NECO releases 2025 SSCE results with improved pass rate

NECO 2025 SSCE results show 60.26% of candidates scored five credits including Maths and English, as exam body records drop in malpractice cases

NECO 2025 SSCE results have officially been released by the National Examinations Council, just 54 days after the final paper in the June/July internal Senior School Certificate Examination.

Also read: NECO reduces English paper III questions for 2026 SSCE

Announcing the results in Minna, Niger State on Wednesday, NECO Registrar Prof Ibrahim Wushishi revealed that 818,492 candidates, representing 60.26 per cent, scored five credits and above, including English and Mathematics.

This reflects a noticeable improvement in candidate performance compared to previous years.

A total of 1,358,339 candidates sat for the exam, with 1,144,496 (84.26 per cent) scoring five credits and above irrespective of English and Mathematics.

Wushishi also highlighted that 1,622 candidates had special needs, with the majority dealing with hearing or visual impairments.

Despite their challenges, these students were successfully accommodated.

Significantly, NECO reported a sharp drop in examination malpractice, with 3,878 cases in 2025 compared to 10,094 in 2024 — a reduction of 61.58 per cent.

However, 38 schools in 13 states were flagged for mass cheating and will face disciplinary measures.

Nine exam supervisors from across Rivers, Niger, the FCT, Kano and Osun have been recommended for blacklisting due to misconduct ranging from aiding and abetting to insubordination.

In Adamawa State, eight schools in Lamorde LGA were affected by a communal clash that disrupted examinations from 7 to 25 July.

NECO is working with the state government to reschedule exams for the affected students.

In the state-by-state breakdown, Kano recorded the highest number of successful candidates with 68,159 students scoring five credits and above including Maths and English.

Lagos followed with 67,007, and Oyo came third with 48,742.

The poorest-performing centre was Gabon, with no student achieving five credits including English and Mathematics.

NECO confirmed that the ongoing curriculum review has streamlined the number of examinable subjects to 38, which is expected to speed up the results release process.

Additionally, the exam body reaffirmed its transition from the traditional Paper-Pencil Test (PPT) to a Computer-Based Test (CBT) model.

Several public and private schools have already taken part in the first phase of this transition.

Also read: NECO reduces English paper III questions for 2026 SSCE

Prof Wushishi concluded by noting that the council remains committed to educational reform, integrity, and a tech-driven future for assessments.

Source: Read more at tvcnews.tv

David Okere