5,792 civil servants sit FCSC promotion exam

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— Olaopa says CBT has come to stay

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By Favour Ulebor, Abuja

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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.

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

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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.

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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.

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

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

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“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.

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

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

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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.

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

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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.

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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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