JAMB Subject Combination for Microbiology

Microbiology is the study of micro-organisms, and it gives you a choice in the fourth UTME subject. The set listed for the 2026 UTME is:

Use of English, Biology and Chemistry, plus either Physics or Mathematics.

Two Myschoolnews articles describing JAMB's 2026 combinations agree on this. We could not open the brochure, so confirm on IBASS and your target school's page, especially if you plan to choose Mathematics.

The combination at a glance

What the sources say

Both Myschoolnews lists agree that Microbiology takes English, Biology and Chemistry, with Physics or Mathematics as the fourth subject. BusinessDay's 2026 article did not list Microbiology in the part we could read. Agreement between two outlets is reassuring, but they may share an upstream source, so it is not an independent check.

Physics or Mathematics?

The choice is yours only if your target school accepts both. Some courses and schools narrow it. Pick the subject in which your practice scores are stronger, but verify the school's position first. Our guide on how JAMB subject combinations work explains how to read this kind of "either-or" rule. If you are also considering Biochemistry, note that the lists we read require Physics for that course, so the choices do not map perfectly.

O'level requirements

O'level requirements vary by university and we did not find a verifiable national list for Microbiology. Read the department's admission page for the required credits in English, Mathematics and the sciences.

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

• Biology is the anchor. Revise cell biology, genetics, ecology and the major organisms with diagrams.
• Chemistry deserves regular practice with equations and calculations.
• Choose your fourth subject early so you can give it steady time instead of cramming.
• Use of English: read widely and practise comprehension.

In the last month, switch to full timed papers.

What about the score?

The combination only gets you through the first door. For the score, read our cut-off mark for Microbiology 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 Biology free on ExamPadi, then add the other three subjects.