Who Needs the Cognitive Ability Test? Target Jobs and How Your Score Is Used
Who sits the Cognitive Ability Test (administrative jobs on the general scale, for appointment or promotion, except health and education jobs), which bodies use it, why there is no pass mark and how the score is used to compare applicants, preparation tips and how this site helps.
- Next test
- 6 – 10 December 2026 Add the date to your calendar
- Questions and time
- 100 questions · 125 minutes
- Pass mark
- No pass mark; scores are used to compare applicants
- Exam fee
- SAR 200 (early registration), SAR 250 (late registration)
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Try 10 free questions and see your levelLast verified: 18 October 2026. Conditions can change, so check the Cognitive Ability Test page on the Education and Training Evaluation Commission (ETEC) website and the advert for the job you are applying for before you decide. This site is independent and is not affiliated with ETEC, Qiyas (the National Center for Assessment) or any government body.
The Cognitive Ability Test is run by Qiyas, ETEC's National Center for Assessment, and employers use the result to compare applicants for administrative jobs. This guide explains who sits the test, how the score is used and how to prepare.
Who takes this test?
According to ETEC's page, the test is for applicants to administrative jobs, whether for appointment or for comparison in promotions, on the general scale of the Saudi human resources system. Health and education jobs are excluded.
The bodies that use the test, as ETEC lists them:
- Ministries.
- Authorities.
- Universities.
- Other bodies that require the test.
| Your situation | Does the test apply to you? |
|---|---|
| Applying for an administrative job on the general scale | Yes, this is the target group; check that the job advert requires it |
| Working in an administrative job on the general scale and facing a promotion comparison | Yes, ETEC mentions promotion comparisons explicitly |
| Applying for a health or education job | These jobs are excluded according to ETEC's page |
| Applying to an employer outside the groups above | The employer may require it; the job advert is the reference |
Is the test required for every administrative job?
ETEC lists "other bodies that require the test" among its users, which means it is up to the employer whether to require it. Read the job advert itself to find out: is the test required? Is a minimum score set? How much does the score count in the comparison?
Because the result is valid for five calendar years from the test date, it helps to sit the test before you start applying, so your score is ready when jobs are advertised.
There is no pass or fail
ETEC says scores in the Cognitive Ability Test do not mean pass or fail; they are a basis for comparing applicants. In practice:
- There is no line to clear and then stop: you are competing with other applicants for the same job, so every extra mark may lift your ranking.
- You can retake to raise your score: you may sit the test 7 times within 3 years, and an eighth attempt is allowed three years after your first test.
Why employers use this test
ETEC gives five aims for the test:
- To give a picture of how likely an employee is to succeed in their job duties.
- To identify applicants' strengths and weaknesses in the abilities tested.
- To see how well candidates can use their knowledge and experience to adapt to new situations.
- To encourage employees to keep developing their abilities during their careers.
- To provide a criterion for shortlisting when comparing candidates for appointment or promotion.
That is why the test does not ask about your field of study. It measures four general abilities: verbal (30%), quantitative (35%), reasoning (20%) and spatial (15%), in 100 questions over 2 hours 5 minutes, in Arabic only and without a calculator. The details are in the "Test content" guide.
How to prepare
- Start with quantitative: at 35% it is the largest ability, and all of it is done without a calculator, so practise percentages, fractions, speed and time, and number series.
- Then verbal: at 30% it leans heavily on formal Arabic vocabulary, which improves more with steady daily review than with cramming in the last few days.
- Do not skip reasoning and spatial: together they are about 35 questions, and their rules are limited and learnable: what follows from "all", "some" and "if… then", opposite faces of a cube, and the difference between a rotation and a mirror image.
- Train for the clock: about 75 seconds per question on average, so sit full 100-question tests in 2 hours 5 minutes.
- Register early: the fee is SAR 200 in the early period and SAR 250 in the late period; see the "Registration" guide.
How this site helps
- Free questions organised by the four abilities and their common question types, each with an explanation of why the answer is right and why the other options are wrong.
- Mock exams of 100 questions in 2 hours 5 minutes, following the four published ability weights.
- Short lessons for each ability with the key rules, common mistakes and flashcards for quick review.
The questions on this site are for practice and are not issued by ETEC, and your scores here are for practice only: they are not an official result, are not sent to anyone and do not count in any hiring decision. Your mock exam score does not predict your official score, but it does show you where you need more review. This site is independent and is not affiliated with ETEC, Qiyas or any government body, and it does not register you for the test.
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