JAMB 2026 · Computer Studies
JAMB Computer Studies past questions
Computer Studies is a newer UTME subject with a settled syllabus and a clear pattern: definitions and classifications carry most of the paper, binary conversion carries the calculations, and candidates who assume that using a phone daily counts as preparation get a shock. One thing to know before you plan your revision: the pool of released past questions for this subject is small everywhere, including in our app, and this guide is honest about what that means for how you should study.
How Computer Studies is scored in the UTME
Computer Studies carries 40 of the UTME's 180 questions, the same as every subject except Use of English, which has 60. At roughly 2.22 marks per question, the subject is worth about 89 of the total 400 marks, and it should take 25 to 30 minutes of a well-paced two-hour exam.
The paper splits into two kinds of question. The large majority are recall: define a term, classify a device, name the software category, identify the network type. A smaller set are worked: convert a number between bases, trace a simple flowchart, do a small piece of binary arithmetic. The recall questions reward exact study of a good textbook. The worked questions reward practice, and they are the most predictable marks in the subject.
As everywhere in the UTME, there is no negative marking. Answer all 40, always.
The topics JAMB repeats
The syllabus is compact compared with the sciences, and its clusters are stable:
| Topic area | What it covers | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Generations and classification | The five generations of computers and their technologies; classification by size, purpose and type | Matching a generation to its defining technology is a fixed question shape |
| Hardware components | Input, output and storage devices, the CPU and its units, memory types | Device classification questions come every year; one misplaced device breaks an option |
| Software types | System software versus application software, utilities, translators, examples of each | The single most recycled distinction in the subject; see below |
| Operating systems | Functions of an operating system, types, examples, the user interface | Function-of-the-OS questions are reliable and definitional |
| Number systems | Binary, octal, decimal and hexadecimal; conversion between bases; simple binary arithmetic | The paper's calculation marks live here, and they are fully learnable |
| Data representation | Bits, bytes and words; character coding schemes; units of storage | Unit-conversion and coding questions are quick marks for the prepared |
| Files and databases | File organisation and access methods, database concepts, fields, records and keys | Definitional questions on records, fields and keys recur steadily |
| Word processing and spreadsheets | Common application features, spreadsheet cells, formulas and basic functions | JAMB asks what a named feature does; hands-on familiarity helps but terms decide |
| Networking and the internet | Network types (LAN, WAN and others), topologies, internet services, browsers and email | Topology and network-type identification is a permanent fixture |
| Security, viruses and ethics | Computer viruses and other threats, protection measures, safe and ethical use of ICT | Threat-and-remedy matching plus ethics questions close most papers |
| Algorithms and flowcharts | Properties of algorithms, standard flowchart symbols, tracing simple logic | Symbol-meaning questions and short traces appear regularly |
With a subject this definitional, the official syllabus is not optional reading; it is the boundary of what can be asked. Get it from jamb.gov.ng and pair it with our syllabus guide for the checklist method.
Binary conversion: the safest marks in the paper
Two clusters deserve to be drilled until they are reflex. The first is number systems. Converting decimal to binary and back, handling octal and hexadecimal, and adding two binary numbers are mechanical procedures. There is no trick, no ambiguity, and no near-miss option that can fool a candidate who has done thirty conversions on paper. These questions arrive in some form nearly every year, and they are the closest thing the subject has to guaranteed marks. Practise conversions by hand, because the exam gives you an on-screen calculator for arithmetic, not for base conversion reasoning.
The second is the hardware and software distinction, along with its inner divisions. JAMB returns to it constantly: which of the following is system software, which device is both input and output, which memory is volatile. The options deliberately mix categories, so a candidate with a clear mental map (hardware split into input, output, storage and processing; software split into system and application, with examples filed under each) answers in seconds, while a candidate with phone-user familiarity hesitates and guesses. Draw the map once, redraw it from memory weekly, and this whole family of questions becomes routine.
A useful practice habit: every time you meet a named example (Linux, a compiler, a barcode reader, RAM), file it aloud into its category and sub-category. The exam's favourite trick is asking you to categorise a familiar name fast.
A small question set, used honestly
Now the straight talk this page owes you. JAMB Pro's Computer Studies bank holds 160 real past questions. That is the smallest bank in the app, a fraction of what subjects like English or Government carry, and it does not amount to complete coverage of the syllabus. If you are sitting Computer Studies, do not rely on this bank alone, and be suspicious of anyone who tells you their question set for this subject is exhaustive. The subject is newer than the rest of the UTME lineup, and the pool of released questions is genuinely thin everywhere.
What 160 questions can honestly do: show you how JAMB phrases its questions in each cluster, confirm whether a topic you studied has actually stuck, and give you timed drilling material for the recall shapes. What it cannot do is replace a textbook and the syllabus. The right order of work is textbook and syllabus first, topic by topic, with the bank as your checking layer. Treated that way, a small set punches above its size. Treated as the whole preparation, it leaves gaps the exam will find.
Common mistakes in JAMB Computer Studies
- Confusing phone fluency with preparation. Daily ICT use teaches you none of the exam's classifications, generations or file-organisation methods. The paper tests the textbook, so study the textbook.
- Skipping number systems. Some Arts-leaning candidates dodge the "maths part". It is the most predictable scoring cluster in the paper, and the procedures take an afternoon to learn.
- A fuzzy hardware and software map. If you cannot instantly file a compiler, a utility program or a touch screen into its category, the recycled classification questions will keep taking marks off you.
- Ignoring flowchart symbols. The standard symbols are a tiny, closed set. Candidates who never looked at them donate those questions.
- Relying on one small question bank. With 160 questions available here, coverage gaps are guaranteed. The syllabus, not any bank, defines what to study.
- Practising untimed. The target stays 40 questions in 25 to 30 minutes, with the definitional questions answered fast enough to leave thinking time for conversions and traces.
Building exam practice around a thin bank
Because released Computer Studies questions are scarce, structure your practice differently from a big-bank subject. Work the available questions in topic-sized batches after studying each topic, rather than burning the whole set in one early sitting. Space your repeats: a question you met three weeks ago tests real retention, while one you met yesterday only tests short-term memory. And put your full-length timed rehearsal into four-subject CBT mocks, where Computer Studies takes its 25 to 30 minute slot inside the real two-hour format alongside your other three subjects.
One more thing, because this subject's scarcity makes candidates vulnerable to it: nobody selling "expo" or "runs" has next year's Computer Studies questions. Those offers are scams built on exactly the anxiety a thin question pool creates. Study the syllabus; it is the only honest preview.
Why scarcity is survivable
Computer Studies has the most definitional syllabus in the UTME. Nearly every mark traces to a term, a category or a small procedure that a textbook states outright. That is why a thin past-question pool hurts less here than it would in Physics: the syllabus plus one solid textbook genuinely covers what the exam can ask, and past questions are needed mainly to learn the phrasing.
Practising Computer Studies inside JAMB Pro
Within the limits described above, the app does its part of the job well:
- 160 real JAMB Computer Studies past questions, each with a written explanation. The smallest bank in the app, offered as a supplement to the syllabus and your textbook, not a substitute for them.
- Practice mode explains every answer, so a wrong classification comes with the reasoning that fixes your mental map.
- Timed CBT mocks place Computer Studies inside the full four-subject, two-hour format with the real timer, on-screen calculator and question navigator.
- Test mode and Bookmarks support the topic-batch and spaced-repeat workflow a thin bank calls for.
- The Progress tab tracks your per-subject accuracy, so you can watch your Computer Studies score respond as each syllabus topic gets studied.
- The Daily Challenge keeps a light daily habit going across all your subjects.
Free, works offline once the subject is downloaded, no sign-up, no ads.
Try one yourself
Below is a real JAMB Computer Studies past question from 2022, laid out exactly the way the app shows it: instruction line, options, and the full explanation once you answer. Nothing to download. See how you do.
Storage which retains data after power cut off is called
Answer: B — Non-volatile
Non-volatile storage refers to a type of computer memory that can retain the stored information even when not powered.
Examples of non-volatile storage include hard drives, flash memory in USB drives, and solid-state drives (SSDs). On the other hand, volatile storage (like RAM) loses its data when power is cut off.
Every one of the 160 Computer Studies questions in JAMB Pro comes with an explanation like that, not just an answer letter. Free, offline, no ads.
Check your syllabus work against real questions
160 real JAMB Computer Studies questions with an explanation on every answer, plus full timed CBT mocks. Free, offline, no sign-up.
Frequently asked
How many Computer Studies questions are in JAMB?
40 of the 180 UTME questions, the same as every subject except Use of English, which has 60. At roughly 2.22 marks per question that is about 89 of the 400 marks, and a well-paced candidate gives the subject 25 to 30 minutes.
Which topics does JAMB repeat most in Computer Studies?
Generations and classification of computers, hardware components (input, output, storage and the CPU), system and application software, operating systems, number systems and binary conversion, data representation, files and databases, word processing and spreadsheets, networking and the internet, computer security and viruses, ICT ethics, and basic algorithms and flowcharts.
Is binary conversion tested in JAMB Computer Studies?
Yes, reliably. Converting between binary, decimal, octal and hexadecimal, plus simple binary arithmetic, supplies some of the few worked-calculation marks in the paper. The conversions are mechanical once practised, which makes them among the safest marks in the subject.
How many Computer Studies past questions are in JAMB Pro?
160 real past questions, each with a written explanation. That is the smallest bank in the app, and it should be treated as a supplement to the official syllabus and a good textbook, not as complete coverage. A candidate sitting Computer Studies should not rely on it alone. The app is free, works offline, and needs no sign-up.