NPSE Syllabus Overview 2026: Subjects, Papers and Study Tips

What is the NPSE?

The National Primary School Examination (NPSE) is Sierra Leone's end-of-primary exam, sat by Class 6 pupils in every district — from Western Area Urban (Freetown) to Kailahun, Pujehun and Falaba. Results are used to allocate junior secondary school places nationwide.

The 2026 NPSE subjects

The NPSE covers five compulsory subjects. Each is examined as multiple-choice, and the total score determines placement.

• English Language
• Mathematics
• Quantitative Aptitude
• Verbal Aptitude
• General Paper (integrated science and social studies)

How the NPSE is marked

Every subject is scored out of 100. The aggregate across all five papers is what junior secondary schools use when they receive placement lists. There is no negative marking, so a pupil should never leave a question blank — an educated guess is always better than nothing.

The best way to revise NPSE past questions

Class 6 pupils learn best in short, focused sessions. Twenty NPSE past questions per subject per day, four days a week, is more effective than a single long weekend session. ExamBridge Africa's NPSE past papers section groups every year by subject so a pupil can rotate through Quantitative Aptitude one day, English the next, and see accuracy improve over time.

Tips for parents

Parents can support NPSE preparation by checking the Progress Report every week, celebrating improvement (not just top scores), and making sure the child sleeps well the night before the real exam. A calm, well-rested pupil consistently outperforms a stressed one.