The Essential Recommended Textbooks for JAMB 2026 (Science/Art/Commercial) to Smash 300+

The Essential Recommended Textbooks for JAMB 2026 (Science/Art/Commercial) to Smash 300+

If you have ever stood in a Nigerian bookshop, you know the confusion.

You ask for a Chemistry textbook, and the seller brings out five different books with colorful covers, all claiming to be the “key to success.” One looks like a pamphlet, the other looks like a dictionary. Which one do you pick?

Making the wrong choice here is dangerous. I’ve seen brilliant students fail JAMB not because they didn’t read, but because they read the wrong things. They studied topics that JAMB stopped setting questions on ten years ago.

You don’t have to make that mistake.

To hit that 300+ score and secure your admission into schools like UNILAG or OOU, you need the right tools. Here is the breakdown of the recommended textbooks for JAMB 2026 that actually work.

The “Holy Grail”: The Syllabus & The Novel

Before you buy any textbook, understand this: JAMB does not set questions from the sky. They set questions based on their syllabus.

Every year, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) releases a syllabus. Your textbook is useless if it doesn’t cover the topics in that syllabus.

Also, for Use of English, there is always a compulsory novel. In recent years, it has been The Life Changer by Khadija Abubakar Jalli. For 2026, keep your ears on the ground. Once JAMB announces the novel, buy it immediately. Don’t rely on summaries you find online; read the book line by line.

Science Department (The Heavyweights)

If you are a science student, your textbooks are your life support. You cannot “whine” Physics. You either know the formula, or you don’t.

1. Physics

• New School Physics by M.W. Anyakoha: We call this the “P.N. Okeke” of our time (though P.N. Okeke is the author of a different classic). It is comprehensive. The calculations are brutal, but if you can solve the examples here, JAMB questions will look like child’s play.

• Comprehensive Physics: Good for understanding the theory if calculations scare you.

2. Chemistry

• New School Chemistry by Osei Yaw Ababio: This is the bible of Chemistry in West Africa. Honestly, if you don’t have “Ababio,” are you even a science student? It breaks down organic chemistry in a way that actually makes sense.

3. Biology

• Modern Biology by Sarojini T. Ramalingam: It is bulky, yes. But it covers everything from cell theory to genetics.

• Explicit Biology: This is excellent for revision because it arranges topics strictly according to the JAMB pattern.

Art Department (The Readers)

For the Arts students, your challenge is volume. You have a lot to read.

1. Literature-in-English This is tricky. The texts (drama, poetry, prose) change every few years in a cycle with WAEC.

• Exam Focus Literature-in-English: This is usually updated to explain the poems and plays currently in the syllabus.

• Tip: Do not just buy the analysis books. Buy the actual plays and novels (e.g., The Lion and the Jewel or Look Back in Anger—depending on the cycle). Read the original text first.

2. Government

• Comprehensive Government by Ibiyemi: It covers the history of Nigeria’s politics from the pre-colonial era to the current republic in detail.

• Essential Government: Easier to read, straight to the point.

3. CRS/IRS

• The Holy Bible / The Holy Quran: It sounds funny, but this is your primary source.

• Essential Christian Religious Knowledge: It helps you structure the stories and themes exactly how examiners ask them.

Commercial Department (The Calculators)

You are in the middle—a mix of reading and calculation.

1. Economics

• Comprehensive Economics by J.U. Anyaele: This book is legendary. The definitions are precise.

• Economics by A.J. Uwaiban: Great for understanding the graphs and curves that confuse people in the exam hall.

2. Principles of Accounts

• Essential Financial Accounting: It simplifies the “Debit and Credit” rules that give students headaches.

The “Invisible” Textbook: Past Questions

Here is a secret most tutors won’t tell you for free.

You can buy all the textbooks listed above and still score 180. Why? Because textbooks teach you the topic, but they don’t teach you how JAMB asks the question.

You need a Past Question Series (like Lamlad or the Jambite App).

Don’t just cram the answers (that’s the “la cram la pour” trap). Study the pattern. You will notice that JAMB repeats questions, sometimes just changing the numbers. According to reports from The Guardian Nigeria, students who practice with past questions consistently score 40% higher than those who only read textbooks.

A Warning on “Keypoints”

You might be tempted to buy those tiny, pocket-sized books called “Keypoints.”

Please, don’t do it.

Those books are for revision two weeks before the exam. They are not for learning. If you use them as your main study material, you will lack the depth needed for the tricky questions.

Final Verdict

Balancing school work, tutorials, and personal study is hard. But having the right resources cuts your stress in half.

Pick one main textbook for each subject from this list. Pair it with a past question pack. If you do this, and you actually study (not just scrolling TikTok while the book is open), 2026 will be your year.

Get to the bookshop now. The earlier you start, the easier it gets.