KJSEA Rules for Candidates: Phones, Lateness and Irregularities

Last reviewed: 24 October 2026

The KNEC timetable for the 2026 Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) includes instructions to candidates. They are short, but breaking one can cost a learner a whole subject or even all their results. With papers running from Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026, it is worth going through them at home. This guide summarises the rules as published in the KNEC 2026 KJSEA Timetable and Instructions (ref. KNEC/TD/SE/KJSEA/TT/2026/003).

On this page

1. Arrival and Timing
2. What to Bring
3. Phones and Electronic Devices
4. Irregularities
5. Checking the Paper
6. Why These Rules Matter for Placement
7. A Quick Talk at Home
8. Practise Under Exam Conditions

Arrival and Timing

• Be seated 15 minutes early. Candidates must be at their desks 15 minutes before each paper starts. Most first papers start at 8.30 am, so that means 8.15 am.
• The half-hour rule. A candidate who arrives more than half an hour after a paper starts will only be given the paper in exceptional circumstances.
• No extra time. Reading time is part of the time shown on the paper. Nothing is added at the end.

What to Bring

• Black or blue ink pens. Erasable pens are not allowed.
• Pencils, used only for diagrams and for shading multiple-choice answers.
• Mathematical and drawing instruments, especially for Mathematics on Wednesday 28 October.

Phones and Electronic Devices

This is the rule that catches people out. A candidate found with a mobile phone or any other electronic communication device in the assessment room will have their results cancelled. It does not matter whether the phone was used. The safest approach is for the phone to stay at home for the whole week.

Irregularities

KNEC’s instructions, under the KNEC Act, 2012, say that an irregularity in any paper leads to cancellation of the result for the whole subject, not only that paper. For example, Integrated Science has two papers, on Thursday and Friday; an irregularity in either would cancel the Integrated Science result. Where irregularities are widespread, a whole centre’s results can be cancelled. Irregularities include copying, communicating with other candidates, carrying unauthorised material and impersonation.

Checking the Paper

Candidates are told to check that their paper has every page printed and that their name and assessment number are correct. They must sign the answer booklet as instructed. If a page is missing or blurred, they should raise a hand and tell the invigilator immediately.

Why These Rules Matter for Placement

KJSEA makes up 60% of the score used to place learners in senior school, with 20% from Grade 7 and 8 school-based assessment and 20% from KPSEA. A cancelled subject removes a large part of that score. Read KJSEA explained and the placement and pathways guide for how results are used.

A Quick Talk at Home

Go through this list with your child on Sunday evening:

1. Where will you be at 8.15 am each day?
2. What is in your pencil case?
3. Where is your phone? (Answer: at home.)
4. What do you do if a page is missing?
5. What do you do if a friend tries to talk to you during a paper? (Answer: ignore and keep working.)

For the paper-by-paper schedule, see our KJSEA 2026 timetable.

Practise Under Exam Conditions

Timed practice helps learners get used to working alone against the clock. Our online revision papers are timed, and the first five questions of each are free. The Monthly Pass (KSh 500, M-Pesa) opens every full paper with worked answers.