The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) has raised urgent concerns after more than 35,000 registered candidates across multiple regional assessment programs skipped their scheduled exams during the May-June 2026 testing window, leaving thousands of students ineligible for official grading. Data released by the council shows that 32,403 candidates registered for the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) failed to show up for their examinations, while an additional 3,534 candidates registered for the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) also were absent. Even beyond these two major assessments, absenteeism at the Caribbean Certificate of Secondary Level Competence (CCSLC) level remains a persistent and growing concern when calculated as a share of total registered candidates. During the official launch of 2026 regional exam results held in Anguilla on Tuesday, CXC Director of Operations Dr. Nicole Manning outlined key findings from the council’s post-examination surveys, which identified one of the most common drivers of absenteeism: many students chose to skip their tests because they felt they were not sufficiently prepared to pass. Dr. Manning emphasized that lack of confidence in preparation is never a valid reason to miss an exam, urging even uncertain candidates to attend and make their best effort. She explained that any candidate who misses a required exam component forfeits their chance to receive a final grade entirely, meaning all the time, work and energy they invested in studying for the subject goes to waste. In addition to widespread absenteeism, CXC has also flagged a growing problem of unsubmitted or incomplete school-based assessments (SBAs) — a mandatory grading component for most CXC subjects. Dr. Manning noted that non-submission can stem from two different scenarios: either the candidate fails to complete the required assignment themselves, or the local examination center fails to forward completed SBA work to the CXC headquarters for grading. Regardless of the cause, candidates who do not have a valid SBA on file also cannot receive a final grade for their subject. The council confirmed that the rate of unsubmitted SBAs has risen steadily in recent testing cycles, and is calling on regional education ministries to launch investigations into the root causes of this trend. To address both rising absenteeism and incomplete assessments, CXC is appealing to a broad network of stakeholders including parents, guardians, teachers, school administrators and regional education officials to step in and encourage students. The council stresses that it is critical for all community leaders to help students understand that attending every scheduled exam and completing all required assessment components is mandatory to earn a final, recognized certification. Without full participation in all parts of the assessment process, students sacrifice their academic progress and the effort they have already put into their studies.