The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has announced that candidates who participated in the 2026 Computer-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (CB-WASSCE) can now apply for their digital certificates 48 hours after checking their results online.
The announcement was made on Wednesday during the official release of the 2026 WASSCE results for school candidates in Lagos.
Speaking at the event, the Head of the WAEC National Office, Dr. Amos Josiah Dangut, said the council has streamlined its services by allowing candidates to request their digital certificates shortly after accessing their results through WAEC’s online platform.
As part of the new innovations, WAEC also unveiled an e-PIN generation portal, enabling candidates to generate result-checking PINs directly online without relying on external vendors.
According to the council, candidates can access their examination results within 12 hours through the WAEC result portal, while printed certificates will be available for collection within 90 days.
On candidates’ performance, WAEC disclosed that 1,200,514 candidates, representing 61.54 per cent, obtained at least five credits, including English Language and Mathematics. Dr. Dangut noted that the performance reflects a 1.42 per cent decline compared to the 2025 examination.
The council said 1,959,668 candidates from 24,207 schools registered for the examination conducted across Nigeria, the Benin Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, and Equatorial Guinea, while 1,950,726 candidates eventually sat for the examination.
WAEC further revealed that 1,687,378 candidates, representing 86.50 per cent, obtained credits in at least five subjects, regardless of whether they passed English Language and Mathematics.
Among those who secured five credits, including English and Mathematics, 558,883 were male, while 641,631 were female. Overall, 953,459 male and 997,267 female candidates participated in the examination.
The examination body also confirmed that 1,834,695 candidates, representing 94.05 per cent, have had their results fully processed and released, while the results of 116,031 candidates (5.95 per cent) are still being processed.
WAEC disclosed that 1,213 candidates with special needs registered for the examination. This number comprises 137 visually impaired candidates, 491 hearing-impaired candidates, 55 candidates with spastic or mental disabilities, and 41 physically challenged candidates.
On examination malpractice, the council announced that the results of 167,486 candidates, representing 8.59 per cent of those who sat the examination, have been withheld pending the conclusion of investigations. WAEC noted that the figure is lower than the 9.7 per cent recorded in 2025.
Dr. Dangut attributed many of the malpractice cases to the continued use of mobile phones in examination halls despite the existing ban, as well as organised cheating in some schools.
He added that supervisors and invigilators found aiding examination malpractice have been apprehended and will face disciplinary action through their respective State Ministries of Education.
The WAEC boss also stated that the 2026 CB-WASSCE was the second computer-based examination conducted for school candidates and the third and final results briefing he would deliver as Head of the WAEC National Office.
He explained that WAEC has also introduced the Digital Examiner Mark System (DEMS) to accelerate the marking process, alongside serialised question papers aimed at reducing examination malpractice.
In addition, the council announced that registration for the 2026 WASSCE for Private Candidates (Second Series) is currently ongoing at a registration fee of ₦37,500, while walk-in registration is also available for eligible candidates.
