The West African Certificate Examination (WAEC) in Nigeria has taken a significant leap forward with the introduction of the Computer Based-West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (CB-WASSCE) for private candidates. Dr. Amos Dangut, the Head of National Office, WAEC Nigeria, announced that 8,285 candidates have registered for the first series of the 2024 CB-WASSCE.
During a press conference in Lagos, Dr. Dangut revealed that the examination is scheduled to run from Wednesday, January 31 to Saturday, February 17, 2024, across Nigeria. This development follows the council’s announcement in November 2023 about its plans to conduct WASSCE for private candidates using a computer-based model.
Despite initial resistance to this innovative approach, the council has seen a positive reception, as indicated by the number of candidates registered. The gender distribution among the candidates is fairly balanced, with 3,949 males (47.66%) and 4,336 females (52.3%).
The CB-WASSCE will cover 19 subjects, consisting of 26 papers, in a hybrid mode. The objective or multiple-choice questions will be answered on-screen, while the essay and practical questions will also be displayed on-screen, but responses will be written in provided answer booklets.
Dr. Dangut emphasized the council’s readiness for this new format and encouraged candidates to utilize WAEC’s e-learning portal for materials demonstrating the CB-WASSCE’s conduct requirements.
This inaugural computer-based examination represents WAEC’s commitment to incorporating technological advancements into its examination processes.