KJSEA 2026 Timetable: Exam Dates, Times and Subject Codes

The 2026 Kenya Junior School Education Assessment begins on Monday 26 October 2026 and the written papers end on Friday 30 October 2026. The rehearsal is on Friday 23 October. Every morning session starts at 8.30 a.m., not 8.00 a.m.

That start time is worth repeating, because several news reports published 8.00 a.m. and several published an end date in November. Neither appears on the timetable KNEC actually issued. The KJSEA timetable is also marked REVISED, so any school still working from the earlier version is holding wrong dates.

KJSEA 2026 Timetable

Candidates must be seated 15 minutes before each session. Anyone more than half an hour late may be refused the paper.

Projects already completed

Three KJSEA components were done earlier in the year and are not sat in October: 911/1 Creative Arts & Sports (May to July), 912/2 Pre-Technical Studies (July) and 906/2 Agriculture (July).

Practise the Actual Paper Formats Before Monday

PaperSetter holds Grade 9 questions written to these exact KNEC paper structures, each with a marking scheme. They are listed here in the order the papers are sat:

Teachers can also generate a full KJSEA-format paper with a marking scheme in a couple of minutes.

What KJSEA Stands For and Where It Sits

KJSEA is the Kenya Junior School Education Assessment, sat at the end of Grade 9. It is the exit assessment for Junior School and the transition point into Senior School. Where KPSEA at Grade 6 compresses the curriculum into five combined papers, KJSEA expands into a much fuller subject list, reflecting the broader curriculum learners have covered by the end of Junior School.

The 12 Subject Codes

KJSEA is organised around 12 subject codes, numbered 901 through 912:

The subject list is deliberately broad, spanning languages, sciences, mathematics, religious education, and applied and creative subjects, each identified by its own three-digit code.

Most Subjects Have Two Papers

Across the 12 KJSEA subjects, the common pattern is a two-paper structure, labelled PP1 and PP2:

• PP1 tends to be more theory-leaning, testing knowledge, comprehension, and structured problem-solving.
• PP2 varies by subject: composition and literature in English and Kiswahili, a practical component in Integrated Science, or a project-based element depending on the subject.

This is a general pattern rather than a fixed rule. Mathematics (903), Social Studies & Life Skills (907), and the three Religious Education papers (908/909/910) each sit as a single standalone paper, as the timetable above shows. Confirm the structure subject by subject rather than assuming every subject splits into two papers.

Why This Assessment Matters as a Transition Point

KJSEA is the exit assessment that shapes how learners move from Junior School into Senior School. Because it draws on the full three years of Junior School learning across a wide subject base, performance here reflects a longer arc of learning than any single term's tests can capture. Revision planning for Grade 9 benefits from building consistently across Grades 7 through 9, rather than concentrating effort only in the final term.

What This Means for Teachers Planning Across Subjects

Because paper structures differ from subject to subject, a one-size-fits-all revision plan does not serve learners well. Effective preparation means:

• Mapping out, subject by subject, whether learners face one paper or two.
• For two-paper subjects, giving deliberate attention to both the theory-leaning PP1 and whatever PP2 demands, whether that is writing, literary analysis, or practical work.
• Treating the single-paper subjects as their own case, since they have no separate composition or practical component to plan around.

Paper-by-Paper Guides

Each of these goes into what the individual papers actually ask for:

• KJSEA English (901): Paper 1 vs Paper 2
• KJSEA Kiswahili (902): PP1 and PP2
• KJSEA Mathematics (903): structure and marking
• Preparing Grade 9 for the Mathematics paper
• KJSEA Integrated Science (905): Paper 1 and Paper 2
• Social Studies, CRE, IRE and HRE: the single-paper subjects
• Understanding your child's KJSEA results

Key Takeaway

KJSEA 2026 runs Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October, with papers starting at 8.30 a.m. It is built around 12 subject codes (901–912) and generally follows a two-paper PP1/PP2 pattern, with Mathematics, Social Studies and the Religious Education subjects sitting as single papers. Always confirm dates against the revised KNEC timetable, since the earlier version is still circulating.