Maha Christopher
Daniella Owoeye, the candidate who emerged as the highest scorer in the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination with 372, has revealed that studying for long hours daily and maintaining strict discipline helped her achieve the feat.
In an interview with The Punch, the 16 year old alumna of EFVP Wisdom Spring Model School, Ota, said she dedicated most of her day to studying, often spending about eight hours reading with short breaks in between.
According to her, she began preparing for the examination immediately after leaving secondary school, especially after scoring 293 in her previous UTME attempt due to technical issues experienced at her examination centre.
Owoeye said she relied on several study materials and digital learning platforms, including past questions, CBT apps such as Test Driller, MySchool and 330, alongside online tutorials, mock examinations and WhatsApp study groups.
“I usually read from around 7am to about 11:30am or 12 noon, then continued again from 12:30pm to around 3:30pm with breaks in between,” she said.
The teenager scored 98 in English, 98 in Chemistry, 94 in Physics and 82 in Biology.
Despite attending tutorials, Owoeye said her personal study contributed more to her success, noting that she constantly revised lessons, researched independently and created personal notes using the JAMB syllabus as a guide.
She also attributed her achievement to consistency, effective time management, prayer and learning from the experiences of previous top scorers.
Owoeye, who hopes to study Medicine and Surgery at the University of Lagos, advised students preparing for future UTME examinations to remain disciplined, avoid distractions and believe in their abilities.
She further encouraged female students to strive for excellence and challenge the dominance of male candidates among top UTME scorers.
The top scorer also praised her parents for supporting her academically, emotionally and spiritually throughout her preparation.
