The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has announced that female candidates registered for the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) outnumbered their male counterparts, marking a notable shift from the previous year’s enrollment trend.
Speaking at a press briefing on Monday at the council’s Lagos headquarters, Amos Dangut, Head of WAEC’s Nigeria National Office, disclosed that a total of 1,959,636 candidates from 24,207 secondary schools registered for the examination. Of this figure, 1,001,072 candidates (51.08%) are female, while 958,564 candidates (48.92%) are male.
“This reflects an increase in female participation and a decline in male participation compared to last year,” Dangut noted.
He further explained that candidates will sit for 37 subjects comprising 97 examination papers, with approximately 29,000 senior secondary school teachers nominated nationwide to serve as supervisors. The 2026 WASSCE is scheduled to commence with practical papers on April 21 and conclude on June 19.
WAEC assured candidates that results will be released within 45 days of the final paper, while certificates for successful candidates will be printed and distributed within 90 days. In addition, digital certificates will be accessible via the council’s online platform.
Dangut highlighted that more schools have adopted the computer-based examination format introduced in 2025. He added that WAEC has continued the serialization of examination papers to curb malpractice, ensuring that candidates do not receive identical sequences of questions during the examination.
Below is the full statement by WAEC:
ADDRESS BY DR. AMOS JOSIAH DANGUT, FSTAN, MNIM, RAS, HEAD OF THE NIGERIA NATIONAL OFFICE OF THE WEST AFRICAN EXAMINATIONS COUNCIL (WAEC), AT A PRESS BRIEFING TO ANNOUNCE THE RELEASE OF RESULTS OF THE CB-WASSCE FOR SCHOOL CANDIDATES, 2026 HELD ON WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 2026, AT THE WAEC NATIONAL OFFICE, YABA, LAGOS
Gentlemen of the media, with joy in my heart and gratitude to God Almighty and all stakeholders, I, on behalf of the Registrar to Council, Management and Staff of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), Nigeria, welcome you to this press briefing to announce the release of results of the Computer-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (CB-WASSCE) for School Candidates, 2026 in Nigeria.
Now with heartfelt joy and overwhelming emotions the recently concluded CB-WASSCE for School Candidates, 2026 which happened to be my third and last as the Head of WAEC Nigeria National Office is released today.
Within my two years and ten months in office, I was able to add more feathers to the Council’s cap through the help of God. We were able to position the Council as the first examining body in Africa and among the first set globally to conduct achievement test using the computer-based mode. From the CB-WASSCE for Private Candidates, 2024 – First Series to the conduct of PC 2, using the same mode and finally extending same to School Candidates’ exam, the story has been amazing. It has helped in combating the menace of examination malpractice.
We successfully expanded the WAEC Press, which led to the creation of Printing Division. This became necessary when we noticed that some of our printing needs were not properly handled by press houses we entrusted with such responsibility.
Over the years, the Council has consistently devised means of combating examination malpractice. From last year, we added another spice to it by introducing serialisation of papers. This year, we improved on it the more. This is in addition to the CB-WASSCE. To ensure that candidates’ results are being processed and released in a more seamless manner, we introduced the Digital Examiner Mark System (DEMS), this has helped to improve the service delivery and save time in processing results.
The conduct of WASSCE for School Candidates, 2026, despite some hitches, was a huge success. In our ongoing pursuit of innovation in service delivery, we successfully conducted this year’s examination, for the second time, using the computer-based WASSCE for school candidates, which allowed candidates to choose between a computer-based format or pen and paper. This exploit had us as the first examining body in the nation to conduct Achievement test using the Computer-based approach for school candidates. All these would not have been successful without cooperation of the support of the Federal Government of Nigeria, and the Federal Ministry of Education and our stakeholders.
As part of its efforts in ensuring that quality service is rendered to the Nigerian child, the Council has phased out the printing of Candidates’ Smart Identity Card, which contains result checker PIN. This is because it has been observed that several schools do not release the cards to the candidates to access their results when the results are released. To make access to results easier to candidates, we now have a portal where candidates will directly generate their e-PINs to check their results. Meanwhile, candidates can purchase result checker PIN from our offices after exhausting the five allowed attempts on the e-PIN generated
Examination Period
The examination spanned a period of eight (08) week and one (01) day, from April 24 to June 19, 2026.
Challenges encountered around conduct of the examination
1. Logistics Issue
Gentlemen of the press, it is no news that during the course of the examination, we experienced a bit of delay in conducting examinations for a major paper. These posed serious threat that could have deprived Nigerian candidates the privilege of sitting the papers with their counterparts in other member countries but thankfully examinations were successfully conducted. Regardless of the delay, at this juncture, I appreciate the patience Nigerian populace exercised with us especially parents and guardians that reasoned with us to allow candidates sit all the papers.
2. Non-Adherence to Registration Deadline
This was perhaps the greatest headache the Council encountered on the road to conduct the examination. This issue continued to linger as some schools failed to upload their students’ CASS at the stipulated time and many also failed to meet registration deadlines. It should be known to all and sundry that registration for WAEC examinations is not an open-ended thing. Pre-examination materials, examination materials and post-examination materials must be produced, using data supplied by candidates in good time before the conduct of any diet. Failure to meet these requirements would throw the entire process into jeopardy. We plead for co-operation and understanding in this respect, to make future exercises less stressful.
3. Financial Issues/Inflation
The rate of inflation in the country has affected the cost of everything and the Council is not excluded as this has greatly added to the challenges we are facing in terms of the cost of conducting examinations.
4. Rogue Website Operators/Shameless Connivance of Some Supervisors
During the course of inspection, activities of rogue website operators did not go unnoticed. As some of these faceless miscreants have turned WAEC’s examination periods into a cash cow, peddling fake papers and manipulating students through cyber deception. These platforms exploit the anxieties of students, lure parents into quiet complicity, and systematically erode public trust in the value of academic success.
These unscrupulous elements have become the thorn in the Council’s flesh and its arch nemesis. They have even become even more brazen in their activities, to the extent that they compose fake messages in the name of the Council to wreak havoc and cause distress for unsuspecting stakeholders. The Council is calling on all stakeholders to help in the fight against these individuals and to raise awareness about their deceptive tactics.
Nonetheless, the Council through its collaborative efforts with security operatives were able to apprehend some of these individual and they are already having a taste of their pudding. A few supervisors and invigilators who were caught aiding and abetting examination malpractice, were also brought to book. The Council, on its part, through the Nigeria Examinations Committee (NEC), will mete out appropriate sanctions to affected supervisors, through the various State Ministries of Education.
Coordination and Marking Exercise
The Coordination of Examiners and Marking of Candidates’ Scripts took place from July 2 to July 20, 2026, across Eighty-Eight (88) Marking Venues throughout the Federation. A total of One Hundred and Two Thousand, Seven Hundred and Eight (102,708) Examiners participated in the Coordination and Marking Exercise.
Today, I am happy to inform you that all the processes leading to the release of results have been completed. It is now my pleasure to announce the release of results of candidates that sat WASSCE for School Candidates, 2026 in Nigeria.
A total of One Million, Nine Hundred and Fifty-Nine Thousand, Six Hundred and Sixty-eight (1,959,668) candidates from Twenty-Four Thousand, Two Hundred and Seven (24,207) schools enrolled for the examination across the country. Of the number that registered for the examination, One Million, Nine Hundred and Fifty Thousand, Seven Hundred and Twenty-Six (1,950,726) candidates sat the examination. The examination was also administered to candidates from some schools in Benin Republic, Cote d’Ivoire and Equatorial Guinea, where the Nigerian curriculum for Senior Secondary Schools is being used.
I also wish to report that a total of One Thousand, Two Hundred and Thirteen (1,213) candidates with varying degrees of Special Needs registered for the examination. Out of this number, 137 were visually challenged, 491 had impaired hearing; 55 were spastic cum mentally challenged and 41 were physically challenged. All these candidates were adequately provided for in the administration of the examination. The results of these candidates have been processed and are also now being released along with those of other candidates.
Of the total number of One Million, Nine Hundred and Fifty Thousand, Seven Hundred and Twenty-Six (1,950,726) candidates that sat the examination, Nine Hundred and Fifty-Three Thousand, Four Hundred and Fifty-Nine (953,459) were males while Nine Hundred and Ninety-Seven Thousand, Two Hundred and Sixty-Seven (997,267) were females, representing 48.88% and 51.12%, respectively.
Out of the total number of candidates that sat the examination in Nigeria, One Million Eight Hundred and Thirty-Four Thousand and Six Hundred Ninety-Five (1,834,695) candidates, representing 94.05% have their results fully processed and released while One Hundred and Sixteen Thousand, and Thirty-One (116,031) candidates, representing 5.95% have one or more of their subjects still being processed due to some issues being resolved. Efforts are, however, being made to speedily complete the process and release the affected candidates’ results within a couple of days.
The analysis of statistics of candidates’ performance in the examination shows that out of the One Million, Nine Hundred and Fifty Thousand, Seven Hundred and Twenty-Six (1,950,726) candidates that sat the examination, One Million Six Hundred and Eighty-Seven Thousand, Three Hundred and Seventy-Eight (1,687,378) candidates, representing 86.50%, obtained credit and above in a minimum of any five (5) subjects (i.e. with or without English Language and/ or Mathematics).
One Million, Two Hundred Thousand, Five Hundred and Fourteen (1,200,514) candidates, representing 61.54%, obtained credits and above in a minimum of five (5) subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.
Of this number, Five Hundred and Fifty-Eight Thousand, Eight Hundred and Eighty-Three (558,883) i.e., 28.65% were male candidates, while Six Hundred and Forty-One Thousand, Six Hundred and Thirty-One (641,631) i.e. 32.89% were female candidates. A comparison of the percentage of candidates in this category in WASSCE for School 2025 and 2026, reveal that in this year’s (2026) WASSCE, there is 1.42% decrease in performance (that is, those who obtained credit and above in a minimum of five (5) subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, was (61.54%).
Examination Malpractice
The results of One Hundred and Sixty-Seven Thousand, Four Hundred and Eighty-Six (167,486) candidates, representing 8.59% of the total number of candidates that sat the examination, are being withheld in connection with various reported cases of examination malpractice. This is (1.11%) lower than the 9.7% recorded in the WASSCE for School Candidates, 2025.
The increasing use of cell phones in the examination hall, in spite of the existing ban, and organized cheating in some schools, are other nagging issues. All the cases are being investigated and reports of the investigations will be presented to the appropriate Committee of the Council for consideration and final decisions. The Committee’s decisions will be communicated to the affected candidates through their various schools, in due course. Candidates affected by these decisions can now call for redress of their malpractice cases if they so wish via
https://waecinternational.org/complaints
The Council will continue to sanction all cases of examination malpractice as schools, supervisors, teachers and candidates perpetrating this evil are not helping the educational system. All hands must therefore be on deck to sanitize the system.
Gentlemen of the Media, as WASSCE for School Candidates, 2026 results are being uploaded on the results website, candidates should after checking the result online, apply for their Digital certificate which will be released forty-eight (48) hours thereafter. Candidates who have fulfilled their financial obligations to the Council can access their results on the Council’s results website: www.waecdirect.org, within the next twelve hours. Copies of the Result Listing will be sent to schools shortly.
I need not restate the fact that the results of candidates who are sponsored by States indebted to the Council will not be released now until payment is made. We appeal to the concerned to do so to enable the affected schools/candidates access their results.
Just as I announced earlier, the Result Checker PIN and Serial Number required by candidates to check their results online, are generated online, via the Digital Certificate platform (www.waec.org). Hard copies of certificates of candidates whose results have been fully processed and released will be ready within the next 90 days, counting from today.
For a candidate to generate the PIN and access the results, the candidate should follow these simple steps:
1. Visit www.waec.org and select the “serial number and pin” menu at the top of the page.
2. Select the appropriate Examination Year and the Diet.
3. Enter your Examination Number and your NIN (Ensure the NIN is the same one that was used during your WAEC registration).
4. Enter your Email and Phone Number to generate a One-Time-Password (OTP)
5. Input the OTP to successfully recover your Serial Number and Pin.
Candidates may also download their WAEC ID Card to their mobile devices.
GENERAL
Before I end this briefing, let me use this opportunity to acquaint the media and other stakeholders with the latest developments in the operations of the Council.
1. WASSCE for Private Candidates, 2026- Second Series
The registration for CB-WASSCE for Private Candidates, 2026 –Second Series is currently on-going. The registration commenced on Monday, the 4th of May, 2026. Provision has been made for walk-in candidates throughout the duration of the examination. Interested candidates can enroll a day to the date of the paper they wish to take and simply walk into the examination hall to take it. Registration PINs can be purchased from WAEC offices, accredited banks and cashless payment points/Point of Sales (POS) operators. The cost of the Registration PIN is Thirty Seven Thousand Naira (N37,000) only, with a commission fee of N500.00 only payable to the sales agent. Candidates can log on to www.waeconline.org.ng for more information.
Candidates will be expected to supply their NIN as part of the registration requirements.
2. WASSCE for Private Candidates, 2027 – First Series
WASSCE for Private Candidates, 2027 – First Series will follow shortly after the end of WASSCE for Private Candidates, 2026 – Second Series, in January/February, 2027. These various examination diets are aimed at reducing the waiting period for candidates to access examinations and obtain results and hence, increase access to higher education.
3. COMPILED WAEC PAST QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS (HARD COPIES).
The Council, recognizing the prevalent reliance on dishonest practices by candidates to excel in its examinations, introduced compiled past questions and answers, which is intended to bolster the readiness of each candidate, covering topics in sciences, business, arts and core subjects. Each subject combination is priced at Five Thousand, Two Hundred Naira (N5,200) only and can be purchased in any of our offices. This, in turn, will help alleviate anxiety during examinations and discourage the dependence on malpractice for success.
4. WAECKONNECT MOBILE APP: is a digital platform that disseminates crucial information to candidates. The platform also has a discussion forum, revision system, AI assistant, exam tips and hacks, scholarship information, practice tests and much more.
Stakeholders can download the WaecKonnect app on play store or App store to enable them keep abreast of all information as it pertains to WAEC.
5. WAEC E-STUDY AND PAST QUESTIONS: WAEC as an organisation has the interest of its stakeholders at heart; hence, it also recently launched electronic, past questions and answers to enable candidates to prepare better for forthcoming examinations; more so, stakeholders can use it to serve other educational purposes.
Soft copies of these past questions prepared by WAEC is available to stakeholders by logging on to https://waec.estudy.ng
6. Digital Certificate
It is no longer news that the Council has a platform that allows candidates to access, confirm and share their original WAEC Certificate. More interesting is the fact that candidates can now access their certificates soon after results are released.
7. Computer-Based Testing Services
WAEC offers reliable, Computer-Based Testing and Aptitude Testing Services to the general public at the WAEC Testing and Training Centre, Ogba – an edifice that boasts of state-of-the-art facilities. The Aptitude Tests Department, Yaba, also delivers reliable and standardized computer and paper-based testing service. These services are available for stakeholders and prospective clients/customers who wish to engage the services of WAEC for its computer-based testing services.
8. WAEC Chatbot
All WAEC services can be accessed online and in real-time through the WAEC Request Management Portal (WAEC CHATBOT) by logging online to www.request.waec.org or, via WhatsApp with the following numbers:
– 08179439269
– 07061741253
9. WAEC Verify
This provides online access to tertiary institutions and other establishments, for the verification of prospective students’/applicants’ results via http://waeconline.org.ng/verify.
CONCLUSION
Gentlemen of the media, the Management and entire Staff of the Council in Nigeria, wish to express profound gratitude to the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Honourable Minister of Education, Minister of State for Education, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education and the various State Governments, for providing the enabling environment for the successful conduct of WASSCE) for School Candidates, 2026 in Nigeria.
We wish to also extend our gratitude to all the Supervisors, Invigilators, Custodians, Examiners and other Ad-hoc personnel and Staff for their contributions towards the successful conduct of the examination and marking of scripts. Our sincere appreciation equally goes to the Chairmen and Members of the Senate and the House Committees on Education, Chairman and Members of the Nigeria Administrative and Finance Committee of WAEC, all retired staff of the Council, friends of the Council-ANCOPSS, etc, the Nigeria Police Force, etc and a host of others for their assistance and cooperation before, during and after the conduct of the examination.
I thank you all, Gentlemen of the Media, for always responding to our calls and in helping WAEC to tell its story.
Finally, we give God Almighty all the glory for always being by us and the grace to carry on.
Thank you all and God bless.
