The Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) has engaged resource persons and professional stakeholders to strengthen the quality, credibility and competitiveness of the 2026 Federal Civil Service Promotion Examination.
The engagement, chaired by the FCSC Chairman, Prof. Tunji Olaopa, was held on Tuesday at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja and attended by the Commission’s Honourable Commissioners.
Speaking at the meeting, Olaopa said the introduction of Computer-Based Testing (CBT) and Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs) in the 2025 examination provided valuable lessons for improving the 2026 exercise.
He noted that the unusually high pass rate recorded in the 2025 examination raised concerns about the depth and discriminatory value of some of the questions.
The Chairman therefore urged the resource persons to develop questions that would properly assess candidates’ professional knowledge, competence, experience, judgement and maturity.
He disclosed that the Commission is proposing the introduction of scenario-based questions for officers on Grade Levels 16 and 17 to make the examination more practical and rigorous.
Under the proposed format, candidates will answer 40 questions comprising 10 scenario-based questions and 30 multiple-choice questions. The scenario-based questions will carry two marks each, while the remaining questions will attract one mark each, making a total of 50 marks.
Olaopa, however, cautioned against making the examination unnecessarily difficult, stressing that the objective is to fairly assess candidates based on the responsibilities attached to their positions.
He also emphasised the importance of integrity, confidentiality and professionalism in the examination process, warning that the Commission would not allow any individual or interest to compromise its credibility.
The Chairman disclosed that some individuals had previously been removed from the pool of examiners following intelligence reports over alleged attempts to compromise the examination process.
He expressed confidence that the experience and expertise of the resource persons would help the Commission strengthen the 2026 Promotion Examination and sustain the professional standards of the Nigerian Civil Service.
