WASSCE 2025: WAEC Says No Two Candidates Will Have Same Questions on Each Number

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC), Nigeria, has announced a significant change to the format of the 2025 May/June West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for School Candidates.

The new format will ensure that candidates receive different sets of questions in selected subjects as part of efforts to address the rising cases of examination malpractice in Nigeria’s secondary schools.

The Head of National Office, WAEC Nigeria, Dr. Amos Dangut, said this adjustment will apply to some subject codes in the 2025 exam.

“From this year, two candidates will not have the same questions on each number. We have adopted this innovation for some of the WASSCE codes,” he stated.

He cautioned candidates against attempting to write papers that are not assigned to them.

“Any candidate who chooses to write a paper other than the one assigned to him or her will be doing himself/herself a disservice and will bear the attendant consequences,” Dangut added.

WAEC noted that the 2025 May/June WASSCE will take place from April 24 to June 20.

In addition to the new question pattern, WAEC has also introduced the first Computer-Based WASSCE (CB-WASSCE) for school candidates, which will be optional for now.

Dangut explained that CB-WASSCE questions will be printed in advance based on each student’s registration details.

He said the move supports the Federal Government’s plan to digitize the education sector.

“The CB-WASSCE 2025 is thrown open, so schools that are ready will be given the opportunity to choose between traditional pen and paper examinations or the newly introduced CB-WASSCE in the forthcoming WAEC.

“The adoption of these current test administration techniques is geared towards upholding the academic and moral integrity of the National Policy on Education and in line with the vision of the Federal Ministry of Education,” he said.

Dr. Dangut reaffirmed WAEC’s zero-tolerance policy for examination malpractice and urged strict compliance with examination rules.

“Erring schools whose candidates engage in mass cheating will be derecognised; erring officials will be adequately punished, while erring candidates will be sanctioned if found culpable.”

“Every candidate and examination functionary should familiarise themselves with the rules guiding the conduct of the examination as stipulated in the WAEC Syllabus and Guidelines for the conduct of examinations, issued to schools,” he added.

He assured the public that WAEC would continue working with the Nigeria Police Force and state governments to ensure a safe and malpractice-free exam process.

“The Council remains grateful to state governments for their partnership and collaborative efforts throughout the conduct of WASSCE and in the Council’s ongoing war against the menace of examination malpractice.”

“The Council will decisively deal with examination malpractice of any kind as approved by the Nigeria Examinations Committee (NEC), being the highest decision-making organ of the Council that sits on examination matters in Nigeria.”

Dr. Dangut stated that 1,973,253 candidates from 23,554 schools are expected to sit for the 2025 May/June WASSCE.

Of this number, 979,228 are males, representing 49.63%, while 994,025 are females, accounting for 50.37%.

“On the role, the candidacy for this year increased by 158,627 candidates. They will be examined in 74 subjects, made up of 196 papers,” Dangut disclosed.

To ensure smooth conduct, about 26,000 senior secondary school teachers nominated by state Ministries of Education will serve as supervisors.

Dr. Dangut also warned parents to avoid doing business with fraudulent websites that distribute fake examination materials.

“Parents who patronise rogue website operators should desist from such, as the Council will collaborate with the Nigerian Police Force to bring perpetrators to book,” he warned.

WAEC added that it has conducted extensive sensitisation through its zonal and branch offices to inform school owners, teachers, and students about the reforms and their implications.