Breakdown of 2026 KPSEA, KJSEA and KCSE exam timetables

The Kenya National Examination Council has released the 2026 national assessment and examination timetables, detailing schedules for the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA), the Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) and the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), alongside other assessments under the competency-based education.

For the KPSEA, rehearsals will be held on Friday, October 23, 2026, with the three-day assessment beginning Monday, October 26.

On Day 1, candidates will sit Mathematics in the morning, including large print and braille versions, followed by English in the afternoon, also available in large print, hearing impaired and braille formats.

Day 2 will see learners take Integrated Science in the morning, with large print and braille options, and Kiswahili in the afternoon, including Kenya Sign Language as well as Kiswahili braille and large print.

On Day 3, candidates will sit Creative Arts and Social Studies, with provisions for large print and braille.

KJSEA

The Kenya Junior School Education Assessment will begin earlier in the year with project components.

According to the schedule, the Creative Arts and Sports Project will be conducted for three months from May to July, while Agriculture and Pre-Technical Studies projects will run throughout July.

Rehearsals for the theory papers will be held on Friday, October 23, 2026, before the five-day assessment commences on Monday, October 26 to Wednesday, October 30, 2026.

All first session papers will start at 8.30am. On Day 1, candidates will sit English Language in the morning and English Composition and Literary Analysis in the afternoon.

Day 2 will feature Kiswahili Lugha (Braille) and Kenyan Sign Language in the morning, while the second session will have Kiswahili (Insha na Utangulizi wa Fasihi) and Kenyan Sign Language.

Day 3 will cover Mathematics and Agriculture, all featuring sets for braille.

Day 4 will have Integrated Science and Social Studies, while Day 5 will feature Pre-Technical Studies, Christian Religious Education, Islamic Religious Education and Hindu Religious Education in the morning, and Integrated Science in the afternoon.

All tests will have sets for hearing impaired and braille candidates.

KCSE

For the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education, rehearsals will be held on October 16, 2026.

The theory examinations will be preceded by projects in Art and Design, Agriculture, Woodwork, Metalwork, Building Construction and Computer Studies, which will run for seven months from January to July.

Theory exams will then run from Monday, October 19 to November 20, 2026.

All morning session examination papers will start at 8am, while second session tests will begin at 2pm with no additional time.

Schools have been directed to upload marks for subjects with a project component by March 31 for Milestone 1 and July 31 for Milestone 2 where applicable.

KNEC also announced that the Kenya Intermediate Level Education Assessment (KILEA), designed for learners with special needs at Grade 6, will be held for three days from Monday, October 26 to Thursday, October 29, 2026.

The assessment serves as a transition test for learners moving from the intermediate level to the pre-vocational level.

Rehearsals will be conducted on Friday, October 23. Assessments will last the whole day for each of the four learning areas, beginning with Communication and Social Skills on Day 1, followed by Daily Living Skills and Religious Education on Day 2, Sensory Motor Integration and Creative Activities on Day 3, and Numeracy and Movement Activities on Day 4.

At the end of the assessment, schools are required to upload learners’ performance on the KNEC CBA portal and submit hard copies of the school summary assessment score sheet for each paper.

Schools are also expected to administer projects and practicals for Grade 4 and 5 learners, score them and upload the School Based Assessment on the Competency Based Assessment portal between March 2 and May 29, 2026.

Subjects with projects and practicals at this level include Science and Technology, Creative Arts and Sports, and Agriculture.

A detailed user manual describing step-by-step procedures on how to access the tools, instructions, scoring guides and upload learners’ scores is available on the CBA portal.

“Headteachers are requested to keep all records and evidence generated from the assessments. The materials required for the assessments should be obtained from the immediate school environment or improvised as much as possible,” KNEC said.

The Kenya Pre-Vocational Level Education Assessment will be held for two days between Monday, October 26 and Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

Day 1 will feature Pre-Vocational Skills Paper 1 covering picture making, paper craft, pattern making and garment making for the whole day.

Day 2 will have Pre-Vocational Skills Paper 2 covering woodwork, sculpture, jewellery and ornament making for the whole day.

Pre-Vocational Skills Paper 5, featuring the Integrated Learning Assessment, will be conducted for a whole month in July.

The assessment will be administered by teachers handling learners in the Stage Based Pathway in their respective schools, with scores uploaded on the CBA portal for the Kenya Pre-Vocational Level Education Assessment.