The National Examinations Council (NECO) has announced the release of the 2025 Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE Internal) results. The Registrar/Chief Executive, Prof. Ibrahim Dantani Wushishi, made this known at a press briefing in Minna on Wednesday, 17 September 2025.
According to NECO, a total of 1,367,210 candidates registered for the exam, while 1,358,339 actually sat for it across Nigeria. Out of these, 818,492 candidates — about 60.26% — obtained five credits and above including English Language and Mathematics. When credits are counted irrespective of English and Maths, the success rate rises to 84.26% (1,144,496 candidates).
NECO also disclosed that 1,622 candidates with special needs participated in the examination.
Malpractice Drops but Cheating Still a Concern
The Council reported a sharp drop in examination malpractice cases: from 10,094 in 2024 to 3,878 in 2025, representing a reduction of about 61.6%.
However, integrity issues remain. Thirty-eight schools across 13 states have been flagged for mass cheating and will be sanctioned. In addition, nine supervisors from Rivers, Niger, FCT, Kano and Osun states are being recommended for blacklisting over misconduct such as aiding irregularities or poor supervision.
In Adamawa State, communal clashes between July 7 and 25 disrupted exams in eight schools, affecting 13 subjects and 29 papers. NECO says it is working with the state government to reschedule the affected exams.
What the Numbers Mean
For students, these results determine eligibility for higher education admissions, since most Nigerian universities and polytechnics require at least five credits including English and Mathematics.
The high percentage of candidates with five credits in non-core subjects shows that many students perform well overall but are still weak in English and Mathematics. This underscores the need for remedial efforts in core subjects.
The drop in malpractice signals that NECO’s reforms are working, but the flagged schools and supervisors indicate more oversight is needed.
How to Check Your NECO Result
Candidates can access their 2025 SSCE Internal results online. Here’s how:
- Go to the official NECO portal at results.neco.gov.ng.
- Select “2025” as the examination year.
- Select “SSCE Internal” as the examination type.
- Enter your NECO Examination Number (Registration Number).
- Enter your Result Checking Token (PIN) — make sure it’s bought from NECO or authorised vendors.
- Click “Check Result” to display your grades, which you can then download or print for records or admission processes.
NECO warns candidates not to buy tokens from unauthorised sellers to avoid invalid PINs or scams.
Next Steps and Reforms
Prof. Wushishi also announced that NECO will now conduct SSCE in 38 subjects under a revised curriculum to streamline the process and shorten result-waiting times.
Students whose papers were disrupted by communal clashes will be contacted through their schools once arrangements are finalised.
Schools flagged for malpractice are expected to face sanctions, while NECO continues to tighten its monitoring to maintain exam integrity.
Conclusion
The 2025 NECO SSCE Internal results show steady progress. More than 60% of candidates hit the crucial five-credit benchmark including English and Maths. Also malpractice cases have dropped significantly. But weaknesses in core subjects and irregularities in some centres remain challenges.
For candidates, the priority now is to check results via the official portal. While checking ensure token authenticity, and if necessary, seek remedial help in key subjects ahead of further studies.