WAEC Explains School Pairing for Full-CBT Exam Migration
In this interview with TUNBOSUN OGUNDARE, Dr. Amos Dangut, Head of Nigeria’s National Office of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), discusses the recently revised curriculum and renamed subjects in relation to, among other things, candidates’ registration for the 2026 May/June WASSCE. Quotations:
What should students know, in your opinion, about registering for the May/June exam in 2026?
Their schools and counselors must provide them with appropriate guidance. We are all aware that starting in 2026, the Federal Government has instructed WAEC and other national public examination organizations to switch to a computer-based method for the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination.
Additionally, as a law-abiding organization, we moved quickly to support the directive’s implementation, including pilot testing our systems’ digital procedures in order to complete this transformation.
The testing arrangements have been finalized on the part of WAEC. We can now conduct an entirely computer-based exam, from the objective to the essay papers, thanks to the capabilities in place.
How did you accomplish that?
It is an internal project carried out by the creativity and inventiveness of our computer section. I want to reassure both the public and kids that we are making progress in many areas of evaluation and that we will not give up.
We will present our technological advancements in this area to the public at the relevant meeting. As a leading examining organization, WAEC is legally required to carry out its mandate in cooperation with the host nations’ governments.
This is to administer tests and grant certifications that are on par with those of comparable examining authorities across the globe. Our certifications are accepted all over the world. Because of this, stakeholders must always protect the WAEC certificate. It is a genuine and trustworthy regional certificate rather than a national one.
Is that all your body stands for?
In all of the nations in which it works, WAEC supports the creation of sensible educational policy. Among other things, we support international cooperation and sustainable human resource development.
What advice would you give someone who appears to be confused about the transition from the WAEC to the full CBT exam?
Nobody should be perplexed by our switch to computer-based exams (CBE). We had previously planned to switch from the pen and paper examination mode to the computer-based mode, and we have already started doing so for the private candidates. The Federal Government has now issued a directive requiring us to switch to full CBE for West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) applicants starting in 2026.
Stakeholders are genuinely concerned about the order, which has led us to continue consulting with the government on ways to facilitate the successful relocation without denying any candidate the right to vote.
In order to reinforce the gray areas that exist with the stakeholders in accordance with the council’s best administration principles, we temporarily stopped accepting registrations on the website. This is primarily to evaluate how prepared all secondary schools nationwide are for CBE, as well as their access to ICT resources and geographic locations. The result of all of these was the creation of a framework that divided schools into three primary groups for the migration.
Could you describe these three categories?
I will reiterate that the purpose of the classification is to guarantee that no candidate will be excluded from taking our exam in 2026.
As a result, some schools—particularly those in remote areas—may decide not to use CBE right away, while others may choose to use a combination of computer-based and pen-and-paper methods. Even by 2026, the remaining schools may choose to write their exams entirely on computers. These are the three groups, then. Additionally, we have a reasonable plan in place to guarantee that no candidate must travel more than two kilometers in order to take the test. Access and equity are the goals of this modality.
What about the latest curriculum review that has an impact on candidates’ exam registration?
The council would like to make it clear that the Federal Government has directed this initiative. To be clear, WAEC is not responsible for creating the curriculum. The only authority to do so is the Federal Government. Only the developed curriculum and its execution are evaluated by WAEC. We have to acknowledge this fact. We are professionals.
If you provide us with the curriculum, we will evaluate its implementation in classrooms. So, for emphasis s sake, it is the government that has the responsibility to guarantee thatthe curriculum is appropriately implemented in schools, and then at the appropriate time we step in to assess as an examining body. People should be aware that WAEC adheres carefully to the legal framework of its host nation and that we are fully dedicated to implementing the curriculum on schedule and within the bounds of the governing regulations of that nation. Therefore, it is time to quit blaming WAEC for the curriculum review issue.
Could you elaborate on the evaluated and streamlined subjects that applicants will be tested on in May/June of 2026?
The disciplines that candidates must present are now divided into five different categories: core subjects, scientific subjects, humanities subjects, business subjects, and trade subjects.
English language, general mathematics, civic and heritage studies education, digital technologies, and trade subjects are the five core subjects—also known as mandatory subjects. Out of these five, however, applicants will not be evaluated in digital technologies, citizenship, and heritage studies education in 2026; instead, they will be examined in 2028.
This is due to the fact that they are new subjects, necessitating the creation of new curricula and test syllabuses. As a result, they won’t be tested until 202,8 after the entire syllabus has been implemented.
Because of this, candidates who register for the WASSCE in 2026 and 2027 will only need to take three necessary subjects: general mathematics, English language, and one trade topic.
To meet the prerequisites to register for the exam, candidates must choose five or six additional subjects in addition to these three core mandatory subjects, for a total of eight or nine subjects.
How about the subjects of trade?
There used to be 26 trade subjects, but today there are just six. Some of the subjects have been renamed, but their curriculum contents and exam syllabi have not changed. The exam syllabus and questions will be developed from one of the new trade disciplines, horticulture and crop production, which is a specialized area of agricultural science. Schools are receiving the syllabus’s background.
The renamed subjects have also been distributed. As previously mentioned, the exam syllabus and the previous curriculum are still the same; they have only been renamed. Concerns raised by several stakeholders about topic registration for our 2026 WASSCE must also be addressed.
Candidates have been reassured that they won’t be prevented from enrolling in subjects from other subject areas or specific elective fields. In particular, studying economics as an option will not be prohibited for science students. To finish their subject selection, they can select this topic.
In order to accurately capture the Continuous Assessment Scores (CASS) for candidates who need to take new topics in accordance with the Federal Government’s approved list for our 2026 May/June WASSCE, WAEC has further extended the deadline for uploading CASS. In order to make sure candidates meet the CASS requirement, WAEC will now urge schools to administer at least three different Continuous Assessment Tests.
You seem to be really excited about switching from pen-and-paper exams to full CBT exams.
Yes, and this is due to the computer-based exam’s many benefits. However, there might be obstacles to its successful execution, particularly in the beginning, but we will eventually overcome them. Students’ performance will therefore improve with CBE. This is supported by empirical data from our previous exams. The candidates were really excited when we administered the trial test for this comprehensive examination in essays and objectives in select centers.
Their preference to take the test as a CBE is documented in our records. Additionally, we have the information that the five examinations’ malpractice rates were below the global norms.
Thus, it’s a useful method for evaluating exam preparation. We are aware that minimizing examination misconduct is essential to Nigeria’s socioeconomic progress.
What did you mean when you said “full CBE mode”?
In the final version of our CBE, applicants will use a computer to read the questions, compose their answers, and submit them—rather than using a pen and paper. To us, that is the entire CBE. As was already indicated, some applicants taking our private exam in November and December are writing their papers using a computer rather than a pen and paper. And next year, this mode will be maintained.
How do you respond to the belief held by some that WAEC’s three tests per year are too much for kids to handle?
As an examining body, we cannot accept this information. We only administer two types of exams: the private candidates, which are administered in two series, and the school candidates, which take place in May or June. Students who are enrolled in school are not required by government policy to take the private candidates exam. However, those who have deficiencies in one or more subjects can take a private candidate exam in November or December to make up for those deficiencies, as can those who choose to switch their path of study.
Additionally, we have the first series for private applicants, which enables those who have never attended school or have dropped out in the middle to take our test. We have to give them space. They must be taken into account by society. They either dropped out of school in the middle or did not attend formal education. These individuals are not expected to complete secondary school as adults if they still wish to attend school, either for further education or a profession. Therefore, they are the target audience for the private candidate exam. Therefore, if the February first series is eliminated, those individuals will remain unemployed and at home until another November or December.
Therefore, I want the public to know that private candidates have two series to make up for any shortcomings they may have had. In order to make up for any shortfalls in their results, school hopefuls must take a private exam in November or December.
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