WASSCE timetable 2027: is it out, and when does the exam start?

Is the WASSCE timetable 2027 out?

No. On 12 October 2026 we opened WAEC's international timetable page, and it lists one entry, the WASSCE for School Candidates 2026. We found no 2027 entry. We could not open the WAEC Ghana home page (waecgh.org) from our server, so we also read the WAEC Ghana registration portal, which does load. It shows a 2027 timetable link for private candidates only, and the file carries no dates.

So when a website tells you it has the WASSCE timetable 2027 with every paper, ask where it got it. No such document is published today, and we will not guess at one.

What is published, in one table (checked 12 October 2026)

When will the WASSCE 2027 start?

The best answer we can give is a window. The Ghana Education Service released its 2026/2027 academic calendar for senior high schools on 1 June 2026. Graphic Online reports that it schedules the 2027 WASSCE to run from 6 April to 18 June 2027. The same calendar ends the year for Form Three students on 18 June 2027, in both single track and transitional schools.

Two cautions. First, Adom Online reported the same calendar with the end date as 28 June 2027, so one of the two reports has a typing slip. The 18 June date matches the date Form Three ends, which is why we use it, but we have not seen the GES circular itself. We looked on the GES website and could not find it. Second, a window is not a timetable. It tells a school when the exam period sits. It does not tell a student whether Core Mathematics falls in May or June.

For a final-year student, plan for April to June 2027 and treat the first paper as unknown until WAEC posts the timetable.

The 2027 BECE for comparison

The GES calendar for basic schools, reported by Graphic Online in May 2026, schedules the 2027 BECE from 5 to 12 May 2027. That is a published window for a different exam. If you are looking for BECE dates, see our hub for BECE and WASSCE guides.

What did WAEC publish for 2026?

The 2026 cycle is the best guide to what a timetable looks like and how late it can arrive. Here is what we can say, and where the sources differ.

WAEC's timetable page lists the "WASSCE for School Candidates 2026" as a downloadable file, with no dates on the page itself. Nigerian outlets reported that WAEC posted the final timetable for sub-Saharan Africa on its official X account on 30 March 2026, with an exam period of 21 April to 19 June 2026. One site gave a different start, 7 April. We could not open the PDF to settle it, so treat those press dates with care.

Ghana's own dates were different, and the Ghana News Agency sets them out. It reported on 13 May 2026 that the practical papers had begun on 7 April, and that the written papers began that day, 13 May, with the English Language Oral paper. The exam was to end on 19 June 2026. Professor Ernest Kofi Davis, the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, gave the numbers: 509,862 candidates, 225,274 boys and 284,588 girls, from 1,020 schools, up by 48,126 candidates from the year before.

What does that tell a 2027 candidate? Three things, all reported:

1. The practical papers can begin weeks before the written papers.
2. The regional timetable reported by the Nigerian press and Ghana's own opening days were not the same dates in 2026.
3. The timetable was posted on 30 March, about a week before the first Ghana practical on 7 April. That is a single year and a press report, so it is not a rule.

We found no official WAEC Ghana notice that explains its release pattern, so we do not claim one.

WASSCE school candidates timetable 2027: what to expect

For school candidates, the entry is made through the school. WAEC Ghana has a page for school candidates at waecgh.org/home/wassce-school, which we could not open from our server on 12 October. Read it yourself.

What we can say from the sources:

• The GES calendar places the exam between 6 April and 18 June 2027.
• Your school handles your entry and receives the official material. We found no public notice about the 2027 school entry process.
• The private portal lists a printable "Candidate Timetable" service. We could not see whether school candidates get a similar page.

If you are in Form Three now, ask your headmaster or headmistress for the school's entry status early. Do not wait for a public notice, and do not pay anyone outside the school for a place on the entry list.

WASSCE private candidates timetable 2027

Private candidates have an official 2027 process with dates. The WAEC Ghana portal at unified.ghanawaec.org lists the private first series for 2027.

The Yen.com.gh report of 24 September 2026, based on a WAEC release, calls this the January/February sitting. The portal does not state exam dates, so we cannot confirm the month. The one-page timetable file linked on the portal was created on 16 September 2026. As far as we can read it, it is a placeholder saying the timetable for the 2027 private first series will be uploaded soon. It does not list any papers.

Only 18 days remain until the closing date on 30 October 2026, so a private candidate should not wait for the timetable before registering.

How to register as a private candidate

1. Open the portal at unified.ghanawaec.org and choose the WASSCE private first series.
2. Create a profile with a valid email address and a password.
3. Enter your surname first, then your other names. The full name, with spaces, must not be longer than 40 characters.
4. Add your date of birth, region, email, postal address and disability status.
5. Pick the region and centre where you want to write. The venue is assigned later.
6. Choose up to 8 subjects.
7. Upload a recent passport photograph and your signature. The portal sets a minimum size for each.
8. Preview the form, submit it, then print the invoice and pay at the bank.
9. After payment, print your confirmation page from the portal.

If you need to change your details or add a subject after you pay, the portal sends you to the Penalty module, which creates a separate invoice. The change counts only after you pay that invoice.

The portal does not state who is eligible. We found a Yen.com.gh report that describes private candidates as people who missed the school sitting or want to improve their grades, but it is a press description and not WAEC's rule. Read the eligibility notice on the portal before you pay.

How to get the official WASSCE timetable when it is out

Follow these steps in order.

1. Check waecgh.org, the WAEC Ghana site. Look for the school candidates page and the timetable link.
2. For private candidates, log in at unified.ghanawaec.org and use the "Candidate Timetable" service. The portal also lists a downloadable 2027 timetable.
3. Check WAEC's verified social media accounts. Nigerian press reported that WAEC posted the 2026 timetable on X.
4. Ask your school. Schools receive official material through the GES and WAEC.
5. Download the version meant for Ghana. WAEC publishes separate PDFs for different groups of countries, and a Nigerian timetable may not match Ghana's dates.
6. Compare any copy you receive with the official file before you plan around it.

Common mistakes and fake timetables

• A timetable with a date and a paper for every day, posted before WAEC has posted one, is a guess or a copy of an older year.
• Some sites put "2027" over the 2026 file. The WAEC page for 2026 says "2026" in its title, so check.
• Do not pay a person for "the real timetable" or for a "sure" registration. Registration is on the portal, and you pay the bank invoice the portal creates.
• Do not mix up WAEC's regional PDFs. Nigeria has its own timetable.
• Do not trust a WhatsApp image. Open the PDF yourself.

What we could not confirm

• The paper-by-paper timetable for the 2027 school candidates. It is not published.
• The GES circular for the 2026/2027 SHS calendar. We read the press reports of it, which agree on 6 April and 18 June 2027 except for one report that says 28 June.
• The contents of the WAEC Ghana school candidates page. waecgh.org did not open for us.
• The month of the private first series exam. Only a press report says January/February.
• The private candidate fee. The portal shows it on the invoice only.
• Which press report is right about the regional 2026 start, 21 April or 7 April. We could not open the official PDF.

If you have the official 2027 document, send it to the address on our about page and we will check it and update this guide.

After the exam: results and university entry

The timetable is only the first step. Your next dates are results and admission. Our WASSCE results guide explains how to check results, and the WASSCE grade calculator shows how grades add up. When you are ready to apply, see which universities in Ghana are still taking applications and browse the university register. Our university admission calendar keeps the dated entries, and our school register lists the schools themselves.

How we checked this guide

On 12 October 2026 we opened the WAEC timetable page, the WAEC Ghana registration portal and its WASSCE information page, and we read the press reports of the GES calendar and the 2026 exam. We labelled every press figure as reported. We did not estimate any date. The rules we follow are on our how we verify page.

Writing in Nigeria? See the [WAEC timetable on SchoolRegistry Nigeria](https://schoolregistry.ng/waec-timetable-2026).

Frequently asked questions

Is the WASSCE timetable 2027 out?

No. On 12 October 2026 WAEC's timetable page listed only the 2026 school candidates timetable, and the private candidates link on the Ghana portal had no dates. We will update this page when a 2027 timetable is posted.

When will WASSCE 2027 start?

The GES calendar, as reported by Graphic Online, puts the 2027 WASSCE between 6 April and 18 June 2027. The first paper is not published. In 2026, practical papers began on 7 April and written papers on 13 May, as reported by the Ghana News Agency.

Which month will WASSCE start in 2027?

The reported window opens on 6 April 2027, so April for the earliest papers. Whether your own first paper falls in April or May depends on the WAEC timetable, which is not out.

Has the 2026 WASSCE timetable come out?

Yes, it came out in 2026. Nigerian press reported that WAEC posted the final timetable on 30 March 2026. Ghana's written papers began on 13 May 2026 and the exam ended on 19 June 2026, as reported by the Ghana News Agency.

What is the WAEC timetable?

It is the official list of every subject paper, with its date and time, for one examination. WAEC posts one for school candidates and another for private candidates, and each has its own file.

What is the WASSCE 2027 date for private candidates?

The registration dates are published: 16 September to 30 October 2026. The exam dates are not, and the portal's timetable file shows none. A press report calls it the January/February sitting.

How many students write WASSCE 2026?

The Ghana News Agency reported 509,862 candidates from 1,020 schools for the 2026 school candidates exam. That was 48,126 more than the year before.

How do I register for WASSCE 2027 as a private candidate?

Use the WAEC Ghana portal at unified.ghanawaec.org before 30 October 2026. Create a profile, choose up to 8 subjects, upload your photo and signature, submit, then pay the invoice at the bank.

How much is WAEC for private candidates?

We could not confirm a fee. The portal does not list amounts. It generates an invoice after you submit your form, and that invoice shows what you pay.

Where can I get the WASSCE 2027 timetable pdf?

Not yet anywhere official. When it is out, look on waecgh.org for school candidates, and on the registration portal for private candidates. Check that the file says 2027 in its title.

Where can I check my WASSCE results?

Use the steps in our WASSCE results guide. Results come only from WAEC, and our guide names the official portals.

Sources

• West African Examinations Council, Examination Timetable page (checked 12 October 2026)
• WAEC Ghana, registration portal (checked 12 October 2026)
• WAEC Ghana, WASSCE private registration information (checked 12 October 2026)
• WAEC Ghana, 2027 WASSCE-PC 1 timetable file (checked 12 October 2026)
• Graphic Online, GES releases SHS calendar, sets September 18 reopening (press report, 1 June 2026)
• Adom Online, GES releases 2026/2027 SHS and SHTS academic calendar (press report, 1 June 2026)
• Graphic Online, GES announces 2026/2027 academic calendar for basic schools (press report, 7 May 2026)
• Ghana News Agency, 2026 WASSCE begins with theory papers (press report, 13 May 2026)
• Yen.com.gh, registration deadline for January/February WASSCE for private candidates (press report, 24 September 2026)
• Headteacher.ng, WAEC releases 2026 WASSCE timetable (press report, March 2026)