After the release of the NABTEB results – be it the May/June or Nov/Dec, a few candidates will check to see that they have one or two subjects showing “Pen” as their grades.
You check the result and you see your Chemistry, Physics, Biology or any subject at all, showing “Pen“. What grade is this or what s the meaning?
A student mistook that as “a penalty” a kind of punishment, for an offense or something.
When he called in to be sure he was right, I was quick to help out.
In this post, I will like to answer the same question if you’re seeking the meaning of the grade “Pen” in your NABTEB result.
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“PEN” in a NABTEB Result Means “Pending”
The pen is the short form for “Pending” in the NABTEB result. Unlike WAEC, NECO, or their GCE, where pending could be indicated by “Held” “Withheld“, “Outstanding“, or fully, “Pending“, the National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB) usually shortens the word as “Pen“.
“PEN” is not a grade, of course. It’s just to inform the affected student that his or her result, in that subject or in all, is undergoing further investigation or checking, before it’ll be released finally.
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Is There Hope That Subjects With “Pen” Will Be Released
Eventually, the exam body will release pending results once cleared. Otherwise, the result may be canceled.
In other words, it’s the intention of the exam body to release the pending papers sometime later. However, if such a result was withheld and investigated for malpractice and found to be true, the body may cancel the results.
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Of course, just like for NECO and WAEC, there will be a sitting by the body’s officials and stakeholders to check the circumstances surrounding the held results. This is usually within three months after the release of the results.
If cleared, the result will be released after that sitting. By that time, affected candidates are to recheck the results. This time, the “Pen” should have changed to the right and real grade.
Otherwise, if found guilty of malpractices or any possible office, the result may be canceled for the subject or altogether