FCSC conducts CBT promotion exam for 5,792 civil servants

The Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) has said the computer-based test (CBT) mode of examination has come to stay in the promotion of civil servants, as 5,792 officers compete for promotion to the directorate level.

The FCSC Chairman, Prof. Tunji Olaopa, stated this on Monday during a media briefing with journalists at the end of the first day of the 2026 directorate-level promotion examination in Abuja.

The examination was conducted simultaneously across different regions, with 2,169 candidates in the Federal Capital Territory, 1,270 in the South-West, 497 in the South-East, 613 in the South-South, 461 in the North-West, 270 in the North-East and 460 in the North-Central. The exercise continues on Tuesday, while the foreign phase scheduled for October will involve 52 candidates.

Briefing journalists after inspecting examination centres in Abuja, Olaopa said civil servants and other stakeholders had come to terms with CBT as the mode of examination. He said the decentralisation of the 2026 examination was a promise kept and that the exercise had been successful overall.

He said candidates arrived on time and conducted themselves appropriately, adding that although it was the second year of using the CBT system, the commission had approached the exercise as a learning process.

Olaopa disclosed that the major initial challenge was internet network failure, which affected the activation of registration applications. He said the problem was quickly resolved by using an alternative ID code system, while cases involving physically challenged and visually impaired candidates who had not given prior notice were also resolved on the spot.

He acknowledged minor challenges with computer literacy but said the CBT system was designed to be basic and easy to navigate. He added that two candidates scheduled to write the examination in Kaduna and Port Harcourt mistakenly came to Abuja, but the issue was resolved.

The FCSC chairman commended the commissioners and staff who contributed to the success of the exercise, assuring stakeholders that there was no political interference in determining successful candidates, as the examination was based on merit.