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The Federal Government has declared that Nigeria is edging closer to a full transition to Computer-Based Test (CBT) examinations, following the successful conduct of the ongoing National Examinations Council (NECO) Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE).
The government said the innovation is proving effective in tackling examination malpractice and improving the credibility of public examinations.
Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad, gave the assessment on Wednesday after monitoring the ongoing school-based SSCE at Redeemers Teap International School, Garki II, and Anglican Girls’ Grammar School, Gudu, Abuja.
She described the exercise as a major milestone in the federal government’s education reform agenda, noting that the smooth conduct of the examination had strengthened confidence in plans to migrate fully to CBT once adequate infrastructure is available nationwide.
According to the minister, candidates at the centres visited overwhelmingly expressed a preference for the CBT format, citing its ease of use, seamless operation, and enhanced examination experience.
“Base on my assessment, I am very happy because, from what I have seen in the two centres visited, the students are writing the CBT examination and they are happy. The setting for the examination is excellent,” she said.
Prof. Ahmad explained that one of the biggest advantages of the CBT platform is the randomisation of examination questions, making it virtually impossible for candidates to copy from one another or gain prior access to examination materials.
“I interacted with them to know whether they had seen the questions before the examination because that is one of the key challenges we are trying to address through CBT. They said no. Each student is writing a different set of questions, so even those sitting beside one another cannot communicate because their questions are different,” she said.
She stressed that the federal government would only commence a nationwide transition after ensuring that all states have the necessary infrastructure to guarantee equal opportunities for candidates.
“We will not begin the complete transition until everything is ready because we do not want to put any student at a disadvantage. We are working closely with the National Assembly, state governors, private partners and other stakeholders to provide the necessary infrastructure for the transition,” she stated.
The minister also expressed satisfaction with the technical performance of the examination, saying no cases of network failure or system malfunction had been reported since the exercise began.
“In the schools I visited, I asked whether there were technical glitches in accessing the questions or starting the examination. They assured me there had been no technical hitch. The examinations started on time without network problems or interruptions,” she added.
She maintained that if Nigeria is to improve the quality and integrity of its education system, embracing CBT examinations remains the most viable option.
“As far as we want quality education, we must eliminate examination malpractice, and I think the only way forward is to move towards CBT examinations,” she said.
Also speaking, NECO Registrar Prof. Ibrahim Dantani Wushishi disclosed that the council expects to release the 2026 SSCE results by the first week of September, or even earlier, owing to the speed and efficiency of the CBT system.
“By the first week of September, or even before then, we should be ready so that candidates can use their results for admission,” he said.
He revealed that 1,378,048 candidates registered for this year’s examination nationwide, with female candidates slightly outnumbering their male counterparts, a development he attributed to sustained government investment in girl-child education.
Wushishi said the examination had recorded no technical glitches since its commencement and disclosed that about 10 CBT centres are currently participating in the exercise in the Federal Capital Territory.
He added that the randomisation of questions had significantly reduced opportunities for examination malpractice while enhancing the credibility of the examination process.
At the centres visited, candidates also commended the new examination format.
A candidate at Redeemers Teap International School, Ambassador Alabi, described the CBT examination as seamless and more convenient than the conventional paper-based method, while Isaac Abioro of Anglican Girls’ Grammar School said the examination had been efficient and free of technical disruptions.
The Principal of Anglican Girls’ Grammar School, Mrs Nkiruka Nwafor, said the school had already integrated CBT into some internal examinations to prepare students for a technology-driven future.
“The CBT experience is what we have all been waiting for. The future our girls are going into is dynamic and heavily ICT-driven. We have also introduced CBT for some of our internal examinations so that from JS1 and JS2, the students gradually get used to the system. It is about time, and it is good that it is happening,” she said.
