How Exam Stress and External Factors Affect BECE, WASSCE Performance
- Eduwatch Executive Director Kofi Asare warned that anxiety and unfamiliar exam venues significantly affect BECE and WASSCE candidate performance
- Asare cautioned that strong mock exam scores cannot guarantee equivalent results in final external assessments due to differing stress levels
- His remarks follow WAEC's cancellation of 601 candidate results in the 2026 BECE over malpractice, with thousands more withheld or under investigation
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Candidate performance in the BECE and WASSCE is significantly shaped by psychological stress, varying levels of preparation, and the conditions under which examinations are conducted, according to Kofi Asare, Executive Director of Africa Education Watch (EduWatch).
Asare made the remarks on the Citi Breakfast Show on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, urging students, parents, and educators to avoid drawing direct comparisons between mock examination scores and expected final results.
Source: UGC
Why external exam venues affect student performance
In a report sighted on Citinewsroom, Kofi Asare noted that transitioning from a known classroom setting to an unfamiliar external venue can negatively affect candidates who otherwise perform strongly in school.
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"Some students do very well in school, but immediately they get into an external environment to undergo assessments, they respond not too well compared to their local school environment," he said.
He stressed that multiple variables separate a mock examination from a final one, making predictions based on earlier scores unreliable.
"You can't say that because I did three, four or five mock examinations and performed well, I will definitely get the same grades in the BECE. Nothing like that. Stress levels differ for every examination, and the level of preparation also differs," Asare stated.
Intervening factors make exam comparisons unreliable
Beyond anxiety and environment, Asare pointed to disruptive incidents as a further complication.
The Eduwatch Executive Director cited the illegal sharing of answers by school officials as one example of an unpredictable factor that can disorient candidates mid-examination and skew outcomes in either direction.
"So I'm just giving you one example of intervening factors that can work for or work against your performance. It is therefore difficult to compare examinations over time, especially when some are conducted at the school level, some are mock examinations and others are external assessments," he added.
Asare's comments come in the wake of a significant malpractice crackdown by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).
The examination body cancelled the results of 601 candidates in the 2026 BECE, with thousands of additional results withheld or currently under investigation.
How to check your BECE results
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that the West African Examinations Council had released provisional results for the 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination.
Candidates were required to purchase a results checker voucher before accessing their scores through the official WAEC portal.
WAEC had warned candidates against fraudsters who claimed they could upgrade examination scores for a fee.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
