JAMB Use of English study guide
JAMB Use of English · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The JAMB Use of English (also called UTME Use of English) is the compulsory English paper in Nigeria's Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, the computer-based test used for admission into universities, polytechnics and colleges of education. Every candidate sits it regardless of intended course, because the paper is treated as proof of basic academic literacy. The JAMB Use of English study guide has 7 sections and about 2,663 words.
01Comprehension: Answering Only from the Printed Passage
Comprehension in JAMB Use of English presents one or more prose passages followed by questions testing main idea, stated detail, valid inference, the writer's tone or purpose, pronoun reference, and the meaning of a word or phrase as used in the passage . Every correct option must be defensible from the printed text alone; outside knowledge, however true, earns nothing.
354 words, about 2 min02Lexis and Structure: Synonyms, Antonyms and Sentence Completion
Lexis and Structure is the largest block of the JAMB Use of English paper. 'Lexis' questions ask you to choose the option nearest in meaning to a word or phrase, or opposite in meaning to it.
387 words, about 2 min03Oral Forms: Sounds, Stress, Intonation and Rhyme
Oral Forms tests the spoken side of English: the sound system, syllable stress, intonation patterns and rhyme. JAMB does not ask you to produce sounds; it asks you to recognise them - which word shares the vowel or consonant sound of a given word, where the stress falls, which word rhymes, or what tune a sentence takes.
345 words, about 2 min04Cloze Test and Summary: Filling Gaps and Capturing the Whole
The Cloze Test gives a continuous passage with numbered gaps; for each gap you choose the option that best completes the text. The Summary items ask you to select the option that best summarises the passage or a stated part of it.
389 words, about 2 min05Concord and Grammar Usage: Making Subjects and Verbs Agree
Concord (agreement) questions are the most reliable marks in JAMB - and the most commonly lost, because the distractor is usually a noun placed between the subject and its verb. Rules of usage tested alongside concord include pronoun case, comparatives, tense sequence and modifier placement.
375 words, about 2 min06Idioms: Fixed Expressions and What They Really Mean
An idiom is a fixed expression whose meaning cannot be worked out from its individual words. JAMB presents an idiom inside a sentence and asks for its meaning, or asks which option best explains an underlined expression.
407 words, about 2 min07Figures of Speech and Phrasal Verbs
This section combines two different skills. Figures of speech ask you to name the device used in a line of prose or poetry.
406 words, about 2 min