Top 8 Expert Tips On How To Pass NECO Exams In 2024

National Examination Council (NECO) is the examination council that conducts the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination and the General Certificate in Education in Nigeria.

Most students mistake NECO for WAEC and vice versa but the difference is quite clear. While WAEC takes care of the senior secondary examination of five different countries in West Africa which Nigeria is inclusive, NECO is only concerned with the senior secondary school examination of students in Nigeria.

Just like WAEC, this examination usually garners lots of speculation from candidates who have written the exams before and failed, from parents and even teachers. You’ll hear someone say something along the lines of “This exam is very tough, only two in ten candidates pass” and it’ll send this fretful chill down your spine and you’ll feel your heart pulsating faster at a rate you can’t control. That’s anxiety setting in and if you follow that pace, you’ll really find yourself down the drain.

How To Pass NECO Exams

Here are a few helpful tips that should help you pass the NECO examination with less stress.

1. Understand The Logic Behind NECO

Understand that NECO is not WAEC, because most candidates slack after writing the WAEC examination thinking the NECO examination doesn’t carry the weight WAEC examination does, but the truth told, the NECO examination is as important as your WAEC examination. Most candidates make use of NECO results for admission in higher institutions, this understanding helps you pass the exam through a better focal length and with this, could help you prepare better for this exam

2. Use The Syllabus

This is a document that contains the topics in each subject you’ll need to write, it will be the topics you’ve been taught from senior secondary class 1(SS1) to senior secondary class 3 (SS3). The syllabus is important so you can read up on topics you’ve not been taught or that you haven’t encountered before.

3. Prepare Ahead Of Time

The thing with most candidates is they always wait till one week before the examination before they begin preparation for an examination that you’d be competing with dozens of students all over the country adding that this examination is a passage to pursuing a course at higher institutions and should be taken seriously.

Do not wait for the “die minute,” to start working, start reading, use your textbooks, use your exercise books, try past questions, create a study timetable, or anything that keeps you fully prepared for the examination.

4. Tag Up With Reading Groups

Reading mates help us stay focused at moments when it gets hard. If you can’t read alone or sometimes when you just don’t have the “vibe” to read, tagging with reading mates could help to keep you on track.

5. Read Like Never Before

This isn’t your usual internal exam where you could easily read leg crossed and pass, this is a national examination that requires your all, so do it as you mean it. Attend tutorials if you have to, as long as it gears you towards achieving that goal, go for it.

6. Eat Good

Food contributes a large part to the assimilatory ability of the brain. When your brain lacks ATP (Energy), it gets hard to read and understand, you’ll realize that you’ll keep zoning out while you’re reading or get migraines and other stuff.

Eat well, drink lots of water, have a lot of fruits and vegetables, and cut down on junk.

7. Sleep

As much as you need to read, you equally need to sleep. Sleep is as important as the exam you’ll be writing. Create a time when you sleep after reading, it helps to calm the brain and makes whatever you read settle.

8. Ask For Help

There’s nothing wrong with asking for help, ask me and I’ll say the irk is not asking for help, the problem is bottling it up. No one is completely coated with knowledge, ask teachers for help, and ask friends and parents about aspects you do not understand. In the exam hall, do not fail to draw the attention of the invigilators, it is better to ask for help than wish you’d done so.

9. Be Guided

The NECO examination has rules, be sure to read the instructions on the first page of the questions and answers booklet before you begin, and do not hesitate to ask for help when you need it.

What’s your take on this? We believe this article was helpful, if yes, don’t hesitate to share this information with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, and other Social Platforms.