The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has officially released the final timetable for the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for private candidates, Second Series. The schedule, published in August 2026, covers examinations from September to October 2026, providing clear dates, paper codes, durations, and Nigerian times for all subjects.
Timetable Structure and Key Dates
The examination period opens on Friday, September 4, 2026, with planning sessions for Foods and Nutrition 3 (Practical) and Home Management 3 (Practical), each lasting one hour from 9:30am. Between Monday, September 14, and Friday, September 25, oral and performance tests for subjects including Arabic, Music, and French will be conducted on dates and at times arranged separately by the council.
Core written papers begin on Tuesday, September 22, with Further Mathematics. General Mathematics is scheduled for Saturday, October 3, with Paper 2 (Essay) from 9:30am to 12:00pm and Paper 1 (Objective) from 2:00pm to 3:30pm. English Language is set for Saturday, October 17, with Paper 2 (Essay) from 9:30am to 11:30pm, Paper 1 (Objective) from 11:30pm to 12:30pm, and Paper 3 (Test of Orals) from 2:00pm to 2:45pm.
Other Important Subject Dates
Chemistry is scheduled for Monday, October 5, with Essay and Objective papers in the morning and Alternative to Practical Work at 2:00pm. Biology follows on Wednesday, October 7, with the same structure. Physics is set for Thursday, October 15, also with Essay and Objective papers in the morning and Alternative to Practical Work at 2:00pm. Economics falls on Saturday, October 10, with Essay from 9:30am and Objective from 11:30pm. Literature-in-English is scheduled for Tuesday, October 6, and Thursday, October 8, while Geography is on Wednesday, October 14, including a Practical and Physical Geography paper at 2:30pm.
The timetable also covers Government, Accounting, Commerce, Agriculture, Health Education, Nigerian History, Civic Education, Technical Drawing, Visual Art, and the three major Nigerian languages — Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba — all on Thursday, September 24.
Key Notes for Candidates
WAEC included three important instructions alongside the timetable. Where the duration printed on a question paper differs from what appears on the timetable, candidates should follow the duration on the question paper. For Visual Art Paper 3A, supervisors will receive instructions two weeks before the examination date. Visual Art Paper 3B question papers will be handed to candidates two weeks in advance. Candidates with special needs are entitled to one and a half times the standard duration for each paper.
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the federal government has rolled out fresh measures aimed at tackling examination malpractice in the Senior School Certificate Examination, a key requirement for admission into tertiary institutions across the country. The new steps apply to examinations conducted by the West African Examination Council, the National Examination Council, and the National Business and Technical Examinations Board.
