WAEC Announces 1.9 Million Candidates for 2026 CB-WASSCE Nationwide.
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has announced that no fewer than 1,959,636 candidates from 24,207 schools are currently sitting for the Computer-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (CB-WASSCE) for school candidates.
The disclosure was made in Lagos during a press briefing addressed by the Head of WAEC’s Nigeria National Office, Dr. Amos Dangut.
He revealed that female candidates accounted for 1,001,072 of the total number, representing 51.08 per cent, noting that this shows an improvement in female participation compared to previous years.
According to him, the 2026 examination has also witnessed wider adoption of the computer-based format by schools, following the successful pilot conducted in 2025 and recommendations from the Federal Ministry of Education.
Dangut explained that the examination is scheduled to run for eight weeks and three days, ending on June 19, while confirming that some schools outside Nigeria are also participating using the WAEC syllabus.
He further stressed WAEC’s determination to curb examination malpractice through question serialisation, which ensures that candidates do not receive identical question patterns. He also noted that the National Identification Number (NIN) has been integrated into the registration process in line with government policy.
On security concerns, he stated that WAEC is working closely with the Nigeria Police Force, other security agencies, and state governments to ensure smooth conduct of the exercise nationwide.
The WAEC boss warned candidates, supervisors, schools, and parents against examination malpractice and fraudulent websites, adding that offenders would face strict sanctions in line with approved regulations.
He also highlighted several digital platforms introduced by WAEC to improve service delivery, including WAEC Verify, the chatbot system, centre locator, and the examination malpractice reporting portal.
Candidates were encouraged to take advantage of WAEC’s learning resources such as the E-Study Portal, E-Learning Platform, Chief Examiners’ Reports, and past questions to better prepare.
Dangut added that results would be released 45 days after the final paper, while certificates would be printed and distributed to schools within 90 days of completion of the examination.
About the Publisher: Mayaki Nuriyah.
My name is Mayaki Nuriyah. I don't really have a nickname, so I'm often called Nuriyah. I'm a student of University of Ilorin, History and international studies department. I'm an ambitious, simple and focused person. As a proud Reporter of this great team, I'm strongly committed to the growth of the team, contributing my energy to the fullest, to ensure quality reporting. And this has been shaping my journalism journey and will still continue shaping it.