Over 1.2 million candidates meet university admission benchmark, while results of 167,486 candidates are withheld over alleged examination malpractice……
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has released the results of the 2026 Computer-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (CB-WASSCE) for school candidates, with 1,200,514 candidates obtaining at least five credits, including English Language and Mathematics.
Announcing the release of the results on Wednesday, the Head of WAEC’s Nigeria National Office, Amos Dangut, said the figure represents 61.54 per cent of the 1,950,726 candidates who sat for the examination nationwide.
The examination, conducted between April 24 and June 19, 2026, was administered in 24,207 schools across Nigeria, as well as selected schools in Benin Republic, Côte d’Ivoire and Equatorial Guinea operating the Nigerian curriculum.
Female candidates outnumber males
WAEC disclosed that 997,267 candidates (51.12%) who sat the examination were female, while 953,459 (48.88%) were male.
According to the Council, 1,834,695 candidates, representing 94.05 per cent, have had their results fully processed and released. However, the results of 116,031 candidates (5.95 per cent) are still being processed due to unresolved issues.
The Council assured affected candidates that efforts are underway to conclude the process and release the outstanding results within the next few days.
Performance drops slightly
Although more than 1.2 million candidates attained the minimum requirement for admission into many tertiary institutions, WAEC noted that the overall performance declined slightly compared to the previous year.
The Council said the pass rate of 61.54 per cent represents a 1.42 percentage-point decrease from the 2025 examination.
Overall, 1,687,378 candidates, representing 86.50 per cent, obtained credits in at least five subjects, irrespective of whether English Language and Mathematics were included.
Over 167,000 results withheld
WAEC also announced that the results of 167,486 candidates, representing 8.59 per cent of those who sat the examination, have been withheld over allegations of examination malpractice.
The figure is lower than the 9.7 per cent recorded in the 2025 examination.
According to the Council, cases under investigation involve the use of mobile phones inside examination halls, organised cheating in some schools and other forms of examination misconduct.
WAEC said all reported cases would be reviewed by the Nigeria Examinations Committee before final decisions are taken.
Candidates affected by malpractice allegations will be able to seek redress through the Council’s official complaints platform once the review process is completed.
Computer-based examination helping to curb malpractice
Dangut described this year’s examination as another milestone for the Council, noting that WAEC has continued to strengthen the use of computer-based testing after pioneering the approach for school candidates in Nigeria.
He said innovations such as the Digital Examiner Marking System (DEMS), computer-based examinations and the serialisation of question papers have significantly improved result processing and reduced opportunities for examination malpractice.
The Council also announced the discontinuation of the Smart Identity Card previously issued to candidates.
Instead, candidates will now generate their result-checking PINs electronically through WAEC’s digital certificate platform, making it easier to access results immediately after release.
Logistics, inflation among major challenges
Despite the successful conduct of the examination, WAEC acknowledged that it faced several challenges during the exercise.
These included logistical difficulties that delayed one of the examination papers, late registration and submission of Continuous Assessment Scores (CASS) by some schools, rising operational costs driven by inflation, and the activities of rogue websites selling fake examination questions.
The Council said it worked with security agencies to arrest some individuals involved in examination fraud, while supervisors and invigilators found aiding malpractice would face appropriate sanctions.
Over 1,200 candidates with special needs participated
WAEC said 1,213 candidates living with various disabilities registered for the examination.
The number includes visually impaired, hearing-impaired, physically challenged and other candidates with special needs, all of whom were provided with the necessary accommodations during the examination.
According to the Council, their results have also been processed and released.
How candidates can access their results
WAEC advised candidates to access their results through its official results portal once uploads are completed.
Candidates are expected to generate their examination serial number and PIN online using the National Identification Number (NIN) submitted during registration.
The Council added that digital certificates will become available 48 hours after candidates access their results, while printed certificates are expected to be ready within 90 days.
WAEC also announced that registration for the 2026 WASSCE for Private Candidates (Second Series) is currently ongoing.
The Council said interested candidates can register for ₦37,000, excluding a ₦500 service charge, adding that the examination will continue to accommodate walk-in candidates.
It also confirmed plans to conduct the 2027 First Series examination shortly after the completion of the current private candidates’ diet as part of efforts to reduce waiting time for prospective candidates.
