Now that the 2023 BECE is over, the need phase is the school selection phase which starts on 23rd August and ends on 4th September 2023. The reality is that one can use the 2023 BECE Mock Results (Raw Scores) to make informed school choices.
Although BECE grades will play a role in the final school into which a candidate is placed, the raw scores will in most cases be used. In this post, we will share with readers how to make the right choices.
Take note that, choosing a school from Category A as your first choice is not compulsory and needless if you can not make very good grades that can compete with the best student nationwide who will choose such schools.
It is very important for parents and candidates to know that schools have been categorized based on the facilities that have and not based on their performance at the WASSCE. This means that there are very good schools in all categories. Choose wisely and carefully.
BECE Mock raw score ranges and categories to start choosing schools from
#1. Raw scores ranging from 400 to 600
Students whose raw scores during the 2023 BECE Mock examinations fell within this range are more likely to be placed in Category A schools should they score similar raw scores in the 2023 BECE. The first choice from this category would not be a bad choice.
1st Choice from Category A is the best.
2nd Choice from Category B
3rd Choice from Category B
#2. Raw scores ranging from 399 to 350
Raw scores in this range have a 50% chance of getting placed in category A Schools, however, choosing a category B school as your first choice is a better option if you want to be competitive and have a better chance of getting placed. If you choose a school from category A as your first choice, note that you may have to face fierce competition from candidates who score better grades and high raw scores for such schools.
1st Choice from Category B is the best.
Second Choice from Category B
Third Choice from Category C
READ: 2023 SHS School Selection Form, Dos and Donts Plus School List (Download here)
#4. Raw scores ranging from 349 to 300
A raw score between 349 and 300 can compete favourably in some Category B schools. If your raw score was in this range during your Mock examination, do not choose more than one Category B school. Make your second and third choices from category C schools unless you want to do self-placement
Raw scores ranging from 299 to 300 at the BECE are often problematic and most students in this range end up being placed in category C schools or end up using the self-placement module.
1st Choice from Category B.
2nd Choice from Category C
3rd Choice from Category C
The accommodation choice will also lead to fierce competition hence be extra careful. For instance, you may have the grade for placement into your first choice school but if the boarding accommodation you chose is not available, a student you choose the same school and programme but opted for Day will be placed, and you will be moved to your second choice.
Finally, do not choose schools based on taste and preference because that will lead to more problems and self-placement stress when schools are released.
Source: Wisdom Hammond
The Ghana Education News Editorial Team is a specialized collective of education researchers, journalists, and policy analysts dedicated to providing high-fidelity reporting on the Ghanaian academic landscape. Serving as a primary bridge between governing bodies—including the Ghana Education Service (GES) and WAEC—and the public, the team leverages over a decade of combined experience to serve students, parents, and educators nationwide.
Lead Architect & Editor-in-Chief
The team is led by Wisdom Kojo Eli Hammond, a distinguished Ghanaian Edu-Tech Entrepreneur, AI Solutions Developer, and Product Architect with over 25 years of cross-disciplinary experience in education, finance, and digital media. Wisdom is the visionary force behind SkulManager, Ghana’s premier school management ecosystem, and the Lead Consultant at Education-News Consult.
A self-taught innovator, professional Web Designer, and regular columnist on GhanaWeb, Wisdom engineered SkulManager.com as the only platform strictly tailored to the GES Curriculum. His technical leadership has redefined educational assessment through a Hybrid Marking Ecosystem, pioneering the BECE and WASSCE Home Mock services—a unique fusion of WAEC-trained human examiners and advanced AI marking engines operational since 2022.
Wisdom’s 360-degree view of institutional challenges is grounded in his tenure as College President and Lecturer at Pinnacle College (Achimota), as well as his background as a school administrator and accountant. He is a dedicated lifelong learner currently advancing his studies at the Accra Institute of Technology (AIT), with academic ties to the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA).
An accomplished author, his works include Returnees of the Dead Forest (UK Published), Simplified Beacon of Light (850+ Q&A), and The Leader in Me. A foundational pillar of the award-winning NGO Human Rights Reporters Ghana (HRRG), Wisdom is committed to building intelligent systems that solve societal problems and prepare the next generation of Ghanaian students for a digital future.
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