5,792 civil servants sit FCSC promotion exam

— Olaopa says CBT has come to stay

By Favour Ulebor, Abuja

ABUJA — No fewer than 5,792 out of about 5,900 candidates have taken the 2026 Directorate Cadre Promotion Examination conducted by the Federal Civil Service Commission, FCSC.

Chairman of the commission, Prof. Tunji Olaopa, disclosed this on Monday during a briefing and inspection of designated examination centres in Abuja.

Olaopa said the examination was decentralised across the six geopolitical zones and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, to make participation easier for eligible civil servants.

According to him, 2,169 candidates took the examination in the FCT, 1,270 in the South-West, 497 in the South-East, 461 in the North-West and 270 in the North-East.

He said candidates in the North-Central and South-South zones sat for the examination in Lafia and Port Harcourt respectively.

Olaopa said the adoption of computer-based testing, CBT, had made the examination easier to administer compared with the previous manual process.

“From what we have seen and observed today, it is clear that computer-based tests has come to stay. I can tell that it’s far, far easier to handle than in the past,” he said.

The FCSC chairman said about 97 per cent of candidates arrived at the centres on time, while cases of late arrival were properly managed.

He disclosed that some centres experienced minor internet connectivity challenges, but alternative identification codes were deployed to prevent candidates from being unduly delayed.

Olaopa added that arrangements were made for candidates with visual and physical challenges, including those who had not indicated their special needs before the examination.

He said the commission would continue to improve the CBT system, particularly in logistics, network connectivity and access to examination centres.

Olaopa said while the commission rated the previous year’s exercise at about 68 per cent, it assessed this year’s conduct at not less than 90 per cent.

He added that the commission could consider further decentralisation of the examination to more states to improve accessibility for civil servants.

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