The Federal Government has announced that beginning in 2026, all examinations conducted by the West African Examinations Council and the National Examinations Council must be fully Computer-Based Tests.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, made this known on Monday while monitoring the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination alongside officials of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) in Bwari, Abuja.
According to Dr. Alausa, both WAEC and NECO are expected to commence administering objective components of their exams via CBT from November this year, with full migration—including essay sections—scheduled for May/June 2026.
“If JAMB can successfully conduct CBT exams for more than 2.2 million candidates, WAEC and NECO can do the same,” Alausa said. “By 2026, both the objective and essay parts will be fully computer-based. This is a necessary step to eliminate examination malpractices in the system.”
The Minister further revealed that a committee has been set up to review national examination standards, and its recommendations are expected next month.
Meanwhile, JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, during the monitoring exercise, clarified issues surrounding the timing of UTME examinations. He explained that the board’s exams traditionally begin at 8:00 a.m., and candidates are only required to arrive by 6:30 a.m. for accreditation purposes.
“We have always started our exams at 8 o’clock,” Oloyede said. “The first session is at 8:00 a.m., the second at 10:30 a.m., the third at 1:00 p.m., and the fourth at 3:30 p.m.”
He also addressed complaints about candidates being posted to unintended centers, describing them as unfounded after thorough investigations.
Providing an update on the ongoing UTME, the JAMB boss stated that more than 1.6 million of the 2.03 million registered candidates had completed their exams, leaving about 50,000 candidates yet to sit for theirs. He also disclosed that over 40 candidates had been apprehended for various malpractices, including impersonation and attempts to smuggle exam materials using concealed cameras.
Oloyede noted, “Among the registered candidates, over 41,000 were discovered to be underage.”
The federal government’s new directive is part of efforts to modernize Nigeria’s examination processes and curb the longstanding problem of exam fraud.
