The West African Examination Council (WAEC) has reaffirmed that the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) will be fully carried out with computer-based testing (CBT). The move has been attributed to efforts in combating examination malpractices and embracing digital adoption.
A statement made on Tuesday by the Head of WAEC’s National Office, Dr. Amos Dangut, pointed out that the transition has already started with the private candidates who sat for the Nov/Dec WASSCE in 2024. According to him, the examination body has recorded progress and is ready to transition to full CBT nationwide by 2026.
“We have conducted five exams already, one for private candidates and one for school candidates, and by 2026, deployment will be massive,” he assured.
While addressing concerns about infrastructure readiness and security measures in place to combat cyberattacks, Dangut said that WAEC had successfully conducted exams in remote areas without disruptions. He pointed out that statistics have shown that candidates performed “empirically better” in CBT than paper-based tests.
The confirmation by WAEC also follows the recent announcement by the Federal Government of Nigeria that WAEC and NECO examinations will transition to full CBT by the 2026 May/June examinations. The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, explained the need to shift the senior school certificate examinations (SSCE) from school premises to CBT centres.
“By next year, 2026, all the essays and objective exams will be CBT. NECO and WAEC will be joining the league of JAMB. We are making significant progress,” he said in July.
For WAEC, the full adoption of CBT by 2026 might not pose much threat, considering its familiarity with the mode.
WAEC conducted a CBT exam for the first time in 2024, specifically for the WASSCE for Private Candidates, which was structured for the 2024-First Series exam that took place between January 31 and February 17. Moreover, the exam was a hybrid model, with objective questions administered on screen and essay/practical questions answered in booklets.
In addition, WAEC introduced CBT as an option for both school and private candidates in 2025, with some candidates opting for the traditional paper-and-pencil format. For school candidates, the 2025 WASSCE marked the beginning of the transition to CBT, with candidates having the choice between the two formats: CBT or paper-based test.
Both WAEC and NECO will continue the hybrid CBT rollout for the private candidates’ examinations in November/December, with both set for full rollout (all CBT) in 2026.
Also Read: Is Nigeria ready to transition WAEC and NECO exams to CBT in 2026.
WAEC 2026 full CBT mode: need vs readiness
While the transition to full CBT has long been needed, questions still surround Nigeria’s readiness for such development. Experts acknowledged that the transition will alleviate the high rate of examination malpractice of the “almighty special centres” but raised questions on the readiness and infrastructural availability.
“Let’s be real, it’s not just about uploading questions to a computer. Infrastructure is the real test. Many public schools still don’t have enough working computers or reliable electricity. And while using JAMB and government CBT centres sounds good on paper, demand will triple — and we’ve seen those centres struggle during JAMB season alone,” Folaranmi Ajayi, an education expert and reporter, told Technext in August.
To address concerns about its readiness, the Education Minister explained that thousands of CBT centres used by JAMB will be deployed for the exercise.
“Those are the centres that we are going to use. It’s not the case that students do not have the facilities. Schools do not have the facilities. We have enough people. We also have to expand the value chain of these CBT centres. They should not just be to serve JAMB alone,” Alausa added.
As the transition looks good on paper and is set to offer swiftness in processing results, the examination bodies will be put to the test in handling the bulk of candidates nationwide. With the delicate state of the situation, any disruption could mar the innovation.
For WAEC, it has a couple of months to put all tools in place for the full CBT adoption. The 2025 private candidates’ examination, which is also CBT, will provide another opportunity to test-run the adoption.