Uplink multicarrier code-division multiple-access (MC-CDMA) with equal gain combining (EGC) over Nakagami fading channels is considered. An improved expression which is a feasible alternative for the bit error rate (BER) performance evaluation of MC-CDMA signals is proposed. Simulated annealing algorithm is employed to obtain the optimum value of the coefficients belonging to the proposed expression. Numerical examples show that the performance curves computed by the improved expression are in good agreement with the results obtained by the exact expression. Thus, the proposed expression can improve the accuracy of BER performance evaluation that has been realized by the approximate expression.