How Top Students Choose the Right Topics To Read for 300+ in JAMB/UTME. Every year, I watch the same pattern repeat itself: candidates who score 300+ are not the ones who “read everything.” They are the ones who know exactly what not to read.
That clarity on what to ignore, what to prioritize, and what to obsess over—is the real difference-maker.
I learned this years ago when I worked with two students who had similar intelligence and similar study hours.
One scored 289, the other barely crossed 210. The only major difference? The 289 student understood topic prioritization, while the 210 student spent too much time “finishing the syllabus.”
Finishing the syllabus is romantic. Scoring high is strategic.
Let me show you the system I’ve used for a decade.
The First Truth: JAMB Is Predictable, Painfully Predictable
Once you’ve studied thousands of past questions, you’ll notice that certain topics repeat so consistently that ignoring them is almost irresponsible. But most candidates don’t see the pattern because they study emotionally, not logically. They open a textbook and feel compelled to treat every topic like it carries equal weight. It doesn’t.
For example, in Biology, candidates waste weeks memorizing ecology trivia when respiration, reproduction, genetics, and living organisms account for most of the yearly questions. In Government, they bury themselves in theories instead of mastering constitutional development and political structure—areas JAMB attacks relentlessly.
High scorers know this instinctively. They study where the marks are, not where the textbook is heaviest.
How Top Students Actually Rank Topics
There’s no complicated magic to it. They follow a simple three-layer prioritization:
First, they identify high-yield zones—the topics that appear every single year, often with multiple questions. You can sometimes predict the exact subtopic that will appear. Questions on quadratic equations, integration, constitutional history, balancing equations, and cell biology are almost guaranteed.
Second, they track medium-yield topics—the ones that show up most years but not consistently enough to obsess over. These are the topics you master once the high-yield ones are secure.
Finally, they leave low-yield topics for last—not because they are lazy, but because they understand one truth: in an exam of 180 questions, you win by maximizing certainty, not by chasing completeness.
A student chasing low-yield topics is a student preparing for a 230 score. A student chasing high-yield patterns is preparing for 300+.
Real Mistakes Students Make
I’ve watched this happen every year:
A brilliant candidate spends three days trying to understand obscure chemistry titration exceptions but cannot solve basic mole concept problems quickly.
Another student memorizes all of the literature’s recommended texts but hasn’t mastered literary devices, which JAMB repeats like clockwork.
The mistake is always the same: they study emotionally, not strategically.
Top scorers make peace with skipping low-impact areas early and doubling down on the places where JAMB hides its predictable marks.
What “300+ Topic Selection” Looks Like in Real Life
Let me give you a simple example. A student I coached last year scored 318. When we reviewed her notebook, the pages for high-yield topics were soft from overuse, while low-yield sections were only half-filled. She had studied for the exam, not for the syllabus.
Her logic was simple:
“If JAMB will definitely ask this, I must get it right. If they may ask that, I will learn it later—if there’s time.”
That mindset changes everything.
Past Question Analytics: The Real Cheat Code
People love to say “don’t rely on past questions,” but the truth is this: smart students don’t rely on the questions—they rely on the patterns.
When you solve past questions deeply, you discover that JAMB rarely strays from its favorite zones. Even when the questions change, the underlying principles don’t. The smart candidate doesn’t memorize the answers; they map the terrain.
Your 300+ Study Flow
If I were preparing a student from scratch, here’s what I’d make them do:
- First two weeks: master high-frequency topics with surgical precision.
- Next two weeks: work through medium-priority areas while drilling past questions.
- Last month: build exam strength—timing, retention, accuracy, confidence.
No rushing. No panic-reading. No scattered effort.
Just targeted, intelligent preparation.
If You Want Help Doing This Properly
If you’re in Ilorin and you want the kind of structured, high-precision preparation that produces real results—not wishful thinking—join Student Village Academy.
We’ve built a reputation as the top destination for JAMB, WAEC, and NECO tutorials, and we now run some of the strongest after-school study programs in the city. Every year, our students outperform their peers because we don’t teach them to read everything—we teach them to read strategically.
If you want to work with a team that understands exam patterns, student psychology, and modern teaching methods, call or WhatsApp:
08023201628
Student Village Academy, Ilorin
Scoring goals doesn’t happen by luck. They happen by studying what matters.
If you want, I can also prepare a 4-week personalized topic-ranking plan for your subjects.
