Frequently Asked Questions About This Topic
What are the likely NECO 2026 Mathematics questions?
How do I pass NECO Mathematics and score above 70?
What topics does NECO Mathematics cover in 2026/2027?
Introduction
Mathematics is compulsory for every NECO candidate. Whether you plan to study Engineering, Business, Medicine, or Law, you must pass this subject. NECO Mathematics covers Number and Numeration, Algebra, Geometry, Statistics, and Trigonometry. Students who fail Mathematics often do so not because the subject is impossible, but because they skip topics and avoid practice. This article gives you 50 well-selected objective questions with correct answers and 5 theory questions with step-by-step solutions. Work through every single one. Use a calculator only where the question permits. Show your working in the theory section because NECO examiners award marks for steps, not just final answers.
NECO Mathematics Syllabus Breakdown for 2026/2027
The NECO Mathematics paper has two sections. Section A has 60 objective questions and you answer 50. Section B has theory questions where you answer a set number from choices given. Key topics include: Number bases, Indices and logarithms, Sets, Simple and compound interest, Simultaneous equations, Quadratic equations, Mensuration, Coordinate geometry, Statistics and probability, and Trigonometry. NECO regularly tests candidates on word problems involving profit and loss, area and perimeter, bearing, and data interpretation from graphs and tables.
50 Objective Questions and Answers
1. Simplify: 3x + 5y – x + 2y
A. 2x + 7y ✓
B. 4x + 3y
C. 2x + 3y
D. 4x + 7y
2. Find the value of x if 2x + 6 = 18
A. 6 ✓
B. 4
C. 5
D. 7
3. Convert 1101 in base 2 to base 10.
A. 11
B. 13 ✓
C. 15
D. 9
4. What is the simple interest on N8,000 at 5% per annum for 3 years?
A. N1,200 ✓
B. N1,500
C. N1,000
D. N1,800
5. If a triangle has angles of 40 degrees and 75 degrees, find the third angle.
A. 65 degrees ✓
B. 75 degrees
C. 70 degrees
D. 55 degrees
6. Factorize: x^2 + 5x + 6
A. (x+2)(x+3) ✓
B. (x+1)(x+6)
C. (x-2)(x-3)
D. (x+3)(x-2)
7. What is 15% of 200?
A. 30 ✓
B. 35
C. 25
D. 40
8. The mean of 4, 7, 8, 9, and 12 is:
A. 8 ✓
B. 7
C. 9
D. 10
9. Solve: 3^x = 27
A. 2
B. 3 ✓
C. 4
D. 5
10. Find the area of a rectangle with length 8cm and breadth 5cm.
A. 40 cm2 ✓
B. 35 cm2
C. 45 cm2
D. 30 cm2
11. Which of the following is irrational?
A. 0.5
B. 3/4
C. sqrt(2) ✓
D. 1.25
12. If P = {2, 4, 6} and Q = {4, 6, 8}, find P intersection Q.
A. {4,6} ✓
B. {2,4,6,8}
C. {2,8}
D. {4}
13. Evaluate: log base 10 of 1000
A. 2
B. 3 ✓
C. 4
D. 10
14. A car travels 120 km in 2 hours. What is its speed?
A. 50 km/h
B. 60 km/h ✓
C. 70 km/h
D. 80 km/h
15. What is the square root of 144?
A. 11
B. 12 ✓
C. 13
D. 14
16. Express 0.0035 in standard form.
A. 3.5 x 10^-3 ✓
B. 35 x 10^-4
C. 3.5 x 10^-4
D. 0.35 x 10^-2
17. A circle has radius 7 cm. Find its circumference. (Use pi = 22/7)
A. 44 cm ✓
B. 22 cm
C. 66 cm
D. 33 cm
18. Solve: 2x – 3 = 7
A. 5 ✓
B. 4
C. 6
D. 3
19. If sin A = 0.5, find angle A.
A. 30 degrees ✓
B. 45 degrees
C. 60 degrees
D. 90 degrees
20. The bearing of a point B from A is 060. What is the bearing of A from B?
A. 240 degrees ✓
B. 120 degrees
C. 300 degrees
D. 180 degrees
21. Find the gradient of a line joining points (2,3) and (4,7).
A. 1
B. 2 ✓
C. 3
D. 4
22. Simplify: (2^4 x 2^3) / 2^5
A. 2^2 ✓
B. 2^3
C. 2^4
D. 2^6
23. What is the LCM of 4, 6, and 12?
A. 12 ✓
B. 24
C. 6
D. 36
24. A bag contains 3 red and 5 blue balls. What is the probability of picking a red ball?
A. 3/8 ✓
B. 5/8
C. 3/5
D. 1/2
25. The volume of a cube with side 3cm is:
A. 27 cm3 ✓
B. 9 cm3
C. 18 cm3
D. 6 cm3
26. Solve the simultaneous equations: x + y = 10 and x – y = 4
A. x=7, y=3 ✓
B. x=6, y=4
C. x=8, y=2
D. x=5, y=5
27. Find the range of: 3, 7, 5, 9, 2, 6
A. 5
B. 6
C. 7 ✓
D. 4
28. If 5x = 125, find x.
A. 2
B. 3 ✓
C. 4
D. 5
29. What type of triangle has all sides equal?
A. Scalene
B. Isosceles
C. Equilateral ✓
D. Right-angled
30. The mode of: 2, 4, 4, 5, 6, 4, 7 is:
A. 4 ✓
B. 5
C. 6
D. 7
31. Find the compound interest on N5,000 at 10% per annum for 2 years.
A. N1,050 ✓
B. N1,100
C. N1,000
D. N1,200
32. Convert 35 in base 10 to base 2.
A. 100011 ✓
B. 100100
C. 100001
D. 110001
33. What is the value of cos 0 degrees?
A. 0
B. 0.5
C. 1 ✓
D. undefined
34. The sum of interior angles of a pentagon is:
A. 360 degrees
B. 540 degrees ✓
C. 450 degrees
D. 720 degrees
35. If 3/4 of a number is 18, what is the number?
A. 20
B. 22
C. 24 ✓
D. 26
36. Find the perimeter of a square with side 6cm.
A. 24 cm ✓
B. 18 cm
C. 12 cm
D. 36 cm
37. Evaluate: 5! (5 factorial)
A. 60
B. 100
C. 120 ✓
D. 150
38. The equation y = 3x + 2 has a gradient of:
A. 2
B. 3 ✓
C. 1
D. 5
39. An angle greater than 90 degrees but less than 180 degrees is called:
A. Acute
B. Right
C. Reflex
D. Obtuse ✓
40. Find the hypotenuse of a right triangle with legs 3cm and 4cm.
A. 5 cm ✓
B. 6 cm
C. 7 cm
D. 8 cm
41. Simplify: (x^2 – 9) / (x – 3)
A. x-3
B. x+3 ✓
C. x+9
D. x^2+3
42. Two angles are supplementary. One is 110 degrees. Find the other.
A. 60 degrees
B. 70 degrees ✓
C. 80 degrees
D. 90 degrees
43. If a = 2 and b = 3, evaluate: 2a^2 + 3b
A. 17 ✓
B. 18
C. 19
D. 20
44. A man sells a car for N500,000 that he bought for N400,000. What is the profit percentage?
A. 20%
B. 25% ✓
C. 15%
D. 30%
45. The median of: 2, 5, 7, 9, 11 is:
A. 5
B. 7 ✓
C. 9
D. 11
46. Which of the following is a prime number?
A. 1
B. 4
C. 9
D. 11 ✓
47. Evaluate: 3^0 + 2^1
A. 2
B. 3 ✓
C. 1
D. 4
48. A sector of a circle has an angle of 90 degrees. What fraction of the circle does it represent?
A. 1/4 ✓
B. 1/3
C. 1/2
D. 3/4
49. The number of faces a cube has is:
A. 4
B. 6 ✓
C. 8
D. 12
50. Find the value of y in: 2y/3 = 8
A. 10
B. 11
C. 12 ✓
D. 13
5 Theory Questions with Step-by-Step Solutions
Question 1: A trader bought 50 bags of rice at N8,500 each and sold them at a profit of 20%. Find (a) the selling price per bag (b) the total profit made.
Answer:
(a) Cost price per bag = N8,500. Profit = 20% of N8,500 = (20/100) x 8,500 = N1,700. Selling price = N8,500 + N1,700 = N10,200 per bag. (b) Total profit = N1,700 x 50 = N85,000. Always show the formula first, substitute values, then state your answer with units. NECO awards marks at each step.
Question 2: Solve the quadratic equation: x^2 – 5x + 6 = 0 using factorisation.
Answer:
Step 1: Look for two numbers that multiply to give 6 (the constant) and add to give -5 (the coefficient of x). Those numbers are -2 and -3. 2: Rewrite: x^2 – 2x – 3x + 6 = 0. 3: Group: x(x – 2) – 3(x – 2) = 0. 4: Factor: (x – 3)(x – 2) = 0. 5: Solve: x – 3 = 0 gives x = 3. x – 2 = 0 gives x = 2. Therefore x = 3 or x = 2.
Question 3: The ages of 10 students in a class are: 13, 14, 14, 15, 15, 15, 16, 16, 17, 18. Find the mean, median, and mode.
Answer:
Mean: Add all values together. 13+14+14+15+15+15+16+16+17+18 = 153. Divide by 10. Mean = 15.3. Median: The data is already arranged in order. With 10 values, the median is the average of the 5th and 6th values. 5th value = 15, 6th value = 15. Median = (15+15)/2 = 15. Mode: The value that appears most often is 15 (appears 3 times). Mode = 15.
Question 4: A ladder 10m long leans against a vertical wall. The foot of the ladder is 6m from the base of the wall. Find how high up the wall the ladder reaches.
Answer:
This is a right-angled triangle problem. Use Pythagoras theorem: a^2 + b^2 = c^2. Here c = 10 (the ladder is the hypotenuse), b = 6 (distance from wall). So a^2 = 10^2 – 6^2 = 100 – 36 = 64. Therefore a = sqrt(64) = 8 metres. The ladder reaches 8 metres up the wall. Always draw a diagram in your answer booklet. NECO examiners reward candidates who include diagrams.
Question 5: Using a scale of 2cm to 1 unit on both axes, draw the graph of y = 2x – 1 for values of x from -2 to 3. Use the graph to find: (a) the value of y when x = 1.5 (b) the value of x when y = 4.
Answer:
First, construct a table of values. x = -2: y = 2(-2)-1 = -5. x = -1: y = -3. x = 0: y = -1. x = 1: y = 1. x = 2: y = 3. x = 3: y = 5. Plot these points on graph paper. Draw a straight line through all the points. (a) From the graph, when x = 1.5, trace a vertical line up to the graph line and then across to the y-axis. The answer is y = 2. (b) When y = 4, trace a horizontal line from y = 4 to the graph line and down to the x-axis. The answer is x = 2.5. In the actual exam, your table, accurate plotting, and correct reading of the graph each earn marks separately.
FAQ: Mathematics NECO 2026/2027
Q: Which topics carry the most marks in NECO Mathematics?
A: Algebra, mensuration, statistics, and number bases appear every year without fail. Give those areas at least 60% of your study time.
Q: Can I use a calculator in NECO Mathematics?
A: NECO generally allows the use of a basic scientific calculator. Check your examination rules carefully. Even with a calculator, show all working steps in your theory answers.
Q: How do I pass NECO Mathematics if I am weak in the subject?
A: Start from the basics. Practice at least 20 past questions daily. Focus on topics you understand first, then build toward harder ones. Get a good teacher or use free tutorial videos for topics you find confusing.
