Online Screening vs Post-UTME Exam: What's the Difference?

A post-UTME exam is a test the university sets you, usually on a computer, and your score goes into your admission aggregate. Online screening has no test: you register on the school's portal, submit your details and documents, and the school ranks you using your UTME score and O'level grades. Both decide who gets admitted, but only one gives you a fresh chance to add marks.

Which one your school uses changes how you should spend the weeks after your JAMB result, so it is worth knowing early.

How a post-UTME exam works

The school sets a short paper, often in the subjects you sat in UTME and sometimes with English and general knowledge added, and runs it at a CBT centre or on campus. Your score is combined with your UTME score, and sometimes your O'level grades, into an aggregate. OAU, for example, announced a compulsory online CBT post-UTME examination for its 2026/2027 candidates.

The important point is that the test can move your ranking a lot. Because post-UTME often carries a large share of the aggregate, a candidate who prepares well can overtake candidates with higher JAMB scores. Our explainer on the post-UTME pass mark shows the arithmetic.

How online screening works

Online screening is an application and a data check rather than an exam. You fill in the school's form, enter or upload your O'level results, pay the screening fee and submit. The school then scores you from information it already has. UNILAG and LASU both described their 2026/2027 exercises as online screening.

Because there is no test, your aggregate is mostly fixed by your UTME score and your O'level grades by the time you apply. What you control is accuracy: correct grades, the right sitting, the right course, submitted before the deadline. A wrong grade entered in a hurry can lower your score as surely as a bad exam.

How to tell which one your school uses

• Read the school's own notice. It will say whether there is an examination, with a date, venue and format, or only an online screening exercise.
• Check the aggregate formula. If the formula lists a post-UTME or screening test score, there is a test. If it lists only UTME and O'level, there is not.
• Do not rely on last year. Schools switch between the two. A university that ran a test one year may run online screening the next, and the reverse.

Notices usually appear in the weeks after JAMB's annual policy meeting. In 2026, for example, LASU's screening ran from 3 to 23 June and UNILAG's registration from 15 June to 8 July. Our guide to post-UTME screening dates covers how to track yours.

How to prepare for each

If there is an exam

• Find the format: subjects, number of questions, time allowed.
• Work through the school's past questions under time, and review every mistake. See how to prepare for post-UTME screening.
• Practise on a screen, because most post-UTME tests are computer-based.

If it is online screening only

• Have your O'level result ready to enter exactly as it appears, and check whether the school allows two sittings for your course.
• Make sure your O'level result is uploaded to your JAMB profile; admission cannot be processed on CAPS without it.
• Apply early and keep the confirmation slip and payment receipt.
• Use the waiting time to prepare a back-up plan in case your aggregate falls short.

Is one fairer than the other?

Each favours a different candidate. A test helps the student whose JAMB score undersold them, because it offers a second chance. Online screening helps the student with a strong JAMB score and strong O'level grades, because their position is settled before the screening starts. Neither changes the basic rule: you must meet the school's eligibility mark to take part at all. Our post-UTME cut-off marks round-up lists those marks for 2026/2027.

Frequently asked questions

Which schools don't write post-UTME?

It changes from year to year. Several universities, including UNILAG and LASU in 2026/2027, used online screening instead of a written test. Always check the school's current notice.

Is online screening the same as post-UTME?

It is the same stage of admission, but without an exam. You are ranked on your UTME and O'level results instead of a test score.

Do I still pay for online screening?

Schools usually charge a screening fee for both. Pay only through the school's official portal.

Can I improve my chances in online screening?

Mostly by entering accurate O'level details and applying on time. Your UTME score and grades are already set, so a back-up plan matters more.

If your school does set a test, it is the best chance you will get to add marks. Practise free on EasyPoint with timed post-UTME and JAMB past questions on screen.