West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has said there is no going back on conducting its first ever Computer Based Test (CBT) of its WASSCE for private candidates.

The council’s Head of National Office (HNO) Dr Amos Josiah Dangut stated this at a media parley on Monday in Lagos.

According to him, arrangements for the conduct of the 2024 West African Senior School Certificate  Examination (WASSCE) first series for private candidates,  using the first ever CBT model have been concluded.

“We are here to give you an insight of the level of preparations so far, for the conduct of this maiden CBT examination.

“The council is aware that the news of this innovation was initially greeted with some level of resistance.

“The conduct of the Computer Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (CB-WASSCE) for Private Candidates, 2024 First Series, will take place from Wednesday, Jan. 31 and end on Saturday, Feb. 17, in Nigeria.

“This will span a period of two weeks and four days and to this end, there is no going back as plans  have therefore,  been concluded for this first-ever computer-based examination, which will be delivered in hybrid mode,” he said.

The HNO noted that WAEC Nigeria, in keeping with its vision of being a world-class examining body and its core value of innovation, had taken the bold step to offer candidates a viable alternative to the Pen and Paper model of examinations.

According to him, this is in line with giving its stakeholders and publics, a view of the great potentials that exists in the computer-based approach to assessments.

The council boss stated that  the hybrid mode entailed that, the Objective or Multiple Choice questions, would be rendered on-screen and candidates were required to give their responses on the screen.

“The Essay and Practical questions will be rendered on-screen, likewise, but candidates will be required to give their responses using the answer booklets provided.

“The council is encouraged by the acceptance of this innovation as evidenced in the number of entries received so far.

“As of today, Monday, Jan 29, a total of 8,285 candidates from across the federation  have registered for the examination.

“Out of this number, 3,949 are male, representing 47.66 per cent, while 4,336  are female,  representing 52.3 per cent  of the total candidature.

“Candidates will be examined in 19 subjects, made up of 26 papers.

“For the successful conduct of the examination and to curb examination malpractices, carefully selected examination officials have been trained by council to serve as proctors during the conduct of the examination,” he said.

 Dangut noted that WAEC in a bid to further deliver on its mandate and as a way of helping candidates, had made available, its e-learning portal with materials that would demonstrate to candidates, the requirements for the conduct of the examination.

He urged candidates to visit https://www.waeconline.org.ng/e-Learning/index.htm to access the portal.

According to him, in addition, a tutorial video on how to navigate the examination portal is available on all council’s social media platforms.

He added that candidates could also use the video to acquaint themselves with relevant information on demand and upon enquiry.

The council boss noted that the results of candidates who would sit for the examination would  be released 45 days after the conduct of the last paper, while duly awarded certificates would be available on request via certrequest.waec.org.ng.

According to him, similarly, candidates can access digital copies of their certificates via the WAEC Digital Certificate portal by logging on to www.waec.org.

He noted that the CBT centres where the examination would be hosted across the nation were inspected with checklists and equipped with servers for the duration of the conduct of the examination.

He noted that trial tests were conducted across the country and a free mock examination also conducted for registered candidates on Jan. 23 and Jan. 24.

The council boss added that the final international timetable for the conduct of the examination had been made available for proper and necessary guidance to prospective candidates.

“In addition to the wide publicity that has been given to the examination via mass media outlets, social media has also been abuzz with news of the CB-WASSCE and the modalities for the conduct.

“WAEC, being the foremost examining body, adding value to the educational goals of its stakeholders, has not rested on its oars, since the past 71 years of its existence.

“It has continued to improve its service delivery across the board by leveraging Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the dynamic industry of assessment,” he said.