Registering for the Cognitive Ability Test: Steps, Fees, Dates and ID

Last verified: 18 October 2026. Fees and dates can change, so confirm everything on the Cognitive Ability Test page on the Education and Training Evaluation Commission (ETEC) website before you pay. This guide is independent: it is not affiliated with ETEC, Qiyas (the National Center for Assessment) or any government body, and it cannot register you.

Fees

So registering before the late period starts saves you SAR 50. The start of the late period for each sitting is in the dates table below.

How to register

1. Go to ETEC's e-services portal and open your beneficiary profile (ملف المستفيد), or create an account if you do not have one.
2. Choose the Cognitive Ability Test and pick the format (paper or computer-based) and an available date.
3. Pay the fee: SAR 200 in the early period or SAR 250 in the late period.
4. Before the test: if your test is on paper, find out your seat number, and have your original ID ready (see "Test day" below).
5. Sit the test on the day with your original ID.

ETEC has published two visual guides with step-by-step screenshots of registration: the visual guide for the computer-based test and the visual guide for the paper test. We have not used the portal ourselves because it needs a login, so button names may differ slightly from the guides.

Paper or computer-based?

The test is delivered in two ways: on paper, or digitally on a computer. According to ETEC's page the two are the same in content and format: 5 sections of 20 questions, 2 hours 5 minutes, and the same fee. The practical differences are:

• Deadline to change or delete your booking: up to 72 hours before a paper test and up to 48 hours before a computer-based test.
• Seat number: ETEC asks you to know your seat number for the paper test.
• Dates: in 2026, four of the five sittings were computer-based, so do not wait for a paper sitting if you are applying for a job soon.

2026 test dates

These dates are as ETEC published them on the test page (updated September 2026); ETEC's website is always the final word:

• Next sitting: the computer-based test on 6–10 December 2026. Registration has been open since 7 September 2026, and the late period at SAR 250 starts on 5 November 2026, so register before then to pay SAR 200.
• 2027 dates: In 2026, registration opened 7 to 13 weeks before each sitting, so check ETEC's page from around mid-December 2026.

Changing or deleting your booking

Once you have paid, you can delete or change your booking up to 72 hours before a paper test and up to 48 hours before a computer-based test.

Test day: proof of identity

ETEC requires your ID to be:

• The original, not a copy.
• A plastic card.
• Valid (not expired).
• With a clear personal photo.

You can enter with any of these documents:

• National ID card.
• Resident ID card (iqama) for non-Saudis.
• Your own paper passport.
• Saudi driving licence.

Cards that are not accepted include work ID cards and university student cards.

Results, validity and number of attempts

• No pass mark: ETEC says scores do not mean pass or fail; they are a basis for comparing applicants.
• Result validity: five calendar years from the test date.
• Attempts: you may sit the test 7 times within 3 years, and an eighth attempt is allowed three years after your first test.
• Restricted registration: ETEC may limit registration in some periods to people who have never registered for the test before, so if you are retaking it, registration may not be open to you at some sittings.