Over 200,000 Applicants Fail Civil Defence, Immigration, Fire and Correctional Services Online CBT Exam

More than 200,000 applicants have failed the online Computer-Based Test (CBT) conducted for the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire, and Immigration Services recruitment exercise. The nationwide online exam, held from November 12th to 19th, is part of the ongoing multi-stage recruitment process coordinated by the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board (CDCFIB).

According to official statistics released by the CDCFIB via its X account on Tuesday, 650,395 applicants scored the required pass mark (41–100) out of the 872,391 candidates who sat for the test. Only 142,697 applicants, representing 25.4%, scored above 80.

Breakdown of CBT Participation and Performance

The CDCFIB further revealed that:

• 77.9% of shortlisted applicants took the online exam
• 16.8% were disqualified for various violations
• 5.4% did not participate

Score Distribution:

• 0–40: 221,996
• 41–60: 229,155
• 61–80: 278,543
• 81–100: 142,697

These results formed the third stage of the recruitment process.

States With the Highest Applicant Numbers

Kogi State recorded the highest number of applicants with 72,497, followed by:

• Benue: 66,496
• Kaduna: 64,730
• Kano: 50,678
• Niger: 49,514

Breakdown by Parastatal

From over 1.9 million applicants recorded in the initial application phase, the distribution across paramilitary agencies was:

• Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS): 703,499 applications
• Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC): 482,198
• Federal Fire Service (FFS): 406,491
• Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS): 165,212

For the second stage (shortlisting), 1,120,491 applicants successfully completed their applications.
Meanwhile:

• 432,935 applications were incomplete
• 360,923 applicants were disqualified

Technical Glitches and Applicant Complaints

The online CBT was widely criticised due to multiple technical difficulties. Initially, the CDCFIB had scheduled a physical CBT exam but later shifted to a fully online format.

Applicants reported several issues, including:

• Disappearing or incomplete exam questions
• Login failures
• Unexpected disqualification
• Automatic submission before answering questions

Others claimed the system submitted their exams without any input from them.

The board, however, attributed these problems to applicants’ failure to follow instructions, such as ensuring accurate device date and time settings and avoiding device manipulation or third-party interference.

Next Stage: Physical Screening and Document Verification

The recruitment exercise has now progressed to Stage Four, which involves physical screening and document verification.
Applicants who passed the CBT are expected to receive call-up notifications for the next round.

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