The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has announced its readiness to conduct the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for School Candidates in Nigeria. The examination will be held between Thursday, April 24, and Friday, June 20, 2025, spanning eight weeks and one day.
At a press briefing held at WAEC’s National Office in Yaba, Lagos, the Head of the Nigeria National Office, Dr. Amos Josiah Dangut, disclosed that the Council is introducing its maiden edition of the Computer-Based WASSCE (CB-WASSCE) for School Candidates. This innovation aligns with global best practices and aims to uphold the academic and moral standards of the Nigerian education system.
Over 1.97 million candidates from 23,554 schools across the country have registered for this year’s examination. The gender distribution shows a slight female majority, with females accounting for 50.37% and males 49.63%. This reflects an increase in overall enrolment compared to the previous year.
In line with a Federal Government directive, the National Identification Number (NIN) was included as part of the registration process. However, it was not made compulsory at the onset to ensure easy access to the registration portal. All schools were later required to upload their candidates’ NINs.
The Council acknowledged ongoing security concerns in parts of the country but reassured the public of strategic collaborations with the Nigeria Police Force and state governments to ensure a hitch-free examination process. WAEC praised the efforts of these stakeholders in providing the necessary security infrastructure and maintaining order during previous examinations.
A key highlight of this year’s exam is the deployment of varied question formats to different candidates to reduce the possibility of malpractice. Additionally, over 26,000 senior secondary school teachers have been nominated to serve as supervisors during the exam.
WAEC has reiterated its zero-tolerance policy toward examination malpractice. Candidates, schools, and officials found guilty will face strict sanctions from the Nigeria Examinations Committee. To support this effort, the Council has launched awareness campaigns, distributed sensitization materials, and reminded stakeholders of the consequences of cheating.
Parents and schools are advised to discourage patronage of rogue websites promising leaked examination questions. WAEC has partnered with security agencies to clamp down on such illegal activities, warning that offenders will face legal consequences.
To further assist candidates, WAEC has made several educational resources available, including:
Past Question Papers with Chief Examiners’ Reports: These contain actual past questions, marking schemes, and insights on candidate performance.
WAEC E-Study Portal: An online prep tool accessible at waec.estudy.ng, offering multiple-choice and theory-based practice, learning plans, and performance tracking.
WAEC E-Learning Portal: Found at https://waeconline.org.ng, this provides analysis of past exam performances to help students improve.
WAEC Konnect: A community platform for interaction and updates, available at www.waeckonnect.com.
Results of the 2025 examination will be released within 45 days after the final paper, and certificates will be distributed to schools within 90 days. Digital versions of the certificates will also be made available through the WAEC Digital Certificate platform.
The Council has also continued to innovate in service delivery. Its offerings now include a digital certificate service dating back to 1999, a robust CBT and Aptitude Test Centre in Ogba, a request management portal (WAEC Chatbot), an online result verification system (WAEC Verify), a Centre Locator tool, and an Examination Malpractice Portal for candidates to appeal decisions.
While WAEC remains committed to delivering quality and credible assessments, the Council has urged schools to adhere strictly to registration deadlines to facilitate effective planning and logistics.
As it prepares for the start of this year’s WASSCE, WAEC reaffirmed its commitment to working closely with the Federal Ministry of Education, State Ministries, security agencies, and the media to ensure the success and integrity of the examination process. Stakeholders were thanked for their continued cooperation, and the media was urged to sustain its partnership in spreading awareness and accurate information.
