The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) says no fewer than 56,000 candidates registered for the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for Private Candidates, Second Series.
The Head of WAEC’s National Office, Suleiman Kum, disclosed this on Saturday during an inspection of the Computer-Based Test (CBT) English Language examination in Lagos.
The inspection took place at the WAEC Training and Testing Centre on Ijaiye Road, Ogba, where candidates sat for the examination.
Kum said the registrations included about 272 walk-in candidates who registered to sit for individual subjects.
He added that Lagos State accounted for more than 22,000 candidates, including about 50 walk-in candidates.
Kum said the adoption of computer-based testing was helping to reduce examination malpractice, strengthen the credibility of examinations and promote transparency.
He said WAEC introduced CBT in 2024 and has continued to improve the process to reduce malpractice.
We have discovered that Computer-Based Test, popularly known as CBT, is truly the best way to conduct examinations because malpractice is drastically reduced,” Kum said.
He added that candidates were searched before entering examination halls to prevent them from bringing in prohibited materials.
“We do not set traps for candidates; we want to prevent malpractice by ensuring they enter the examination hall without unauthorised materials,” he said.
“WAEC will continue to improve to ensure that it remains the benchmark for examination integrity and innovation in Nigeria,” Kum added.