WAEC, NECO exams to be CBT by 2026, says FG
The Federal Government has confirmed that by 2026, all examinations conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) will transition to Computer-Based Testing (CBT).
Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, announced this during his appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Tuesday. The decision comes in response to increasing concerns over the credibility of public exams, especially following statistics from the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), which showed that more than 1.5 million out of 1.95 million candidates scored below 200 out of 400.
Responding to the poor UTME results and what they signify regarding learning outcomes at the senior secondary school level, the minister described the situation as a major concern, emphasising that it reflects examinations being conducted properly.
“JAMB conducts its exam using a computer-based testing system. They’ve implemented strong security measures, and as a result, fraud or cheating has been nearly eliminated. Unfortunately, we cannot say the same for WAEC and NECO,” he said.
Alausa disclosed that the government had undertaken a comprehensive review of the nation’s examination systems shortly after he assumed office.
“We carried out a diagnostic review of how exams are conducted nationwide. I set up a committee to investigate this, and I expect to receive their report in the coming days,” he added.
He reiterated that WAEC and NECO would commence the migration of their examinations to CBT from November 2025, beginning with objective papers, with full implementation, including essay components, by May-June 2026.
“We have to use technology to fight this fraud. There are so many ‘miracle centres’ and that is simply unacceptable. People cheat during WAEC and NECO exams and then face JAMB, where cheating is nearly impossible. That’s the disparity we’re seeing now. It’s sad,” Alausa said.
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