WAEC CBT practice: what changed, and how to prepare on your phone

WAEC CBT practice means rehearsing objective questions on a screen against a clock, the way a computer based WASSCE or NECO paper runs. In 2026 both councils used computers for some candidates, not all. So practise objective papers on your phone, keep writing theory answers by hand, and check your school's mode.

Key points

• WAEC is moving in stages. It started computer based WASSCE with private candidates in 2024, and in November 2025 it said it had never announced that every school would write the 2026 WASSCE on computers.
• Schools were sorted by readiness: not ready, objective papers only on computer, or all papers on computer.
• NECO ran a computer based rollout in its 2026 SSCE, with a randomised set of questions for each candidate.
• Theory still matters. Schools without computers keep the written essay format, so practise both.
• The proposed 2027 timetable puts NECO from 1 April and WAEC from 11 May. It's a proposal.

Is WAEC now computer based?

Partly. WAEC has been moving the WASSCE to computers in stages since its first computer based exam for private candidates in 2024. In November 2025 Dr Amos Dangut, head of WAEC's Nigeria office, said the council had never announced that every school would write the 2026 WASSCE on computers.

Here's what WAEC and the news reports say happened, in order.

When	What happened	Source
2024	WAEC began its computer based WASSCE with private candidates	The Tide, October 2025
April 2025	The Minister of Education said WAEC and NECO would adopt CBT from May/June 2026, objective papers first, then essays	Nairametrics, July 2026
23 October 2025	WAEC held a trial of computer based essay writing in Ogba, Lagos	News Agency of Nigeria
23 November 2025	WAEC grouped schools into three readiness tiers; pilot only in schools with ICT facilities	Arise News
Early 2026	Results of the computer based WASSCE for private candidates, first series, released	Leadership
5 August 2026	WASSCE for school candidates results: 1,950,726 sat and 61.54% got five credits including English and Mathematics	BusinessDay, Vanguard

The three tiers matter for you. Some schools weren't ready for computer exams. Some could do objective papers on computer only. Some could do everything, including essays and practicals. Schools without the facilities were pointed to existing CBT centres.

Vanguard reported WAEC saying 2026 was the second time it ran the computer based WASSCE for school candidates. What I couldn't find, from WAEC or a major outlet, is how many of the 1,950,726 actually typed their answers. So don't assume your paper will be on screen. Ask your school which tier it's in.

What is NECO's position on CBT?

NECO is moving the same way, carefully. Its 2026 SSCE included a computer based rollout, and the Voice of Nigeria reported 1,378,048 registered candidates and a randomised set of questions for each one. The Minister of State for Education said the full move won't happen "until everything is ready."

Her full line was: "We will not begin the complete transition until everything is ready because we do not want to put any student at a disadvantage." Reports didn't say how many NECO candidates wrote on computer.

For 2027, the Federal Ministry of Education's proposed timetable of 14 October 2026 puts NECO SSCE from 1 April to 14 May and WAEC WASSCE from 11 May to 18 June. It's a proposal. Watch WAEC and NECO's own channels, and ignore anyone selling "expo" or early papers. WAEC itself warned in August 2026 about rogue websites selling fake papers in its name.

How is a WAEC objective paper different from a theory paper?

The objective paper is multiple choice, so it moves straight onto a computer. Theory papers ask you to write working, essays or explanations, and those are the part WAEC is still trialling on screen. You'll likely face both, in some mix, for years.

Mathematics shows the split clearly. Published copies of the WAEC General Mathematics syllabus describe Paper 1 as 50 multiple choice questions in one and a half hours, and Paper 2 as 13 essay questions in two sections, of which you answer 10, in two and a half hours. Check the current syllabus for each of your subjects.

So the practice splits in two:

• Objective: speed and accuracy. That's 1.8 minutes a question in Maths Paper 1, by my arithmetic. A phone is perfect for this.
• Theory: clear working, set out the way examiners mark it. Do this on paper, timed, and mark it against marking schemes or a teacher.

How do I practise for a WAEC or NECO CBT paper on my phone?

Practise objective questions on a screen, timed, in full sets. Pick your subject, set a clock to the real paper's time, answer without paper notes, and review every miss the same day. Then do the theory paper by hand on separate days.

1. Learn the screen. On a computer exam you'll read, choose and move on without a pen in your hand. Get used to reading a question once and choosing.
2. Time every set. Work out the minutes per question for the real paper and practise at that pace.
3. Use rough paper for working. Maths and science objective questions still need working. Practise doing it on a sheet beside the phone, the way you will at a centre.
4. Mark your doubts and come back. Skip a hard one, finish the rest, then return.
5. Review by topic, not by score. A wrong answer tells you which topic to read tonight.

Here's a weekly plan for the months before the exam. It assumes about two hours a day, rotating through your subjects. Adjust it to your timetable.

Day	Objective practice on phone	Theory practice on paper
Monday	English and Maths, 30 questions each, timed	One Maths Paper 2 section
Tuesday	Two of your subjects, study mode with explanations	One essay question in a subject you find hard
Wednesday	Two more subjects, timed sets	Short answers from one science or arts subject
Thursday	Redo yesterday's wrong answers	One English essay or letter
Friday	Mixed timed set across all subjects	Mark the week's theory against a scheme
Saturday	One full objective paper at real time	One full theory paper at real time
Sunday	Rest, then 20 minutes reviewing mistakes	None

My honest view: most students over practise objective questions because they feel productive, and under practise theory because it's slow. In WAEC Maths, Paper 2 carries twice the marks of Paper 1. Give theory its share.

How does Etest CBT help with WAEC and NECO?

I built Etest CBT for the Nigerian exam season as a whole: JAMB UTME, Post UTME, WAEC and NECO. When you start an exam you pick JAMB UTME, Post UTME or WASSCE / NECO, and the app draws questions only from past papers of that type, so a school exam question is never passed off as a JAMB one.

The WASSCE / NECO mode covers a set of WASSCE and NECO subjects listed in the app. For English and the sciences, practise in the JAMB and Post UTME papers, because the topics overlap heavily with the school syllabus. Every question has an explanation, and you can practise in study mode or in timed exams with a question navigator and flags. Results show your score and a subject breakdown, and the study plan sends your weakest topics back into the week. It works offline once installed.

What it doesn't do: theory. The app is objective questions only, so keep your theory practice on paper. It's also an independent app, not linked to WAEC, NECO or JAMB.

Start a timed WASSCE or NECO set in Etest CBT on the App Store or Google Play, or read more on the Etest CBT page and in what Etest CBT is. If you're also writing JAMB, my post on CBT practice on a phone, laptop or at a CBT centre covers devices, and using past questions without wasting them covers the review step.

Frequently asked questions

Is WAEC 2027 going to be CBT?

WAEC is moving the WASSCE to computers in stages, and in 2026 some schools used computers while others did not. WAEC hadn't published a 2027 mode for every school when I checked on 4 November 2026. Ask your school which readiness tier it's in, and watch WAEC's official channels.

Will the WAEC theory paper be on a computer?

For some schools, eventually. WAEC trialled typed essay answers in October 2025, and said schools without computers would keep the written essay format. My guess is that most candidates will still write theory by hand for a while, so keep practising on paper.

Does NECO use CBT?

NECO ran a computer based rollout in its 2026 SSCE, with a randomised question set for each candidate, according to the Voice of Nigeria. The Minister of State for Education said the full move would wait until everything is ready. Check your school's mode before the exam.

How can I practise WAEC CBT on my phone?

Use a practice app with WAEC past questions and a timer. Set the real paper's time, answer full sets without notes, use rough paper for working, and review every wrong answer by topic the same day. Do theory papers by hand on separate days, timed.

Can I use Etest CBT for WAEC and NECO?

Yes. Etest CBT has a WASSCE / NECO option with past questions in a set of school subjects listed in the app, alongside JAMB UTME and Post UTME papers. For English and the sciences, use the JAMB and Post UTME papers. It covers objective questions only, so practise theory on paper. It works offline on iPhone and Android.

How I wrote this

On 4 November 2026 I read WAEC news reports in BusinessDay, Vanguard, Leadership, Arise News, The Tide and the News Agency of Nigeria, NECO reports by the Voice of Nigeria, and the Federal Ministry's proposed 2027 timetable. The April 2025 directive is as recounted by Nairametrics. I didn't find the Maths syllabus on a WAEC site, so the paper format comes from a published copy, and I've said so. The app details come from Etest CBT's own source code. The weekly plan is my own suggestion.

By John Osakwe, founder of Etest Tech Hub. I have built apps and websites since 2015, including Etest CBT, FizzFree and Pawlarm.