Kenya’s 2025 national examination period has officially kicked off, with over 996,000 students beginning their Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams across the country.
The examinations open the assessment season that will see millions of learners in primary and junior schools also sit for the KPSEA and KJSEA starting next week.
The KCSE tests begin today (Tuesday) with oral papers in French, German, Arabic, and Kenyan Sign Language, as well as Music practicals. Other practicals and written papers will follow in the coming weeks according to the Ministry of Education timetable.
Rehearsals for the exams were completed on October 17 to ensure candidates and examination centres were fully prepared for the exercise.
The KCSE written papers are set to run from November 3 to November 21, lasting 18 days.
The Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) will see 1,130,669 learners participate, while another 1,298,089 candidates have registered for the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA). Both assessments are scheduled between October 27 and November 6.
Learners with special needs at the intermediate level will also undertake the Intermediate Level Education Assessment (KILEA) from October 27 to October 31 under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
During the same period, the Kenya Pre-Vocational Level Education Assessment (KPLEA) will also be conducted for students in special institutions.
Briefing sessions for examination supervisors, centre managers, and invigilators began earlier on October 6 to ensure readiness across all centres. The Education Ministry has assured that distribution of examination materials to regional depots has been completed to allow smooth coordination of the tests nationwide.
Schools will proceed for the long December holiday beginning October 24, with classes expected to resume on January 5, 2026, after a 10-week break.
