2026 KCSE: KNEC Outlines Rules Candidates Must Follow
KNEC has released a list of rules for candidates sitting the 2026 KCSE examinations, covering everything from how to arrive at the centre to how to hand in a script.
Candidates must report early. They are to present themselves for searching outside the examination room and be at their desks at least 15 minutes before each paper begins. Morning papers start at 8 am and afternoon papers at 2 pm, in line with the timetable.
Anyone who turns up late must explain to the supervisor why. Those who arrive more than half an hour after the start will be given a paper only in exceptional circumstances.
A candidate who arrives late will be required to give a satisfactory reason to the Supervisor. Only in exceptional circumstances will a paper be given to any candidate who is more than half an hour late,” KNEC stated.
Once the paper is in their hands, candidates should check that it matches the subject they registered for, and tell the supervisor if any material needed to answer a question is missing.
Names and index numbers must be correctly filled in on both the question paper and the answer booklet. Candidates must also sign the booklet and write in the date of the exam.
The council also spelled out how answers should be written. Both sides of the booklet may be used, but not the margins. Questions should not be copied into the booklet, and a blank line should be left after each answer. Responses must be in blue or black ink, while pencils are reserved for diagrams.
On prohibited items, KNEC says mobile phones and other electronic communication devices are not allowed at examination centres. Wristwatches and programmable calculators are also banned from the examination rooms.
Candidates may not have books, notes, papers or any other unauthorised material on them or near them. Handbags, briefcases and backpacks are likewise barred from the centres.
Calculators are allowed only in certain subjects, and only if they are the specified non-programmable type with no cover.
Those subjects are Mathematics, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Geography, Agriculture, Woodwork, Metalwork, Building Construction, Power Mechanics, Electricity, Drawing and Design, Aviation Technology, Computer Studies and Business Studies.
When time is up, candidates must put down their pens as soon as the supervisor or invigilator says so. Before handing in the booklet, they should confirm that their names, index numbers, signatures and exam dates are all correctly recorded.
Nobody may leave early without special permission from the supervisor, and even then, they cannot walk out with the question paper or answer booklet.
“You are not allowed to leave the examination room before the end of the period allocated to the paper except with special permission from the Supervisor. No candidate so permitted to leave may take a question paper or answer booklet out of the examination room,” KNEC said.
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