Kenya exams: KPSEA 26–28 October, KJSEA 26–30 October, main KCSE papers from 2 November

Term 3 ends on Friday 23 October. Grade 6 and Grade 9 papers start on Monday 26 October and the main Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) papers on Monday 2 November, according to the timetables of the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC). KCSE orals and practicals in some subjects begin earlier, on Monday 19 October.

KPSEA, the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment, is taken in Grade 6, the last year of primary school. KJSEA, the Kenya Junior School Education Assessment, is taken in Grade 9, the last year of junior school. KCSE is the exam for the 8-4-4 cohort; 2026 is the second-last KCSE under that system, Capital FM reported.

KNEC figures released at the launch of the exam season on 5 October show 1,380,463 learners registered for KPSEA, 1,206,028 for KJSEA and 1,048,355 for KCSE, Capital FM reported on 6 October. This is the first year the number of KCSE candidates has passed 1 million.

The ministry's 2026 calendar sets Term 3 at 24 August to 23 October, with the December holiday from 26 October to 1 January 2027, The Standard reported on 13 October 2025.

A ministry circular, reported by Kenyans.co.ke on 1 August, keeps the ban on activities and visits to secondary schools in Term 3. Students go home only when the term ends.

KPSEA and KJSEA both open with a rehearsal on Friday 23 October. Morning papers start at 8:30am. The times below are for standard papers; Braille and hearing-impaired versions run longer.

Source: KNEC 2026 KPSEA and KJSEA timetables.

KCSE optional subjects come first. French and German orals, Kenyan Sign Language practical signing and the Music practical run from Monday 19 to Friday 23 October; Arabic orals from 19 to 26 October. The Home Science planning session is on Wednesday 21 October and the Home Science practical from 26 to 28 October. Written papers in French, German, Arabic, Kenyan Sign Language and Music are on Wednesday 28 October. Home Science, Art and Design, Computer Studies and the technical subjects follow on 29 and 30 October.

The core papers run from 2 to 20 November. Morning sessions start at 8am and afternoon sessions at 2pm.

Source: KNEC 2026 KCSE timetable.

KNEC's instructions say candidates must be seated 15 minutes before a paper starts, and a candidate more than half an hour late is admitted only in exceptional circumstances. Cell phones and other electronic devices are banned in exam centres, and a candidate found with one has his or her results cancelled. An irregularity costs the candidate the whole subject; where there is evidence of widespread irregularities at a centre, the whole centre's results are cancelled. KPSEA answer sheets are shaded in pencil, not pen. At KJSEA and KCSE, answers go in black or blue ink.

Under the KNEC Act, revealing exam material to an unauthorised person carries up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to KES 2 million, or both.

KNEC chief executive David Njengere said the council will contract 342,005 people for the season. KNEC also said it will post at least two police officers at each KCSE centre, fit smart padlocks on all its storage containers, which now number 701, and run a 24-hour call centre throughout the exams. Njengere warned parents and candidates against paying anyone who claims to offer papers. Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba warned that heavy rains could disrupt the exams.