"I Studied Eight Hours Daily" - Meet Daniella Owoeye, UTME's Overall Best Candidate

Daniella Owoeye, a 16-year-old graduate of EFVP Wisdom Spring Model School, Ota, has been named JAMB's overall best UTME candidate for the year with a score of 372, crediting disciplined daily study routines and a determination to improve after a disappointing first attempt. Owoeye said the announcement left her overwhelmed with joy, though she had only hoped to place among the top 10 before results were released. Her path to the top score began after her first UTME attempt, where technical issues at her exam centre affected her performance, leaving her with a score of 293. That setback, she said, pushed her to prepare far more intensely for her second attempt. Her preparation combined a wide mix of resources, including JAMB Series Remix guides, past questions, and topic-specific study materials, alongside CBT practice apps such as Test Driller, 3thirty and MySchool. She also joined DailyEd's online tutorials, which provided daily quizzes and weekly mock exams, and took part in a WhatsApp study group where members exchanged large volumes of practice questions daily, spending roughly two months focused solely on Chemistry before moving on to other subjects. Owoeye described a demanding but flexible daily study schedule, generally reading from around 7am to 11:30am or noon, with a second study block from 12:30pm to 3:30pm, interspersed with breaks and household responsibilities. She said personal study, rather than tutorial classes alone, made the biggest difference, as she consistently revised material independently and built her own notes using the JAMB syllabus as a guide. In this year's exam, she scored 98 in English, 94 in Physics, 98 in Chemistry, and 82 in Biology. She has chosen to study Medicine and Surgery at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), describing a long-standing passion for healthcare and a desire to help the sick. Owoeye encouraged other students, particularly those who underperformed this year, to work on their mindset and avoid limiting beliefs about what they can achieve, while also stressing the value of consistency, discipline and reduced distractions. She specifically urged female students to push harder to close the gap with male candidates at the top of national rankings, arguing that young women can excel just as strongly. She credited her parents, Mr Owoeye and Dr Owoeye the latter a recent PhD graduate and academic researcher at Covenant University, where her father also works as an administrator — for their consistent emotional and financial support throughout her preparation, including funding her CBT apps and study materials. She advised other parents to avoid comparing their children to peers and instead focus on encouragement and creating a supportive learning environment. Owoeye, the third of four children, said she deliberately avoided distractions such as relationships during her preparation, choosing to focus solely on her academic goals. She acknowledged that her early practice test scores were discouraging, sitting around 268 at one point, but said she remained determined and gradually improved through consistent effort. Source: Interview by Grace Edema (summarized and rewritten).