The WAEC GCE timetable 2026 is the document that tells you where to be and when, whether you have two papers left or ten. The Second Series for private candidates started on 4 September and ends on 28 October 2026, and each paper has its own code, duration and start time.
Below is the full schedule taken from WAEC’s final timetable, with the papers still ahead, the practical and oral arrangements, and the rules to follow in the hall.
Check your personal timetable against it, because a wrong date is the easiest way to lose a paper.
WAEC GCE Timetable 2026 Breakdown
WAEC’s portal links to the final timetable for the private-candidate examination, and the figures below come from that document.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Examination | WASSCE for Private Candidates, 2026 Second Series |
| Document title | Final Timetable (dated August 2026) |
| First date | Friday, 4 September 2026 |
| Last date | Wednesday, 28 October 2026 |
| Format | Computer-Based Examination, as announced by WAEC |
| Official timetable | Time Table link on registration.waecdirect.org |
| Personal timetable | Download Timetable option after candidate login |
Where to Download the Official WAEC GCE Timetable 2026
The official timetable is on the WAEC private-candidate portal under Time Table. Candidates who have registered can also use the Download Timetable option after signing in. Prefer these sources to screenshots shared on social media, which are often cropped or outdated. Whichever copy of the WAEC GCE timetable 2026 you use, make sure it matches the official PDF.
Full WAEC GCE Timetable 2026
Each row shows the date, paper code, subject and paper, duration and time. The timetable uses Paper 1 for Objective, Paper 2 for Essay or Theory, and Paper 3 for practical, alternative to practical, oral or similar papers.
Practical Planning Sessions and Orals (4 to 25 September)
The first papers are practical planning sessions and oral or performance tests, some of which are arranged by the Council rather than fixed on one day.
| Date | Code | Subject and paper | Duration | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, 4 Sep | PC7023 | Foods and Nutrition 3 (Practical), Planning Session | 1 hr | 9:30 am to 10:30 am |
| PC7033 | Home Management 3 (Practical), Planning Session | 1 hr | 10:30 am to 11:30 am | |
| Mon, 14 Sep to Fri, 25 Sep | PC3013 | Arabic 3 (Oral) | 15 mins | Date and time arranged by the Council |
| PC7054 | Music 3B (Performance Test) | 30 mins | Date and time arranged by the Council | |
| PC3043 | French 3 (Oral) | 40 mins | Date and time arranged by the Council | |
| PC7023 | Foods and Nutrition 3 (Practical) | 3 hrs | Date and time arranged by the Council | |
| PC7033 | Home Management 3 (Practical) | 3 hrs | Date and time arranged by the Council |
Written Papers: 22 September to 3 October
These dates are listed for completeness and for candidates checking their records. Check each date against your personal timetable.
| Date | Code | Subject and paper | Duration | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue, 22 Sep | PC4012 | Further Mathematics/Mathematics (Elective) 2 (Essay) | 2 hrs 30 mins | 9:30 am to 12:00 pm |
| PC4011 | Further Mathematics/Mathematics (Elective) 1 (Objective) | 1 hr 30 mins | 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm | |
| Wed, 23 Sep | PC1042 / PC1041 | Accounting 2 (Theory and Practice) / Accounting 1 (Objective) | 2 hrs 30 mins / 1 hr | 9:30 am to 12:00 pm / 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm |
| PC2052 / PC2051 | Government 2 (Essay) / Government 1 (Objective) | 2 hrs / 1 hr | 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm / 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm | |
| Thu, 24 Sep | PC3272 / PC3271 | Hausa 2 (Essay) / Hausa 1 (Objective) | 2 hrs / 1 hr | 9:30 am to 11:30 am / 11:30 am to 12:30 pm |
| PC3282 / PC3281 | Igbo 2 (Essay) / Igbo 1 (Objective) | 2 hrs / 1 hr | 9:30 am to 11:30 am / 11:30 am to 12:30 pm | |
| PC3292 / PC3291 | Yoruba 2 (Essay) / Yoruba 1 (Objective) | 2 hrs / 1 hr | 9:30 am to 11:30 am / 11:30 am to 12:30 pm | |
| Fri, 25 Sep | PC7032 / PC7031 | Home Management 2 (Essay) / Home Management 1 (Objective) | 1 hr / 1 hr | 9:30 am to 10:30 am / 10:30 am to 11:30 am |
| Mon, 28 Sep | PC5112 / PC5111 | Physical Education 2 (Essay) / Physical Education 1 (Objective) | 1 hr 20 mins / 50 mins | 2:00 pm to 3:20 pm / 3:20 pm to 4:10 pm |
| Tue, 29 Sep | PC5083 | Health Education/Health Science 3 (Alternative to Practical Work) | 1 hr 45 mins | 9:30 am to 11:15 am |
| PC5113 | Physical Education 3 (Theory of Practice) | 2 hrs | 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm | |
| Wed, 30 Sep | PC7063 | Visual Art 3A (Drawing) | 3 hrs | 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm |
| Sat, 3 Oct | PC4022 / PC4021 | General Mathematics 2 (Essay) / General Mathematics 1 (Objective) | 2 hrs 30 mins / 1 hr 30 mins | 9:30 am to 12:00 pm / 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm |
| Mon, 5 Oct | PC5052 / PC5051 | Chemistry 2 (Essay) / Chemistry 1 (Objective) | 2 hrs / 1 hr | 9:30 am to 11:30 am / 11:30 am to 12:30 pm |
| PC5053 | Chemistry 3 (Alternative to Practical Work) | 1 hr 30 mins | 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm | |
| Tue, 6 Oct | PC2102 / PC2101 | Literature-in-English 2 (Prose) / Literature-in-English 1 (Objective) | 1 hr 15 mins / 1 hr | 9:30 am to 10:45 am / 10:45 am to 11:45 am |
| Wed, 7 Oct | PC5042 / PC5041 | Biology 2 (Essay) / Biology 1 (Objective) | 1 hr 40 mins / 50 mins | 9:30 am to 11:10 am / 11:10 am to 12:00 pm |
| PC5043 | Biology 3 (Alternative to Practical Work) | 2 hrs | 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm | |
| Thu, 8 Oct | PC2103 | Literature-in-English 3 (Drama and Poetry) | 2 hrs 30 mins | 2:00 pm to 4:30 pm |
| Fri, 9 Oct | PC2022 / PC2021 | Christian Religious Studies 2 (Essay) / 1 (Objective) | 2 hrs / 1 hr | 9:30 am to 11:30 am / 11:30 am to 12:30 pm |
| PC2082 / PC2081 | Islamic Studies 2 (Essay) / 1 (Objective) | 2 hrs / 50 mins | 9:30 am to 11:30 am / 11:30 am to 12:20 pm | |
| Sat, 10 Oct | PC2032 / PC2031 | Economics 2 (Essay) / Economics 1 (Objective) | 2 hrs / 1 hr | 9:30 am to 11:30 am / 11:30 am to 12:30 pm |
| PC7062 / PC7061 | Visual Art 2 (Essay) / Visual Art 1 (Objective) | 2 hrs / 50 mins | 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm / 4:00 pm to 4:50 pm |
| Mon, 12 Oct | PC7052 / PC7051 | Music 2 (Essay) / Music 1 (Objective) | 2 hrs / 1 hr | 9:30 am to 11:30 am / 11:30 am to 12:30 pm |
| PC3012 / PC3011 | Arabic 2 (Essay) / Arabic 1 (Objective) | 2 hrs / 50 mins | 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm / 4:00 pm to 4:50 pm | |
| Tue, 13 Oct | PC2072 / PC2071 | Nigerian History 2 (Essay) / 1 (Objective) | 2 hrs / 1 hr | 9:30 am to 11:30 am / 11:30 am to 12:30 pm |
| PC1032 / PC1031 | Commerce 2 (Essay) / Commerce 1 (Objective) | 2 hrs / 50 mins | 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm / 4:00 pm to 4:50 pm | |
| Wed, 14 Oct | PC2042 / PC2041 | Geography 2 (Essay) / Geography 1 (Objective) | 2 hrs / 1 hr | 9:30 am to 11:30 am / 11:30 am to 12:30 pm |
| PC2043 | Geography 3 (Practical and Physical Geography) | 1 hr 50 mins | 2:30 pm to 4:20 pm | |
| Thu, 15 Oct | PC5122 / PC5121 | Physics 2 (Essay) / Physics 1 (Objective) | 1 hr 30 mins / 1 hr 15 mins | 9:30 am to 11:00 am / 11:00 am to 12:15 pm |
| PC5123 | Physics 3 (Alternative to Practical Work) | 2 hrs 45 mins | 2:00 pm to 4:45 pm | |
| Fri, 16 Oct | PC1122 / PC1121 | Marketing 2 (Essay) / Marketing 1 (Objective) | 2 hrs / 50 mins | 9:30 am to 11:30 am / 11:30 am to 12:20 pm |
| Sat, 17 Oct | PC3022 / PC3021 | English Language 2 (Essay) / English Language 1 (Objective) | 2 hrs / 1 hr | 9:30 am to 11:30 am / 11:30 am to 12:30 pm |
| PC3023 | English Language 3 (Test of Orals) | 45 mins | 2:00 pm to 2:45 pm | |
| Tue, 20 Oct | PC7022 / PC7021 | Foods and Nutrition 2 (Essay) / 1 (Objective) | 1 hr 15 mins / 1 hr | 2:00 pm to 3:15 pm / 3:15 pm to 4:15 pm |
| Wed, 21 Oct | PC5022 / PC5021 | Agriculture 2 (Essay) / Agriculture 1 (Objective) | 2 hrs 10 mins / 50 mins | 9:30 am to 11:40 am / 11:40 am to 12:30 pm |
| PC5023 | Agriculture 3 (Alternative to Practical Work) | 1 hr 30 mins | 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm | |
| Thu, 22 Oct | PC7064 | Visual Art 3B (Creative Design) | 3 hrs | 9:30 am to 12:30 pm |
| Fri, 23 Oct | PC3042 / PC3041 | French 2 (Essay) / French 1 (Objective) | 1 hr 15 mins / 1 hr | 9:30 am to 10:45 am / 10:45 am to 11:45 am |
| PC5082 / PC5081 | Health Education/Health Science 2 (Essay) / 1 (Objective) | 1 hr 30 mins / 1 hr | 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm / 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm | |
| Sat, 24 Oct | PC2162 / PC2161 | Civic Education 2 (Essay) / Civic Education 1 (Objective) | 2 hrs / 1 hr | 9:30 am to 11:30 am / 11:30 am to 12:30 pm |
| Tue, 27 Oct | PC7053 | Music 3A (Aural) | 45 mins | 2:00 pm to 2:45 pm |
| Wed, 28 Oct | PC6083 | Technical Drawing 3 (Sketches, Building and Mechanical Drawing) | 2 hrs 45 mins | 9:30 am to 12:15 pm |
| PC6082 / PC6081 | Technical Drawing 2 (Essay) / Technical Drawing 1 (Objective) | 1 hr 45 mins / 1 hr | 2:30 pm to 4:15 pm / 4:15 pm to 5:15 pm |
A note on the times: in several rows the printed timetable shows “11:30pm” where the duration makes clear the paper ends at 11:30 am. The tables above read those entries as 11:30 am. Use your personal timetable to confirm.
WAEC GCE Timetable 2026: Practical, Oral and Performance Papers
Some papers do not follow the normal morning routine. The timetable lists a window of 14 to 25 September for Arabic 3 (Oral), Music 3B (Performance Test), French 3 (Oral) and the practical papers for Foods and Nutrition and Home Management. For those papers, WAEC says the date and time are arranged by the Council. If you registered for one of these subjects, check your admission notice and contact your centre.
Visual Art 3 has its own rule. The timetable notes say instructions for Paper 3A go to supervisors two weeks before the paper, and question papers for Paper 3B go to candidates two weeks before the paper.
READ ALSO
WAEC GCE Registration 2026 (Second Series): Fee, and How to Register
NECO GCE Registration 2026: Fee, Deadline and Step-by-Step Guide
Important Notes on the WAEC GCE Timetable 2026
The published notes give candidates three rules. Follow them closely:
- Where the duration indicated on the question paper differs from the timetable, follow the question paper.
- Candidates with special needs should be allowed one and a half times the time allotted to other candidates.
- Visual Art 3 papers are issued in advance, as described above.
How to Prepare for a Computer-Based WAEC GCE
WAEC announced that the 2026 Second Series examination would be conducted as a Computer-Based Examination. That changes how you should prepare. Spend time on these habits:
- Practise answering objective questions on a screen, not only on paper.
- Learn to read long questions without printing or highlighting them.
- Arrive early at your centre to settle in, find your seat and check your identification.
- Bring your photocard and admission notice, and keep your examination number safe.
Using the WAEC GCE Timetable 2026 to Plan Your Last Revision Days
With only a few days between some papers, structure matters. For example, Geography, Physics and Marketing fall on consecutive days from 14 to 16 October, and English Language follows on 17 October. A sensible plan is to revise the next paper in the evening after each exam, rather than rereading the subject you have just written.
Try this approach:
- Mark every remaining paper on a calendar and note whether it has a morning, afternoon or both sittings.
- Give extra time to subjects with several papers on one day, such as Geography, Physics and Agriculture, which each include a practical-type paper in the afternoon.
- Rest properly before long days, such as Technical Drawing on 28 October, which runs from 9:30 am to 5:15 pm across its three papers.
Examination-Day Reminders
Exam days run smoothly when the basics are done before you leave home. Keep these in mind:
- Reprint your photocard from the portal’s Reprint Photocard option if needed and confirm your centre.
- Do not carry phones or other electronic devices into the hall unless the rules allow it.
- Do not accept offers of “expo” or answers from strangers. Examination malpractice can lead to cancelled results.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the WAEC GCE timetable 2026 second series start and end?
It starts on Friday, 4 September 2026 and ends on Wednesday, 28 October 2026.
Is this the official WAEC GCE timetable 2026?
The dates, codes and times here come from WAEC’s final timetable for the 2026 Second Series. Always confirm against the PDF on the WAEC portal and your personal timetable.
When is English Language in the WAEC GCE timetable 2026?
English Language 2 (Essay) and 1 (Objective) are on Saturday, 17 October 2026, from 9:30 am. The Test of Orals follows at 2:00 pm.
When is General Mathematics in the WAEC GCE timetable 2026?
General Mathematics was scheduled for Saturday, 3 October 2026.
When is Physics in the WAEC GCE timetable 2026?
Physics is on Thursday, 15 October 2026, with the Alternative to Practical paper at 2:00 pm.
Can I still register if my papers are not written yet?
Normal registration ended on 18 September 2026, but WAEC says walk-in candidates can buy a PIN at any WAEC office. Confirm with the office which papers you can still take.
When will the WAEC GCE 2026 results be released?
WAEC had not announced a release date in the sources checked. Watch waecnigeria.org.
Conclusion
The WAEC GCE timetable 2026 gives candidates a clear finish line of 28 October. Check your personal timetable, confirm your remaining papers and centre, and avoid shortcuts that could cost you your result. If you are still deciding whether to register as a walk-in candidate, read our WAEC GCE registration 2026 guide first.