The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has released the final timetable for the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for Private Candidates, Second Series, popularly known as the WAEC GCE.
According to the official schedule, the examinations will commence on Friday, 4 September 2026, and end on Wednesday, 28 October 2026.
The examination period opens with planning sessions for Foods and Nutrition 3 (Practical) and Home Management 3 (Practical) on 4 September, each lasting one hour from 9:30 a.m.
Oral and performance tests for subjects including Arabic, French and Music, as well as practical papers for Foods and Nutrition and Home Management, will be conducted between Monday, 14 September and Friday, 25 September on dates and times to be arranged by the Council.
Core written papers begin on Tuesday, 22 September with Further Mathematics. Key subject dates include:
- General Mathematics — Saturday, 3 October (Essay: 9:30 a.m. – 12:00 noon; Objective: 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.)
- Chemistry — Monday, 5 October
- Literature-in-English — Tuesday, 6 October and Thursday, 8 October
- Biology — Wednesday, 7 October
- Economics — Saturday, 10 October
- Geography — Wednesday, 14 October
- Physics — Thursday, 15 October
- English Language — Saturday, 17 October (Essay: 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.; Objective: 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.; Test of Orals: 2:00 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.)
Other subjects such as Accounting, Government, Civic Education, Agriculture, Technical Drawing, Visual Art, and the Nigerian languages (Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba) are also scheduled across the examination period.
WAEC noted that where the duration indicated on a question paper differs from that on the timetable, candidates should follow the duration stated on the question paper. Candidates with special needs will be allowed one and a half times the time allotted to other candidates. For Visual Art Paper 3, specific advance arrangements apply.
Registration for the 2026 Second Series, which is being conducted as a Computer-Based Examination, has been extended to Friday, 28 August 2026. Candidates are advised to complete their registration promptly and download the official timetable from the WAEC Nigeria website or their registration portal.
WAEC urged all candidates to prepare adequately and adhere strictly to examination regulations.
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