES BETWEEN UTME AND POST UTME:
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- UTME is a National entrance exam, while Post UTME is an entrance exam conducted by Various Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Educations.
- Candidates are expected to at least pass the UTME exams with a score of 200 before they can be qualified to write the Post UTME.
- UTME is held at several national exam vanues by a govt approved board while Post UTME is held at the campuses of the educational institutions by staff appointed by the schools.
- Post UTME can be held on different dates for different institutions while UTME is normally held on the same day throughout the country
- UTME is conducted by an independent body separate from the schools while POST UTME is normally held by staff appointed by the institutions in question.
- The same questions and marking scheme are used for the UTME while for POST UTME, the questions and marking scheme can be different