The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has officially announced the schedule and key details for the 2025 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) for both school and private candidates.
According to WAEC, the examination is set to take place from Wednesday, June 11, 2025, to Wednesday, June 18, 2025. This year’s BECE will see a total of 603,328 candidates sitting for the school examination. The breakdown reveals 297,250 males and 306,078 females drawn from 20,395 participating schools across the country.
WAEC highlighted that the number of registered school candidates for the 2025 BECE reflects a 5.99% increase compared to the 569,236 candidates who sat for the examination in 2024.
For private candidates, 1,661 individuals have registered for the examination this year, consisting of 858 males and 803 females. This figure marks a 19.49% rise from the 2024 entry total of 1,390 private candidates.
The council has outlined that the BECE for School Candidates will be conducted at 2,237 examination centres nationwide. Additionally, fifteen (15) centres, primarily located in regional capitals, will host the examination for private candidates.
WAEC also emphasized that, as was the case in the 2024 exams, School Candidates and some private candidates will be assessed based on the core curriculum, while other private candidates will continue to be examined using the old syllabus. Importantly, WAEC announced that 2025 will be the final year private candidates will be examined on the old syllabus.
This update serves as an essential notice to all prospective private candidates as they prepare for this transition.