It’s no longer a secret that under Kenya’s education reforms, the 8-4-4 system is being phased out to pave the way for the full adoption of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), which is already in motion. Therefore, in 2025, particularly for the Grade 9 learners, there will be no more Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) as this has been replaced with the Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) exams, which marks the end of junior secondary education (Grades 7-9) and serves as a transition point to senior secondary school (Grades 10-12) under the new CBC curriculum.
However, like all school examinations in Kenya, the KJSEA exams are also administered by the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) and must be completed by all candidates before they proceed to the next phase of their studies. These examinations, unlike KCPE, focus on assessing how well learners are familiar with the core subjects with a 60% grade, while the rest of the 40% comes from the School-Based Assessments (SBAs), scoring the final grade out of 100%. The KJSEA also introduces two papers per core subject, such as English (Language and Composition) and Mathematics (Paper 1 and Paper 2), to comprehensively evaluate theoretical knowledge and applied skills.
Key Dates and Subjects in the 2025 KJSEA Timetable
The 2025 examination period will officially start on October 27 and end on November 3, 2025, with each day dedicated to specific papers. Before the main examination dates, there are mid-year series examinations meant for project-based subjects only: Creative Arts & Sports, which will begin in May and end in July 2025, and Pre-Technical Studies, which is scheduled for July 2025. Additionally, Agriculture projects are also scheduled for July 2025.
All the mandatory papers that were in the former KCPE exams, which are now KJSEA core papers, are mandatory for all students. They include English, Kiswahili, Mathematics, Integrated Science (theory and practical), and Religious Education (CRE, IRE, or HRE).
Below is the full KJSEA timetable for the year 2025, along with the key dates of specific papers:
May To July 2025 (Project-Based Assessments)
| Paper Code | Paper | Session | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| 911/1 | Creative Arts & Sports (Project) | – | 3 months |
July 2025 (Project-Based Assessments)
| Paper Code | Paper | Session | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| 912/2 | Pre-Technical Studies (Project) | – | 1 month |
| 906/2 | Agriculture (Project) | – | 1 month |
Day 1: Monday 27.10.2025
| Paper Code | Paper | Session | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| 901/1 | English Language | 8:30 am – 10:10 am | 1 hour 40 minutes |
| 901/1 | English Language (Hearing Impaired) | 8:30 am – 10:20 am | 1 hour 50 minutes |
| 901/1 | English Language (Braille) | 8:30 am – 10:40 am | 2 hours 10 minutes |
| 901/2 | English (Composition & Literary Analysis) | 11:10 am – 12:55 pm | 1 hour 45 minutes |
| 901/2 | English (Composition & Literary Analysis) (Hearing Impaired) | 11:10 am – 1:05 pm | 1 hour 55 minutes |
| 901/2 | English (Composition & Literary Analysis) (Braille) | 11:10 am – 1:25 pm | 2 hours 15 minutes |
Day 2: Tuesday 28.10.2025
| Paper Code | Paper | Session | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| 903 | Mathematics | 8:30 am – 10:30 am | 2 hours |
| 903 | Mathematics (Braille) | 8:30 am – 11:00 am | 2 hours 30 minutes |
| 906/1 | Agriculture | 11:30 am – 1:10 pm | 1 hour 40 minutes |
| 906/1 | Agriculture (Braille) | 11:30 am – 1:40 pm | 2 hours 10 minutes |
Day 3: Wednesday 29.10.2025
| Paper Code | Paper | Session | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| 902/1 | Kiswahili Lugha | 8:30 am – 10:10 am | 1 hour 40 minutes |
| 902/1 | Kiswahili Lugha (Braille) | 8:30 am – 10:40 am | 2 hours 10 minutes |
| 904/1 | Kenyan Sign Language | 8:30 am – 10:10 am | 1 hour 40 minutes |
| 902/2 | Kiswahili (Insha na Utangulizi wa Fasihi) | 11:10 am – 12:55 pm | 1 hour 45 minutes |
| 902/2 | Kiswahili (Insha na Utangulizi wa Fasihi) (Braille) | 11:10 am – 1:25 pm | 2 hours 15 minutes |
| 904/2 | Kenyan Sign Language | 11:10 am – 12:50 pm | 1 hour 40 minutes |
Day 4: Thursday 30.10.2025
| Paper Code | Paper | Session | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| 905/1 | Integrated Science | 8:30 am – 10:10 am | 1 hour 40 minutes |
| 905/1 | Integrated Science (Braille) | 8:30 am – 10:40 am | 2 hours 10 minutes |
| 912/1 | Pre-Technical Studies | 11:10 am – 12:50 pm | 1 hour 40 minutes |
| 912/1 | Pre-Technical Studies (Braille) | 11:10 am – 1:20 pm | 2 hours 10 minutes |
Day 5: Friday 31.10.2025
| Paper Code | Paper | Session | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| 905/2 | Integrated Science (Practical) | 8:30 am – 10:00 am | 1 hour 30 minutes |
| 905/2 | Integrated Science (Braille) | 8:30 am – 10:30 am | 2 hours |
| 911/2 | Creative Arts & Sports | 11:10 am – 12:50 pm | 1 hour 40 minutes |
| 911/2 | Creative Arts & Sports (Braille) | 11:10 am – 1:20 pm | 2 hours 10 minutes |
Day 6: Monday 03.11.2025
| Paper Code | Paper | Session | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| 907 | Social Studies | 8:30 am – 10:00 am | 1 hour 30 minutes |
| 907 | Social Studies (Braille) | 8:30 am – 10:30 am | 2 hours |
| 908 | Christian Religious Education (CRE) | 11:00 am – 12:30 pm | 1 hour 30 minutes |
| 908 | Christian Religious Education (CRE) (Braille) | 11:00 am – 1:00 pm | 2 hours |
| 909 | Islamic Religious Education (IRE) | 11:00 am – 12:30 pm | 1 hour 30 minutes |
| 909 | Islamic Religious Education (IRE) (Braille) | 11:00 am – 1:00 pm | 2 hours |
| 910 | Hindu Religious Education (HRE) | 11:00 am – 12:30 pm | 1 hour 30 minutes |
| 910 | Hindu Religious Education (HRE) (Braille) | 11:00 am – 1:00 pm | 2 hours |
Exam Rules & Penalties
Candidates sitting for the KJSEA exams must ensure that they follow all KNEC exam rules to avoid being fined:
- Candidates must arrive 15 minutes early and be searched before entering the exam room
- Cell phones and electronic devices are strictly prohibited
- Only authorized materials like specified calculators and KNEC mathematical tables, are allowed
- All work must be done in the official answer booklet using blue/black ink
- No communication between candidates or with outsiders during exams
- Candidates cannot leave before the exam ends without special permission
- No exam materials can be taken out of the room
If a candidate can not abide by the rules above, it can lead to exam cancellation for the subject, which will also affect their overall grade. If it is the entire exam center, the results of all the schools can also be canceled. In addition to that, the Criminal penalties for the candidate or anyone involved with exam irregularities are as follows:
- Up to 10 years imprisonment or a 2 million shilling fine for leaking exam content
- Up to 5 years imprisonment or a 5 million shilling fine for damaging exam materials
- Up to 2 years imprisonment or a 2 million shilling fine for impersonation, plus a 3-year ban from KNEC exams
These rules above are just the tip of the iceberg; you can download the KJSEA PDF, which as all the rules for candidates, supervisors, and schools to understand what is expected from each personnel.
