The West African Examinations Council has released the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination results and outlined how candidates can check their performance online.

In an update posted on its official X handle on Wednesday, WAEC announced that candidates can now check their results online after generating or recovering their result checker PIN.

If you are checking your result for the first time, here is a step-by-step guide.

Step 1: Get your Serial Number and PIN

Before checking your result, a candidate needs examination number, WAEC serial number and WAEC PIN

If you do not have your Serial Number and PIN, WAEC says you can recover them by following these steps:

Visit waec.org.

Click the “Serial Number and PIN” menu at the top of the page.

Select the 2026 examination year and the appropriate diet.

Enter your examination number and your National Identification Number (NIN) used during WAEC registration.

Enter your email address and phone number to receive a One-Time Password (OTP).

Enter the OTP to recover your Serial Number and PIN.

WAEC said candidates can also download their WAEC ID card to their mobile devices through the portal.

Step 2: Visit the WAEC result portal

Go to waecdirect.org using any internet-enabled phone, tablet or computer.

Step 3: Enter your examination number

Type your 10-digit examination number, which consists of:

Your 7-digit centre number

Your 3-digit candidate number

For example: 4123456789.

Step 4: Select the examination year

Choose 2026.

Step 5: Select the examination type

Select the appropriate examination type for your result.

Step 6: Enter your Serial Number and PIN

Input the Serial Number and PIN you generated or recovered from the WAEC portal.

Step 7: Submit

Click Submit.

Your result will appear on the screen and can be printed or saved for future reference.

How to check your result with the WAEC mobile app

Candidates can also use the WAEC Result Checker app.

Follow these steps:

Download the WAEC Result Checker app from the Google Play Store.

Open the app.

Enter your examination number.

Select the examination year.

Enter your Serial Number and PIN.

Submit to view and download your result.

How to check your result by SMS

Candidates without internet access can check their results via SMS.

Type:

WAECExaminationNumberPIN*ExaminationYear

For example:

WAEC4123456789123456789012*2026

Send it to the official WAEC SMS number supported by your mobile network.

Standard SMS charges apply.

Understanding WAEC grades

WAEC uses grades ranging from A1 to F9.

A1, B2, B3 – Distinction and Merit

C4, C5, C6 – Credit passes

D7, E8 – Ordinary passes

F9 – Fail

For admission into most Nigerian universities, candidates are generally expected to obtain at least five credit passes, including English Language and Mathematics, with C6 being the minimum credit grade.

If you believe your result is incorrect

Candidates who believe there is an error in their result can submit a complaint through WAEC’s official channels or visit the nearest WAEC office for guidance on the result verification and review process.

Note: WAEC advised candidates to generate or recover their Serial Number and PIN through waec.org before checking their results on waecdirect.org. (The PUNCH)

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