The Federal Civil Service Commission has engaged resource persons and professional stakeholders to develop more rigorous questions for the 2026 Federal Civil Service Promotion Examination.
The move followed concerns over the unusually high pass rate recorded in the commission’s maiden Computer-Based Test and Multiple-Choice Questions format used for the 2025 promotion examination.
A statement on Tuesday by FCSC’s spokesman, Ibraheem Zakariyya, said the commission’s Chairman, Prof. Tunji Olaopa, disclosed this in Abuja during an interactive engagement with resource persons and professional stakeholders preparing for the 2026 examination.
Olaopa said the experience from the 2025 exercise had raised questions about the competitiveness and depth of some of the questions administered.
“He observed that the unusually high pass rate recorded during the maiden CBT exercise had raised concerns about the competitiveness, depth and discriminatory value of some of the questions administered.
“Olaopa, therefore, urged the Resource Persons, whom he described as custodians and gatekeepers of their respective professional cadres, to ensure that questions developed for the 2026 examination go beyond basic or common-sense knowledge.
“He stressed that the questions should adequately assess the competence, professional knowledge, experience, judgement and maturity expected of officers seeking advancement to higher levels within the Federal Civil Service, ” the statement partly read.
Olaopa disclosed that the commission was proposing the introduction of scenario-based questions for officers on Grade Levels 16 and 17 to make the examination more practical and closely aligned with the responsibilities of senior civil servants.
Under the proposed format, candidates would answer 40 questions comprising 10 scenario-based questions and 30 multiple-choice questions.
He said each scenario-based question would attract two marks, while the remaining questions would carry one mark each, bringing the total score to 50 marks.
The FCSC chairman, however, cautioned the experts against making the examination unnecessarily difficult, stressing that the objective was to assess candidates fairly and professionally.
He urged them to approach the assignment as experienced teachers and assessors and ensure that the questions were “challenging, relevant, professionally grounded and capable of distinguishing officers who possess the requisite knowledge, competence and sound professional judgement.”
Olaopa also stressed the importance of integrity and confidentiality in the examination process, warning that the commission would not allow individuals or interests to compromise the exercise.
He disclosed that some individuals had been removed from the pool of examiners during his tenure following intelligence reports about attempts to compromise the examination process.
The engagement is part of the FCSC’s preparations to strengthen the quality, credibility and professional relevance of the 2026 promotion examination.
The commission had earlier announced that the 2026 Directorate-Level Promotion Examination would be conducted through CBT, with emphasis on civil service knowledge, professional competence and awareness of government policies, regulations and administrative procedures.
