Passing the University of Lagos Post UTME is the last real hurdle between you and admission. Most candidates lose marks not because they lack knowledge, but because they never understood how the final score is assembled — and so they optimise the wrong thing.
This guide fixes that.
How your aggregate is actually built
Three components feed one number. The weighting is fixed, but the leverage each one gives you is wildly different — and that difference is the whole strategy.
Weighting of the UNILAG aggregate
- JAMB (UTME)5050%
- Post UTME screening3030%
- O'Level grades2020%
The aggregate formula
Aggregate = (JAMB ÷ 8) + (Post UTME × 0.75) + O'Level points- JAMB ÷ 8
- 400 marks compresses to a maximum of 50%.
- × 0.75
- Each of the 40 screening questions is worth 0.75%.
- O'Level
- A1=4.0, B2=3.6, B3=3.2, C4=2.8, C5=2.4, C6=2.0 across your best five.
Why the Post UTME outweighs its 30%
Here are two candidate profiles. Candidate B scores 40 marks lower in JAMB and still finishes ahead.
Two candidates, same aggregate race
- Candidate A
- Candidate B
The screening test is the only component you can still move once JAMB results are out. Treat it as the tiebreaker it is.
What the screening test actually asks
Forty questions. Thirty minutes. Forty-five seconds per question, including reading time.
Question split across the CBT
Concord, lexis, comprehension, register
Quadratics, indices, Venn diagrams, probability
Current affairs, UNILAG history, basic ICT
The 14-day approach that works
Two weeks, four phases
- Days 1–4Lock down English
Concord rules, lexis and structure, synonyms and antonyms. It is half the paper and the most repeatable half.
- Days 5–8Rebuild core maths
Quadratic equations, indices and logarithms, Venn diagrams, matrices, basic probability. Ten questions, high yield.
- Days 9–11Speed runs under timer
Three full CBT sheets a day. Train the skip-and-return reflex until it is automatic.
- Days 12–14Refine and rest
Review only your wrong answers. Sleep properly — a tired brain loses more marks than a thin syllabus.
Where the marks are won
Realistic section targets for a 75%+ aggregate
Aggregate needed by course
| Course | Typical merit range | Safe target |
|---|---|---|
| Medicine & Surgery | 82 – 86% | 87% |
| Computer Engineering | 79 – 82% | 84% |
| Electrical & Electronics | 78.5 – 81% | 83% |
| Computer Science | 78 – 81% | 83% |
| Mechanical Engineering | 77 – 80% | 82% |
| Civil Engineering | 74 – 76% | 78% |
| Biochemistry | 70 – 73% | 75% |
The Post UTME is not a second JAMB. It is a speed test wearing an exam's clothes.
Practise on the real interface
Reading about a countdown does nothing for your nerves. Sit the thing.
Our free simulator reproduces the UNILAG screening layout — same question count, same timer behaviour — at putme.thecbtnest.com. Pair it with the 14-day study plan and you have a complete run-up.
Key takeaways
- Your aggregate is 50% JAMB, 30% Post UTME, 20% O'Level — but only the screening test is still in your hands.
- One screening question is worth roughly six JAMB marks. Six good answers beat a 48-mark JAMB gap.
- English is 20 of the 40 questions. Score 18 there and the rest becomes manageable.
- You have 45 seconds per question. Train against a timer or the clock will beat you.
- Target 80%+ if you want engineering or medicine comfortably on the merit list.
Still have questions?
Bring them to the tutors directly, or test yourself on the simulator under real screening conditions.