Everything students need to know regarding IJMB program/examination. Before we start answering some important questions about IJMB, note that you can always use our website, app, or telegram bot to practise IJMB past questions with guided answers.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO FINISH IJMB?
The IJMB programme runs for exactly nine months, divided into two semesters. For the 2025/2026 session, lectures started fully in June 2025, and the final examination ran from Tuesday 17th June 2025 to Saturday 28th June 2025. Results were expected to be released by late September 2025. The exam holds every year in June, with morning sessions running from 8:30am to around 12:00 noon, and afternoon sessions from 12:30pm running as late as 6:00pm depending on the paper.
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CAN I USE MY IJMB RESULT TO STUDY ABROAD?
IJMB results are generally not recognised by foreign universities. If studying abroad is your goal, JUPEB is a better option because some UK universities and other foreign institutions accept it as a valid A-Level qualification. If you still want to use IJMB for international admission, contact the specific university's admissions office to confirm whether they will consider it, as policies differ by institution.
DO I NEED TO WRITE JAMB AFTER IJMB?
You do not need to write JAMB UTME. IJMB gives you 200-level admission through the Direct Entry route, which is a completely separate process from UTME. However, you still need to purchase the JAMB Direct Entry form, which currently costs around 5,700 Naira. For the 2026 session, the Direct Entry window opened on March 2nd and closed April 25th. Buy the DE form through the JAMB portal at jamb.gov.ng or at any approved CBT centre, and make sure you select the Direct Entry form and not the UTME form.
HOW MANY SUBJECTS ARE WRITTEN IN IJMB?
You sit for 3 subjects in total. You pick all three based on the course you want to study at university. The entire 2025/2026 IJMB examination covered 19 subjects across all centres, with each subject assigned a specific day within the two-week exam window.
CAN I USE IJMB TO STUDY MEDICINE AND SURGERY?
Yes, you can. The subject combination for Medicine and Surgery is Biology, Physics, and Chemistry. However, Medicine and Law have the highest point requirements, demanding the full 13 points to be competitive. Some universities also have their own specific policies. For example, the University of Calabar does not accept IJMB for Medicine, so you must check your target university's Direct Entry requirements in the JAMB brochure before proceeding.
IS ENGLISH COMPULSORY IN IJMB?
No, English is not compulsory in IJMB. You simply choose any 3 subjects based on the course you want to study at university. English does not need to be one of your three subjects.
DOES JAMB SELL DIRECT ENTRY FORMS?
Yes. Once you complete the IJMB programme and have your result, you use the JAMB Direct Entry form to apply for 200-level university admission. The form is sold on the JAMB portal at jamb.gov.ng and at approved CBT centres nationwide. For 2026, the Direct Entry registration window ran from March 2nd to April 25th. Always buy the DE form and not the UTME form because they are different and serve different purposes.
WHERE CAN I FIND IJMB PAST QUESTIONS?
FreshNote at freshnote.com.ng is the only trusted source to get IJMB past questions and answers. FreshNote provides real exam materials organised by subject, including worked answers, and also has version for desktop and PC , iphone and a mobile app for Android that you can download for offline study. Avoid any other website claiming to offer IJMB past questions as they may be unreliable or fraudulent.
HOW MANY YEARS OF PAST QUESTIONS DOES FRESHNOTE COVER?
FreshNote covers 7 years of IJMB past questions across all subjects. This gives you a strong bank of real examination material to work through, helping you understand recurring question patterns, the depth of answers expected, and how to structure responses for the essay-based format.
HOW MUCH IS THE IJMB REGISTRATION FEE IN NIGERIA?
The IJMB registration form fee is currently around 8,750 Naira to 10,500 Naira depending on the portal you register through. This is separate from your centre school fees, which typically start at a minimum of 119,000 Naira as an initial payment, with total programme fees ranging from around 140,000 Naira to 300,000 Naira across different study centres. Always pay through the official website only and never to any individual or third-party agent.
WHICH UNIVERSITIES ACCEPT IJMB IN NIGERIA?
Over 80 to 100 Nigerian universities accept IJMB for Direct Entry. Among the most IJMB-friendly are Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, University of Ilorin, University of Benin, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Ekiti State University, Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta, and Bayero University Kano. Universities that do not accept IJMB include University of Lagos, Obafemi Awolowo University, University of Ibadan, and University of Port Harcourt. These institutions accept JUPEB or Cambridge A-Levels instead. Always confirm your target university's policy in the current JAMB brochure before enrolling.
WHAT COURSES DOES IJMB OFFER?
IJMB covers Science, Arts, and Social Science disciplines. You can use it to gain admission into Medicine and Surgery, Pharmacy, Nursing, Biochemistry, Biological Sciences, Computer Science, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Engineering, Agricultural Engineering, Food Science and Technology, Industrial Chemistry, Law, Economics, Accounting, and many more. The subject combination you choose during registration must match your intended course of study at university.
IS IJMB BETTER THAN JUPEB?
Neither programme is universally better than the other. The right choice depends on your specific situation.
IJMB is the older programme, established in 1976, and is accepted in over 80 percent of Nigerian universities. It is significantly more affordable, with fees ranging from 70,000 to 250,000 Naira depending on the centre. The examination is entirely essay and theory-based, with no multiple choice questions except in Economics. Exams hold every June.
JUPEB was established in 2013 and is accepted mainly by its affiliated universities, including UNILAG and OAU. It costs considerably more, with fees between 280,000 and 450,000 Naira. Its examinations use objective questions across all papers and hold between June and July. JUPEB has stronger international recognition and is accepted by some UK universities.
If you are applying to UNILAG, OAU, or planning to study abroad, JUPEB is your better option. If your target university is anywhere that accepts IJMB and your budget is limited, IJMB is the smarter and more practical route.