More than 1.3 million students across Nigeria are taking the 2025 NECO Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSCE) using both Computer-Based Testing (CBT) and traditional Paper-Pencil Testing (PPT) methods.
The National Examinations Council (NECO) said a total of 1,367,210 candidates registered for this year’s exam—the highest number ever recorded. Of this figure, 685,551 are male and over 681,300 are female.
The Registrar of NECO, Professor Ibrahim Dantani Wushishi, shared the figures on Tuesday while monitoring the exam at SASCON International School in Maitama, Abuja, one of the pilot CBT centres.
“This is the first time NECO is using CBT to conduct O-level exams in selected centres. We are ready as a professional body to conduct exams using any medium,” said Wushishi.
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Kano State recorded the highest number of candidates with over 137,000, while Kebbi State had the lowest with just over 5,000. The Nigerian International School in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, registered the fewest students—only eight.
The move to CBT comes after the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, directed both NECO and WAEC to begin full CBT exams by 2026.
Professor Wushishi admitted there were challenges.
“We may have issues with infrastructure, especially in hard-to-reach areas, but that will not stop us. We are calling on state governments to speed up the provision of CBT facilities,” he said.
He added that CBT will help improve the quality of exams and reduce cheating.
“We highly support the process because it will reduce malpractice and improve the quality of the examination, the results, and the certificates.”
He also noted that NECO certificates are globally recognized, and the council is working to increase international acceptance.
With the success of the pilot CBT programme, NECO says it is ready to expand digital exams nationwide, while still ensuring fairness and access for students in all regions.