GBCE stands for the General Business Certificate of Examination. It is available to both school and private candidates, i.e. candidates attending schools that prepare them for the examination and candidates who study privately towards the examination in Ghana.
Period of the Examination
The GBCE is taken in May/June each year for both Single Subject and Group Entry.
Entry for the Examination
The entry period is December to February and it lasts for three months. School authorities are expected to register their candidates and upload their entry data online. Other details of the entry procedure are provided in Notes for the Guidance of Schools which are supplied together with the entry documents.
Registration is strictly online for private candidates. Candidates can obtain more information on how to register for the examination at https://www.waecgh.org
GBCE Examination Subjects
The examination is conducted on a Single Subject Entry basis as well as on a Group Entry basis.
Single Subject Entry – A candidate may enter for any number of the following subjects of his/her choice:
- Business Law
- Mathematics
- Commerce
- Cost Accounting
- Economics
- English Language
- Financial Accounting
- Information Technology
- Marketing
- Office Practice
- Shorthand
- Typewriting
- Integrated Science
- Social Studies
A certificate is awarded to a candidate who obtains at least a pass in any subject offered in the examination.
Group Entry: A candidate may enter for a group certificate consisting of a minimum of two compulsory and three optional subjects in the following areas:
ACCOUNTING OPTION
- Compulsory Subjects
- Financial Accounting
- English Language
- Optional Subjects (Any three)
- Mathematics
- Commerce
- Business Law
- Economics
- Cost Accounting
BUSINESS STUDIES OPTION
Compulsory Subjects
- Economics
- English language
Optional Subjects (Any three)
- Financial Accounting
- Mathematics
- Commerce
- Business Law
- Office Practice
SECRETARIAL STUDIES OPTION
Compulsory Subjects
- Shorthand
- Typewriting
- English Language
Optional Subjects (Any three)
- Office Practice
- Business Law
- Economics
- Commerce
- Social Studies, Integrated Science, and Information Technology may be added to the optional subjects.
The subject groups are reviewed from time to time or when new subjects are introduced into the examination scheme.
GBCE Grading System
There are six alphabetical grades in order of merit from Grade A to Grade F, Grade A being the highest and Grade F the lowest. The first five grades – A, B, C, D, E, – are pass grades. Grade F represents a failure.
Conditions for the Award of Certificates
The General Business Certificate is awarded to a candidate who obtains at least a pass in a subject offered in the examination. The Group Certificate is awarded to a candidate who obtains passes in all the relevant subjects in one sitting. A candidate who is unable to satisfy the criterion for the award of a Group Certificate is awarded a certificate for each of the subjects passed.
Certificates
Certificates are collected by school authorities and private candidates. Certificates are produced once, and so certificates that get lost or damaged after collection are not replaced.
Confirmation of GBCE Results
Candidates who lose their certificates may confirm their results to prospective employers and educational institutions.
Further details on the examination may be obtained from the Senior Deputy Registrar/ Head of Test Development Division, Telephone Numbers: +233-302-208201-9, and Senior Deputy Registrar/Head of Test Administration Division, Telephone Numbers: +233-302-208201-9 or [email protected]
