Nerves and excitement fill the air as thousands of learners across the country sit down to write the National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations, starting on Tuesday, 21 October.
In the province, about 77 442 candidates are registered to write the exam; these include 67 606 full-time matric learners and 9 836 part-time or repeat candidates.
The exam kicks off with 12 736 candidates writing the Computer Applications Technology practical exam.
According to the provincial Department of Education, the subject with the largest number of candidates is Mathematical Literacy, with 53 206 candidates writing paper one on Friday, 31 October, and paper two on Monday, 3 November.
David Maynier, provincial education minister, said the implementation of the exam was a mammoth administrative exercise, with candidates writing at over 400 centres across the province.
“Candidates will write at 473 exam centres, with 2 046 trained invigilators appointed to keep a close eye on proceedings. Marking will take place at the beginning of December, with 954 000 examination scripts being marked by 4 190 markers.”
People’s Post caught up with Rayyan Ebrahim, last year’s top matric learner in the country, to share some helpful tips with the matriculants.
“The exam period is quite long, so make sure to look after yourself physically and mentally by eating well, sleeping well and exercising. Try not to isolate yourself during this time – you may not be attending classes at school anymore, but you will still need the support of your peers. Forming study groups with them is a really effective way to study,” he said.
Ebrahim said that during the final stretch of exams, his focus was on fine-tuning.
“For the final stretch of exams, I found that fine-tuning my knowledge was the most effective way to study. The main method I used to study was to teach myself and my friends the content I was learning. Putting the content in your own words really helps you retain the information better and builds a deeper understanding of the material.”
Nicholas Schreiber, one of the top quintile-five learners in the province last year, encouraged learners to stay focused.
“You should know roughly where your strengths and weaknesses are after prelims, so really focus on the areas of subjects where you can have a good improvement to get the most out of your finals marks.”
Maynier has urged the public to ensure the exams proceed without disruptions.
The national education minister will announce the national and provincial pass rates on Monday, 12 January 2026, and candidates will receive their individual results the following day.
