How to set up a JAMB-accredited CBT centre in Nigeria
A CBT centre is a real business — JAMB UTME candidates, WAEC school-based exams, mock tests and ICT training all run on the same lab. But JAMB accreditation is strict, and the fastest way to lose money is to build something inspectors reject. Here is what you actually need.
Computer-Based Testing is now the default for major Nigerian exams. For a school or an entrepreneur, a CBT centre earns from several directions at once: JAMB UTME registrations and exams, WAEC school-based CBT, mock and internal exams, and ICT lessons between exam seasons. The catch is that a full JAMB-accredited UTME centre has to meet a published standard, and accreditation is checked every year.
What JAMB requires (the standard you build to)
JAMB publishes its CBT-centre requirements on jamb.gov.ng. Confirm the current list there before you commit — but at the time of writing a full accredited UTME centre needs, in essence:
- 250 functional laptops plus a 10% backup (25 units) — 275 in total. The backup ratio is not optional; a centre that can’t swap a failed unit mid-exam is a problem.
- Minimum spec per unit: dual-core processor, at least 4 GB RAM, an SSD, and a 14" screen. That is the floor — more on why you should aim above it below.
- A server able to run 250 systems concurrently, on a wired LAN only (no Wi-Fi for exams), with all cabling trunked.
- Power: a minimum 40 kVA generator plus UPS/inverters, with every switch on a UPS.
- Hard-wired HikVision CCTV (16-channel), exam cubicles, air-conditioning, and wall clocks.
- Licensed, up-to-date, virus-free systems with the JAMB Custom Browser installed on every unit.
- Staffing: two technical staff and one network engineer, on dedicated premises.
Don’t need a full 250-seat centre yet?
WAEC school-based CBT, mock exams and ICT training use the same build at a smaller scale — typically 25, 50 or 100 seats. Many schools start there (a single lab that also runs JAMB practice) and grow toward full accreditation later. The components are identical; only the count changes.
What it costs
Costs move with seat count and spec, so treat any figure as a starting point confirmed by a site survey. As a rough guide for a turnkey lab — exam units plus the 10% backup, a switch, a LAN exam server, trunked cabling and full install — a 25-seat lab starts around ₦5.7M, a 100-seat around ₦20.7M, and a full 250-seat accredited centre from roughly ₦51M for the IT. Facility items (the 40 kVA generator, inverters, CCTV, cubicles, AC) are often part school-provided and add on top.
Choosing your spec — and why "minimum" is a trap
It’s tempting to buy to the exact JAMB minimum. Resist it. A bare-minimum lab (older generation, or a hard drive instead of an SSD) is the fastest to feel slow and the soonest to need re-kitting as exam software advances — so its useful life is short. A build one step above the floor (4th–5th generation with an SSD) comfortably exceeds the minimum and stays compliant and quick for years. Pay a little more now, avoid a full re-fit later.
The details that trip schools up
- Wired, not wireless. Exams run on a trunked LAN; Wi-Fi won’t pass.
- Licensed software. Inspectors check for licensed, virus-free systems with the JAMB browser — not cracked installs.
- The 10% backup belongs in the plan from day one, not as an afterthought.
- Theft. A room full of identical laptops is a target. Branding every lid with the school’s logo makes each unit unmistakably yours and hard to resell — cheap, effective protection.
Getting it done without the headache
You can source all of this yourself, or take it as a package. At Redivivis we build CBT labs turnkey: tested enterprise laptops with licensed Windows, the JAMB browser and antivirus pre-installed, each branded to your school, plus the server, switches, cabling and install — to the standard inspectors check, with financing to spread the cost.
Planning a CBT centre?
See specs, sample pricing and finance for a lab built to JAMB’s standard — and get a free site survey.
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