The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has published the official timetable for the 2026 Common-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (CB-WASSCE) for Private Candidates, First Series, providing the dates and subject schedule that private candidates need to prepare for. According to the timetable released on the council’s official social media handle, the exams will begin on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, and run through Saturday, February 14, 2026. The first day will feature language subjects such as Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba, with other core subjects — including Biology, Mathematics, Agricultural Science, Physics, English Language, Chemistry, Literature-in-English, Economics, Government, Commerce and Civic Education — scheduled throughout the period.
WAEC has advised all private candidates to closely review the timetable, note their examination dates and times, and regularly check the council’s official platforms for any updates or changes. The council also reminded candidates that if the time shown on a question paper differs from what is on the timetable, they should follow the time indicated on the paper itself.
This schedule release follows earlier notices about registration opening for the 2026 CB-WASSCE private-candidate exams, and is part of WAEC’s broader preparation for adopting computer-based testing (CBT) formats in future examinations. The council and the Nigerian government have been working to implement increased CBT components across exams by 2026, aiming to modernise testing and improve exam integrity.
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