The total number of candidates expected to sit for the examinations is 375, 737, comprising of 187,574 males and 188,163 females.
It will also see the first batch of government's Free Senior High School (Free SHS) students partake in the WASSCE.
The candidates will sit for 60 subjects, including four core subjects and 56 elective subjects.
READ MORE: 316,980 SHS candidates to write WASSCE 2018
Mahama in a goodwill message to the students said although "this is certainly not the best of times to sit for an exit examination,” the students must “bear in mind that you have made yourself, your parents and the entire nation proud for your outstanding courage to write at this time."
He said Ghana has for successive years been known and celebrated for producing the best WASSCE results in West Africa, and that is why, the candidates, "even before stepping into the examination hall, are already our heroes. Nothing can change that."
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Mahama in a Facebook post said his "prayers and that of over 30 million Ghanaians will stay with you every single day until the examination is over" and also advised the candidates to remember to observe the COVID-19 protocols before, during, and after the exams.