JAMB Subject Combination for Biochemistry

Biochemistry sits between biology and chemistry, and its UTME set is one of the better-documented in the press. The set listed for the 2026 UTME is:

Use of English, Biology, Chemistry and Physics.

BusinessDay lists all four as compulsory and shows no optional subjects. Both Myschoolnews articles give the same four. We could not open the JAMB brochure, but three press lists agreeing is as good as we can offer. Confirm on IBASS.

The combination at a glance

What the sources say

BusinessDay, quoting the 2026 combinations, lists Use of English, Biology, Physics and Chemistry as compulsory for Biochemistry. The Myschoolnews all-courses article gives English, Biology, Chemistry and Physics, and the science-students article gives Physics, Biology, Chemistry and English. The wording and order differ, but the four subjects are the same. This is one of the cleaner agreements across the courses in this series.

Comparing with Microbiology and Anatomy

Students often shortlist Biochemistry with Microbiology and Anatomy. The sets are not identical. In the lists we read, Biochemistry needs Physics, Microbiology allows Physics or Mathematics, and Anatomy is unclear between two lists. If you want to keep all three open, Use of English, Biology, Chemistry and Physics is the set that fits Biochemistry and Microbiology in the lists we read. Check Anatomy separately.

O'level requirements

O'level requirements differ by school and we did not find a verifiable national list for Biochemistry. Read the department's admission page for the credits required in English, Mathematics and the sciences, and for any sitting limit.

Avoid the usual mistakes

A wrong combination can cost you a whole year, so protect yourself:

1. Write down your subjects before you go to the registration centre, and read them back to the officer.
2. Do not swap subjects because an agent or a friend says it is fine. Only JAMB's brochure and the institution can tell you what is allowed.
3. Check your slip and keep a copy of it.
4. Test every choice. If your second choice is a different course, check that the same four subjects satisfy it as well. Our JAMB subject combination guide explains how to compare choices, and changing your course explains what can be corrected later.

Confirm it before you pay

Before you register, run this short check:

1. Open JAMB's brochure on jamb.gov.ng and find the entry for the exact course name your school uses.
2. Open the admission page of each university on your list, and note any extra requirement, such as a particular O'level grade or a post-UTME screening.
3. If a press list, a blog or an agent disagrees with either, follow the brochure and the school, and ask the school in writing if the difference matters.
4. Keep a screenshot or copy of the entry you relied on.

This takes less than an hour and removes one of the most common avoidable errors in registration. When we call a list a press summary, we mean it: we are reporting what the outlet printed, not what we read in the brochure.

How to prepare

• Chemistry leads. Organic and physical chemistry underpin the course, so work through the syllabus topics in order.
• Biology needs diagrams and understanding of processes such as respiration and enzymes.
• Physics is easier if you practise calculations daily.
• Use of English rewards reading and past-question practice.

Build up to full timed four-subject papers before the exam.

What about the score?

The combination only gets you through the first door. For the score, read our cut-off mark for Biochemistry page, which separates JAMB's national minimum from each school's own figure, and the general guide to the JAMB score needed for admission. The UTME is computer-based, with four subjects, two hours and a score out of 400. The proposed 2027 dates are provisional, so follow the JAMB 2027 UTME date and timetable page.

ExamPadi has 46,182 practice questions across JAMB, WAEC, NECO and NABTEB, with a timed CBT mode. Free practice is available, with a Pro tier, on Android, iOS, web and Windows.

Practise JAMB Chemistry free on ExamPadi, then add the other three subjects.