The West African Examinations Council (WAEC), Nigeria, has unveiled major reforms for the 2025 May/June West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) as part of efforts to curb rising cases of examination malpractice.
Announcing the changes, the Head of National Office, WAEC Nigeria, Dr. Amos Dangut, revealed that in selected subjects, no two candidates will receive the exact same set of questions per number, marking a significant shift in question distribution.
“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 warned candidates against attempting to answer questions not assigned to them, noting that such actions would carry serious consequences.
The 2025 WASSCE for School Candidates is scheduled to take place from April 24 to June 20, 2025.
As part of its modernization efforts, WAEC has also introduced the first-ever Computer-Based WASSCE (CB-WASSCE) for school candidates, which will be optional during this year’s examination cycle.
“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 computer-based version,” Dr. Dangut said.
He explained that the computer-based exam aligns with the Federal Government’s education digitization agenda and ensures greater integrity in exam administration. Question papers will be preprinted according to individual registration details to maintain authenticity.
WAEC reiterated its zero-tolerance policy on examination malpractice and outlined a series of sanctions for offenders:
- Schools involved in mass cheating will be derecognised.
- Officials found complicit will face disciplinary actions.
- Candidates proven guilty of cheating will face penalties, as determined by the Nigeria Examinations Committee (NEC).
Dr. Dangut emphasized the importance of compliance with all examination rules and urged all candidates and examination personnel to study the WAEC Syllabus and Guidelines thoroughly.
WAEC will continue to collaborate with the Nigeria Police Force and state governments to ensure safe, secure, and malpractice-free examinations.
“We remain grateful to state governments for their partnership in supporting our anti-malpractice campaigns and will continue working closely with them to protect the credibility of our examinations,” Dr. Dangut said.
He also warned parents and candidates to stay away from rogue websites and fake exam material sellers, stressing that offenders will be tracked and prosecuted.
According to WAEC, a total of 1,973,253 candidates from 23,554 schools have registered for the May/June 2025 WASSCE:
- 979,228 males (49.63%)
- 994,025 females (50.37%)
The candidates will sit for exams in 74 subjects, covering 196 papers, with about 26,000 senior secondary school teachers serving as supervisors.
Dr. Dangut added that WAEC has conducted extensive stakeholder sensitization to educate school owners, teachers, and students on the new reforms and their implications.