KNEC Opens KCSE Repeat Exam Registration, Exam Guidelines & Timetable

The Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) retake announced by Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba will take place between July 1 and August 1 later this year. 

According to a circular issued by the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) to all county directors of education, the registration for the exams will start on Monday, January 27, and close on February 21.

According to KNEC, registration for the exams will be coordinated and conducted at county headquarters through the offices of County Directors of Education (CDEs) on the KNEC registration portal.

“Candidates wishing to register for the July series are therefore expected to present themselves at their respective county headquarters within the stipulated period to complete the registration process,” reads part of the circular signed by KNEC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) David Njengere.

KNEC has opened the door for repeat candidates to retake their KCSE exams to improve their grades. This applies to those who previously sat the KCSE, including full repeaters taking seven or more subjects and partial repeaters registering for fewer than seven. 

It also extends to candidates who registered for the exams but couldn’t sit them due to unforeseen issues like illness. Adult learners are also eligible, provided they are not in regular schools but can show proof of primary education qualifications.

“All repeaters and private candidates must register for the July series and not the November KCSE examination series,” warned KNEC.

First-time KCSE candidates in regular schools and those lacking the required qualifications under KNEC regulations will not be allowed to sit the exams.

For the registration, candidates will have to provide both original and copies of key documents for registration, including a statutory ID such as a national ID card, birth certificate, or passport; their KCPE examination certificate; a KCSE result slip or certificate for repeaters; and a soft copy of a passport photograph.

The exams are set to start this month, with Projects for Art and Design, Agriculture, Woodwork, Metalwork, Building Construction, and Computer Studies being administered between January and July 2025. Theory and practical papers will be administered from 1st July to 1st August 2025.

“The theory and practical papers will be administered at County headquarters, while projects will be administered at the sub-county level in institutions to be identified by the respective SCDEs,” Njengere stated.

As for the results, KNEC will issue KCSE certificates to candidates who repeat in seven subjects or more, while candidates repeating less than seven subjects will be issued with a result slip for the subjects they will have repeated.