JAMB CBT practice on phone, laptop or at a CBT centre

Etest CBT is a phone app, so I know where JAMB CBT practice on phone stops being enough. A phone is good for short, frequent practice. It is weak for the long sitting at a screen that the real exam asks for. Use it daily, and add a computer and a centre when you can.

Photo by JESHOOTS.COM, CC0 1.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Key points

• A phone suits daily topic rounds and revision. A computer suits full timed papers. A centre is the only true rehearsal.
• JAMB's Registrar said in May 2026 that an own device option would start in 2027. No rules, cost or rollout were given.
• I found no repeat of that plan from JAMB since. Do not buy a laptop because of a headline.
• I have not sat in a JAMB centre as a candidate, so I cannot describe the real exam screen.

What are you practising for?

The UTME is a computer based test written at an accredited centre. The 2026 mock UTME of 28 March 2026 ran at 989 centres, per allAfrica, and JAMB stretched it to four hours in two back to back sessions. Leadership quoted JAMB's reason: to give candidates room to get used to the computer based environment.

I read that as a hint about the skill involved. The test measures chemistry and English, and it also measures whether you can sit at a screen for a long stretch, move between questions and watch a clock. Each device trains a different part of that.

What can a phone do for JAMB CBT practice?

It gives you volume. A phone is with you on a bus, before bed, or while you wait for someone. My app works offline, the 209 study guides included.

Where a phone falls short:

• Screen size. Long comprehension passages and tables are tiring on a small screen, and you scroll a lot.
• Input. At a centre you use a computer. Tapping an option with your thumb is a different motion from clicking with a mouse.
• Interruptions. A phone buzzes. The hall does not. A timed paper at home on a phone is easy to break with a notification.
• Session length. Phone practice drifts towards ten minute bursts, and the exam is a long sitting.

None of this makes phone practice useless. It means a phone should not be your only kind of practice.

Is a laptop better for JAMB CBT practice?

For full timed papers, yes. A bigger screen and a mouse or trackpad are closer to a centre computer. Even a borrowed laptop for a few evenings is worth it.

I will be careful about what I claim. I have not sat in a JAMB centre as a candidate, and I have not used JAMB's exam software. JAMB's site lists a 2027 test installer and manual for centres. I opened the manual. It describes a network test and computer registration tool for centres, and it says nothing about what a candidate sees. So I cannot describe the real exam screen. A bigger screen and a mouse remove two differences, and that is all I am claiming.

If you borrow a laptop, do not count on its battery or on mobile data. Practise offline where you can.

Is a CBT centre the right place to practise?

It is the only place that matches the room. Some centres offer practice sessions. I have not checked how they run or what they cost, and both will vary, so ask the centre directly.

The 2026 mock shows the scale. allAfrica reported that 224,597 candidates registered for it and 152,586 sat it. For many of them it was a first time inside a real centre. I explain what the mock does and does not tell you in JAMB mock vs the real UTME.

Will JAMB let me use my own laptop in 2027?

JAMB said it would offer that option, but the details are not published. NAN reported on 11 May 2026 that the Registrar at the time, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, told the 2026 Policy Meeting in Abuja that JAMB would begin a Bring Your Own Device option for the UTME from 2027, with a flash drive inserted to prevent malpractice. He said it would be cheaper, easier to manage and would address complaints that computers go off during the exam.

The report does not say who qualifies, which devices are allowed, what it costs a candidate, how the flash drive works or how it rolls out. JAMB's home page now names Prof. Segun Aina as Registrar, and I found no repeat of the plan on jamb.gov.ng or in its bulletins of 21 and 28 September 2026. My advice is dull. Wait for a JAMB notice before you spend money.

How should I split practice between phone, laptop and centre?

This table is my own opinion, and I have no research behind it.

Where	What for	How often
Phone	Topic rounds, study guides, reviewing mistakes	Daily, in short blocks
Laptop or computer	Full timed papers without breaks	Once or twice a week
CBT centre	A real sitting, if a practice slot exists	Once or twice before the exam

A BusinessDay article of 13 February 2025 also advises practising with CBT software and mock exams under real conditions. The article gives no data behind its "top scorers" headline, so I am borrowing the advice and ignoring the claim.

What does the Etest CBT app offer for the phone part?

The app has a timed exam mode of 60, 90, 120, 150 or 180 minutes, and you can flag a question to come back to. At the end it shows your score for each subject and a breakdown by subject, and you can go through each answer with its explanation. Free accounts get a daily allowance of explanations.

It is an independent practice app. It is not JAMB software and it cannot predict your score. When I test it myself, I do the timed run and then spend as long on the review as I spent on the run. The list of topics you got wrong is worth more than the score.

Frequently asked questions

Can I prepare for JAMB CBT with only a phone?

You can learn content and answer practice questions on a phone. I would still try a few timed papers on a computer before the exam, because the screen, the input and the length of the sitting differ. If you have no computer, ask a CBT centre about practice sessions.

Will JAMB let me use my own laptop in 2027?

JAMB's then Registrar said in May 2026 that a Bring Your Own Device option would start in 2027. No rules, cost or date have been published that I could find, and a new Registrar is now in post. Wait for a JAMB notice before you spend money on a device.

Does phone practice work offline?

My app does: practice, timed papers and the study guides work without data. Check any other app before you rely on it away from data. Whatever app you use, download what you need while you have a connection, and test it with data switched off before the exam week.

How many timed papers should I do before the exam?

I have no data on that. I would do one a week, starting a few weeks out, and review each one properly before starting the next, because the review is where the learning happens. Review matters more than the count. Pace is covered in JAMB CBT time management.

How I wrote this

On 15 October 2026 I read the NAN report on JAMB's own device plan, reports on the 2026 mock, jamb.gov.ng and its 2027 test manual, and a BusinessDay study plan article, and checked my app's settings in its code. I have not sat in a JAMB centre as a candidate, and the split in the table is my opinion.

If you want a place to start the phone part, Etest CBT has 5,553 past questions in 11 subjects, with an explanation for every answer.