WAEC released the 2026 WASSCE result on August 5. 61.54% of the 1.95 million candidates who sat the exam got five credits including English and Maths. 167,486 results are on hold over suspected malpractice, and about 116,031 are still processing. School candidates recover their PIN free with their NIN; private candidates buy an e-PIN for ₦5,000 or reuse an old scratch card. Check only through waecdirect.org, the WAEC app, or SMS to 32327, and never pay anyone claiming to “unlock” a withheld result.
WAEC released the 2026 WASSCE result today, Wednesday, August 5. If you sat for this year’s exam, you can check your result now. But before you rush to the portal, there’s one thing you should know first: not everybody’s result is out.
These are the numbers so far
About 1.95 million candidates that sat for the 2026 exam, which ran from April to June 19 across Nigeria, Benin Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, and Equatorial Guinea. Out of that number, 1,200,514 candidates, that’s 61.54%, got credit in at least five subjects, including English Language and Maths. That’s the number universities and polytechnics care about most.
This year’s pass rate dropped a small bit compared to 2025. More girls sat for the exam than boys too: 997,267 female candidates against 953,459 male candidates, and the girls came out on top.
WAEC also said 94.05% of results (1,834,695 candidates) were fully marked and released today, while 5.95% (116,031 candidates) are still being processed. So if your own result doesn’t show anything when you check, it might just not be ready yet. No need to panic.
Here why 167,486 results are still on hold
This is the part most people checking their result today don’t know yet. WAEC withheld 167,486 results, about 8.59% of everyone who sat the exam, because of suspected exam malpractice. WAEC’s national office head, Dr Amos Dangut, said the main issues were students using phones in the exam hall despite the ban, and some schools organizing cheating for their candidates. A number of supervisors caught helping candidates cheat have also been arrested.
If you’re cleared after investigation, your result will be released later. If you’re found guilty, you’ll face WAEC’s sanctions, which can range from cancelled results to being barred from future exams.
Sha, the number is smaller than last year’s 9.7%, so things improved small. But it still means close to 170,000 candidates are waiting on an answer they can’t get today, no matter how many times they check the portal.
How to check your waec result
This depends on what kind of candidate you are, and this is where a lot of guides mix things up.
If you’re a school candidate
You sat the exam through your secondary school, so your PIN was already issued to you at registration. If you’ve misplaced it, WAEC now lets you recover it for free using your National Identification Number:
- Go to waec.org and select “Serial Number and PIN.”
- Enter your examination number and the NIN you used during registration.
- Enter your email and phone number to receive an OTP.
- Input the OTP to get your Serial Number and PIN.
If you’re a private candidate
You registered on your own, not through a school, so you’ll need to buy a fresh e-PIN for ₦5,000 on waeconline.org, unless you still have an old scratch card. Old scratch cards remain valid and can be used up to five times, but only for the one exam number it was bought for.
Once you have your PIN, follow these steps to see your result:
- Go to waecdirect.org.
- Enter your 10-digit examination number.
- Select 2026 as the exam year and choose your candidate type.
- Enter your PIN and serial number.
- Click submit.
You can also check through the WAEC Result Checker app on Google Play, or by SMS: send your exam number, PIN, and exam year to 32327 on MTN, Glo, or Airtel. Standard SMS rates apply.
Watch out for fake result sites
Some websites will tell you that you can see your WAEC result without any PIN, sometimes for a “small fee” through a random link. Don’t fall for it. WAEC only releases results through waecdirect.org, its official app, or SMS to 32327. Anywhere else asking for money to “unlock” your result is not from WAEC.
If your result is withheld or missing
If you check and your result shows “withheld” or nothing shows up at all, contact your school’s exam officer first if you’re a school candidate, or the nearest WAEC state office if you registered privately. Don’t pay anyone who claims they can “settle” your withheld result faster. That’s exactly how a lot of students lose money to scammers every result season.
What the grades mean
A1, B2, and B3 are distinctions and very good passes. C4, C5, and C6 are credit passes. D7 and E8 are ordinary passes, below credit level. F9 is a fail. Most Nigerian universities and polytechnics ask for at least five credits, including English and Maths, with C6 as the lowest acceptable credit grade.
