Over 1.9 Million Candidates Sit for 2026 WAEC Computer-Based WASSCE

Over 1.9 Million Candidates Participate in 2026 WAEC Computer-Based WASSCE

The West African Examinations Council has announced that no fewer than 1,959,636 candidates from 24,207 schools are taking part in the ongoing 2026 Computer-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (CB-WASSCE) for school candidates.

The announcement was made during a media briefing held in Lagos by the Head of the Nigeria National Office of WAEC, Dr. Amos Dangut.

According to Dangut, this year’s examination recorded a higher level of female participation. He revealed that 1,001,072 candidates, representing 51.08 percent of the total registered candidates, are female, showing an increase compared to the previous year.

WAEC also noted that more schools embraced the computer-based examination format following the successful pilot edition conducted in 2025 and recommendations from the Federal Ministry of Education.

The examination, which began earlier this year, is expected to run for eight weeks and three days before ending on June 19.

Dangut explained that some offshore schools located in neighbouring countries also registered candidates for the examination using the WAEC syllabus.

To tackle examination malpractice, WAEC said it has strengthened its security measures through the use of a serialisation feature that ensures candidates receive questions in different sequences. The council also confirmed that the National Identification Number (NIN) was included in the registration process in line with Federal Government directives.

Speaking on security concerns in some parts of the country, the WAEC official stated that the examination body is collaborating with the Nigeria Police Force, other security agencies, and state governments to ensure the smooth conduct of the examination nationwide.

Dangut warned candidates, supervisors, and school authorities against engaging in examination malpractice, stressing that offenders would face sanctions approved by the Nigeria Examinations Committee. He also cautioned parents against using fraudulent websites linked to examination malpractice and promised that WAEC would work closely with security agencies to identify and prosecute offenders.

The examination body highlighted several digital services introduced to improve efficiency and accessibility. These include the WAEC Verify platform, WAEC chatbot, examination malpractice portal, digital certificate platform, and centre locator services.

Candidates were also encouraged to make use of the educational resources provided by WAEC, including the WAEC E-Study Portal, WAEC E-Learning Portal, Chief Examiners’ Reports, and past question materials to improve their preparation.

WAEC further disclosed that the results of the examination would be released 45 days after the final paper, while certificates would be printed and distributed to schools within 90 days.