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NCEA results day: What students and parents need to know

Author
Natasha Gordon,
Publish Date
Wed, 14 Jan 2026, 8:06am
Anxious students across the country will be able to open their exam results today. Photo / File
Anxious students across the country will be able to open their exam results today. Photo / File

NCEA results day: What students and parents need to know

Author
Natasha Gordon,
Publish Date
Wed, 14 Jan 2026, 8:06am

Anxious students across the country can finally access their long-awaited NCEA exam marks online this morning. 

The results for around 158,000 students in New Zealand, the Cook Islands and Niue went online at the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) website around 7am. 

Alongside the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) results for the exams they sat last year, students will also see whether they have received Course Endorsements, Certificate Endorsements, or met the requirements for University Entrance. 

How do you get the results? 

An NZQA spokesperson said access to results requires a National Student Number (NSN) and password. 

Students who have misplaced these details can use Awhina, NZQA鈥檚 online chatbot, or contact NZQA鈥檚 Contact Centre. 

For privacy reasons, NZQA said it can only provide results and NSNs directly to the student. 

The spokesperson said students will be able to see their assessed NCEA exam papers online from January 20. 

Anxious students across the country will finally be able to open their long-awaited NCEA exam results today. Photo / 九一星空无限Anxious students across the country will finally be able to open their long-awaited NCEA exam results today. Photo / 九一星空无限 

The New Zealand Scholarship results will be made available on February 10, followed by the announcement of Top Scholar Award recipients the next day. 

The spokesperson said after the results are released, students have the opportunity to request a review or reconsideration of their examination papers. 

NCEA has been New Zealand鈥檚 main secondary school qualification for more than 20 years. 

What to do when dealing with disappointment? 

Exam results can be an emotional time for students who have received results they weren鈥檛 expecting. 

Child psychologist Sara Chatwin told the Herald that students must take the time to reflect when they receive what they think is a disappointing mark. 

鈥淭he first step is just to understand that exam situations are stressful and a lot of people don鈥檛 necessarily bring their A-game to that situation because of that pressure,鈥 Chatwin said. 

She said students should take some time to just sit in with their disappointment and figure out if it really is as bad as they think it is. 

Psychologist Sara Chatwin. Photo / SuppliedPsychologist Sara Chatwin. Photo / Supplied 

鈥淪it in the space of knowing that what鈥檚 done is done, figure out a way forward with the results that you鈥檝e got, because often there is more than one way of achieving your goals,鈥 she said. 

Chatwin said students should try to steer away from 鈥渒nee-jerk reactions鈥 and take the time to debrief with someone they trust. 

鈥淔or parents, understand that whilst you too may be disappointed, it is much more disappointing for the person who actually sat the exam. The weight of expectation can almost be as heavy as a bad result.鈥 

Chatwin said parents should be prepared to celebrate their student, irrespective of the result. 

She said it is important for parents to be a support system for their children and to help them make sense of their marks rather than letting their own feelings have an impact on their children鈥檚 self-esteem. 

鈥淚f they are happy with what they got, that鈥檚 all you want because, as parents, don鈥檛 we want our children to be happy? 

鈥淚f our kids are disappointed and upset and can鈥檛 find a way forward, then as parents we might be able to offer strategies to promote acceptance or to help them reassess options or pivot,鈥 Chatwin said. 

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