7 Proven Tips for Answering JAMB CBT Questions Quickly (Before Time Runs Out)

Imagine this scenario: You are sitting in the exam hall. The air conditioner is humming, the guy next to you is clicking his mouse aggressively, and you look up at the top right corner of your screen. The countdown timer is moving faster than a Lagos bus driver during rush hour.

Panic sets in. Your palms get sweaty. You start picking answers randomly just to finish.

We’ve all been there. The fear of “time up” is the biggest enemy of every JAMBite. But here is the truth: passing JAMB isn’t just about knowing the answers; it is about speed. If you know all the answers but only answer half the questions, you won’t hit that cut-off mark for UNILAG or UI.

You need a strategy. Here are my best tips for answering JAMB CBT questions quickly without sacrificing your accuracy.

Table of Contents

1. The “Low Hanging Fruit” Strategy

Most students make a rookie mistake: they start with Question 1, Subject 1, regardless of what it is.

If Physics is your nightmare, why start your exam with it? You will get stuck on a calculation, get frustrated, and lose confidence within the first 10 minutes.

Start with your strongest subject. If you are a wizard at Biology or Government, crush those first.

It boosts your confidence.
It secures easy marks quickly.
It saves time for the difficult calculations later.

2. Ditch the Mouse: Master the Keypad Shortcuts

This is a “cheat code” that many tutorial centers forget to teach.

Using the mouse to navigate and click options is slow. Sometimes the mouse is stiff, or the cursor lags. Every second you spend dragging the mouse is time wasted.

The JAMB CBT software is designed to work with the keyboard. Use these keys to fly through the questions:

A, B, C, D: To select your answer.
N: To go to the Next question.
P: To go to the Previous question.
S: To Submit (Be careful with this one!).

Once you master this, you won’t even look at the mouse. You’ll be tapping keys and moving twice as fast as the person sitting next to you.

3. The Art of Intelligent Guessing (Elimination)

Let’s be real. You won’t know the answer to every single question.

But please, don’t do “tum-bum-tum-bum” (blind guessing). That’s a recipe for failure. Instead, use the elimination method. usually, two options are obviously wrong.

If the question asks for a vector quantity and the options are: A) Mass B) Time C) Velocity D) Temperature

You know immediately that Mass, Time, and Temperature are scalar quantities. Even if you aren’t 100% sure what a vector is, you’ve eliminated the noise. According to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), CBT questions are randomized, but the logic remains the same. Narrow it down, then guess. Your odds go from 25% to 50%.

4. The English Language Trap

Here is where things get tricky. English has the most questions (60 questions compared to 40 for others). It also has comprehension passages that can be as long as a market list.

Do not read the comprehension passage word-for-word from the beginning.

Read the questions first.
Then scan the passage to find the answers.

If you try to read and understand the entire story about “Obi and the Yam Barn” before looking at the questions, you will burn 15 minutes. Scan for keywords. Be sharp.

5. The “Skipping” Rule: Don’t Fight a Losing Battle

There is always that one question that looks simple but refuses to be solved. You calculate it three times, and the answer is not in the options.

Leave it.

This is hard to do because your ego wants to solve it. But fighting with one question for 5 minutes is how people fail. Mark it for later and move on. If you have time at the end, come back to it. If not, pick an option and keep moving. Never leave a question blank, but don’t let one hard question stop you from answering ten easy ones.

6. Handling Technical Glitches (Without Panicking)

We live in Nigeria. Systems hang. Networks fluctuate. It happens.

If your computer freezes, do not start shouting or crying. Raise your hand quietly for an invigilator.

Usually, the timer pauses when the system logs you out, or the officials will account for the lost time. Panicking only scrambles your brain and makes you forget what you just read. Stay calm. It’s part of the process. Reports from The Punch often highlight these technical hiccups, but they also note that students who stay calm tend to resolve issues faster with invigilators.

7. The Final 5-Minute Sweep

Aim to finish the exam at least 5 to 10 minutes before the official “Stop Work” time.

Use this time to check the questions you skipped. Ensure you have selected an option for every single question. Remember, there is no negative marking in JAMB. If you leave it blank, you get zero. If you guess, you might get it right.

Final Words: Speed Means Nothing Without Accuracy

You might finish 30 minutes before everyone else, but if you rushed and clicked ‘A’ when you meant ‘B’, it’s a waste.

Being the first to leave the exam hall doesn’t grant you admission. High scores do. Combine these speed tips with serious study, and you won’t just be answering quickly; you’ll be answering correctly.

Good luck. You’ve got this!