Cognitive Ability Test Day: Arrival, Hall Rules, Results, Objections and Retakes

Information last checked: 20 October 2026. Instructions and fees may change, so check the Cognitive Ability Test page on the Education and Training Evaluation Commission (ETEC) website and any messages ETEC sends you before your test. This is an independent guide, not affiliated with ETEC, the National Center for Assessment (Qiyas) or any government body.

This page is about test day and what comes after: what to bring, when to arrive, what happens in the hall, where your result appears, how to object to it and when you can sit the test again. Accepted ID in detail, fees and dates are in the registration guide.

Where do these instructions come from?

Bring an original accepted ID, know your seat number for the paper test, and do not bring a calculator. ETEC publishes detailed rules under the heading "Test instructions at test centres" on the General Aptitude Test (Qudurat) page; they cover Qiyas paper and computer-based centres, and we summarise them below. Inside the centre, the hall supervisor has the final word.

Before test day

• Know the centre and the time: according to the test-centre instructions, check your Qiyas profile before test day for your test date, the centre location and the start time, and work out how long you need to get there.
• Seat number for paper tests: the Cognitive Ability page asks you to know your seat number for the paper test, and the test-centre instructions say a message with your seat number reaches you the day before.
• Last chance to change your booking: 72 hours before a paper test and 48 hours before a computer-based test, according to the Cognitive Ability page.
• Candidates with disabilities: ETEC offers a "Requests for persons with disabilities" service on the National Center for Assessment page to request assistance during tests, so apply early if you need it.

What to bring and what to leave

When should you arrive?

The test-centre instructions say: make sure you arrive half an hour before the test starts, and you will not be allowed into the centre after it starts. Another paragraph of the same instructions says you must arrive fifteen minutes before your appointment. Go with the safer figure and arrive at least half an hour early. Before you enter the hall, staff check that you are not carrying any device, and the paper-centre instructions mention matching your fingerprint with the National Information Center and taking your photo.

In the hall: paper test

• You sit in the seat given by your seat number and do not leave it without the invigilator's permission.
• The answer sheet is inside the question booklet: one page for your details and one for shading answers. Shade on the answer sheet, not in the booklet.
• You may use the booklet pages as scratch paper.
• Before the start the hall supervisor tells you the number of sections and the time for each, and there are no breaks.
• The instructions say the test takes 125 minutes and is preceded by about 20 minutes for filling in your details, so expect to be in the hall for about two and a half hours.

In the hall: computer-based test

• An instructions screen appears at the start; read it before you begin.
• There is an on-screen scratchpad for working, and you may use headphones to block out noise.
• Each section has its own time: you answer and review a section's questions only within its time, and once you move to the next section you cannot go back to an earlier one. The Cognitive Ability Test has 5 sections of 20 questions, so review your answers in a section before you leave it.
• The instructions ask you to make sure you have answered every question in every section before finishing.
• To call the invigilator, raise your hand without speaking; no questions about the test content will be answered.

Violations that stop the test and cancel the score

The test-centre instructions say these violations expose you to penalties, stop your test and cancel your score: impersonation, entering false details on the answer sheet, opening the booklet before permission, going back to an earlier section or ahead to a later one without permission, using a phone or any device, giving or receiving help, looking at a neighbour's paper, taking photos by any means, cheating, continuing to answer after time is up, and abusing members of the test committee.

Your result: where and when

• Where: ETEC offers an "Exam results inquiry" service through the Sadeed portal, and each result shows the test name, the score, the test format, the test date and a result reference number. Results also appear in your beneficiary profile on the e-services portal under "Results" (both services are on the National Center for Assessment page).
• When: watch your profile and ETEC's announcements after your test. For example, Ajel newspaper reported on 23 February 2026 that ETEC had set 25 February 2026 for the results of the computer-based test held from 1 to 12 February 2026.

How to read your score

• No pass or fail: ETEC says scores are a basis for comparing applicants, so your score is compared with those of others applying for the same job, and there is no number above which you "pass".
• Validity: the result is valid for five calendar years from the test date.

Objecting to your result

If you think the recorded score is wrong, the "Exam result objection requests" service on the National Center for Assessment page says:

• Deadline: no more than 60 days after the result appears.
• Fee: SAR 200 to re-mark one test, paper or computer-based, refunded if the score recorded in your file proves to be wrong.
• Steps: sign in to your beneficiary profile through the National Single Sign-On (Nafath), choose "Results", then the test name and "Search", then "Details" and "Object to result" at the bottom of the page, accept the re-marking terms, and pay by credit card or mada.
• Follow-up: track the request under "Objection request details" below your result; after re-marking, a report appears below the request status.

Re-marking checks that your score was recorded correctly; it does not help if you want a higher score than your performance earned. For that, there is the option of sitting the test again.

Retaking the test to raise your score

• Number of attempts: you may sit the test 7 times within 3 years, and an eighth time three years after your first test.
• Limit for repeat candidates: ETEC may restrict registration in some periods to people who have never registered before, so not every sitting may be open to you.
• Gap between attempts: in practice you wait for the next sitting. In 2026 there were five sittings (February, April on paper, July, September and December).
• Fee: the published fee is SAR 200 in the early period and SAR 250 in the late period.
• Before you retake: take a full mock exam in the practice area to see which ability needs work, follow the study plan for the time you have left, and start with the free practice test. All practice on this site is free once you sign in.