PGAT
Post-Graduate General Aptitude Test (PGAT)
Every university and employer sets its own minimum PGAT score, so every extra point counts. We've handpicked 1024 questions covering most topics on the latest syllabus, to help you push for a top score before test day!
Try 10 free questions and see your levelTake a full mock exam and check your level
- 1024 questions in the bank
- 120 questions in 125 min per mock
- 69 flashcards
Past exam questions with every option explained
If your exam were today, would you pass?
Try 10 free questions without signing up. Get your score and find your weak areas as soon as you finish.
اختر الزوج الذي تشبه علاقته العلاقة بين الكلمتين في صدر السؤال: أصنام : أوثان
All 10 free questions with answers and an explanation for every option
What you get
- 1024questions in the bankPractise with the answer shown right away, or sit a full timed mock
- 5unitsSplit by the exam syllabus
- 69flashcardsTo lock in terms and definitions
- 88quick review pointsEach unit in a few key lines
Unit map
- 01Verbal24 questions
- 02Quantitative24 questions
- 03Critical thinking24 questions
- 04Figures24 questions
- 05Logic24 questions
Exam facts
Post-Graduate General Aptitude Test (PGAT) — Number of questions: 120 questions. Exam time: 125 minutes. Pass mark: No single pass mark; each university or body sets its own minimum score. Calculator: Not allowed. Exam fee: SAR 200. Source: Education and Training Evaluation Commission (ETEC) (Last verified: 2026-10-18). Question bank: full mock exams of 120 questions in 125 minutes, like the real test with a result for every unit, plus 1024 explained questions across 5 units, every option explained, a review of your mistakes, and two ways to practise: see the answer right away, or sit a full timed mock. Free questions: a 10-question diagnostic test covering the main units, no sign-up; at the end you get your score and your weakest units.
- Exam code
- PGAT
- Exam language
- Arabic
- Number of questions
- 120 questions Source
- Exam time
- 125 minutes Source
- Pass mark
- No single pass mark; each university or body sets its own minimum score Source
- Calculator
- Not allowed Source
- Exam fee
- SAR 200 Source
- Registration
- Computer-based and available all year in 2026; you pick the date and centre when you register Source Last verified: 2026-10-29
- Results
- 3 to 5 working days after the test Source Last verified: 2026-10-29
- Retakes
- Five times, and a sixth time three years after your first test Source
- Validity
- Five years from the test date Source Last verified: 2026-10-29
Last verified: 2026-10-18
PGAT or the high-school Qudurat test?
Both tests have 120 questions in 2 hours 5 minutes. They differ in who sits them and in the sections: the PGAT adds critical thinking, logic and figures to verbal and quantitative.
| PGAT | High-school Qudurat | |
|---|---|---|
| Who sits it | University graduates and final-year students | Secondary students and graduates applying to university |
| Sections | Verbal, quantitative, critical thinking, logic and figures | Verbal and quantitative |
| Questions and time | 120 questions in 125 minutes | 120 questions in 125 minutes |
Source: PGAT · High-school Qudurat Last verified: 2026-11-01
How to register
- Go to ETEC's e-services portal (e-services.etec.gov.sa) and open your beneficiary profile, or create an account if you do not have one.
- Choose the Post-Graduate General Aptitude Test and a suitable date and centre; the test is computer-based only and available all year in 2026.
- Pay the fee: SAR 200 inside and outside Saudi Arabia. After paying you can delete or change the booking up to 48 hours before the test.
- On test day bring an original, valid, plastic ID card with a clear photo: national ID, iqama for non-Saudis, a paper passport or a Saudi driving licence. Work ID cards and university student cards are not accepted.
- Results are released 3 to 5 working days after the test and are valid for five years from the test date. You may sit the test 5 times, and a sixth time three years after your first test.
Exam body
Education and Training Evaluation Commission (ETEC): Official website: Education and Training Evaluation Commission (ETEC)
Study guides
- PGAT Content: The Five Components, Question Types and How to Approach Them
- Registering for the PGAT: Steps, Fee, Dates and ID
- Who Needs the PGAT? Postgraduate Admission and How Your Score Is Used
- How to Prepare for the PGAT: A Study Plan by Days Remaining
- How to Solve PGAT Verbal Analogies: A Worked Example
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are there in the PGAT and how long is it?
120 multiple-choice questions in 2 hours 5 minutes, and ETEC's page says each section has 24 questions. The test is computer-based only and in Arabic only, and calculators are not allowed.
Can I try PGAT questions for free?
Yes. Free questions: a 10-question diagnostic test covering the main units, no sign-up; at the end you get your score and your weakest units. The free practice test page lists the same questions with answers and an explanation for every option. The rest of the questions and the full mock exams come with a pass from SAR 26.
What makes this PGAT question bank different?
Question bank: full mock exams of 120 questions in 125 minutes, like the real test with a result for every unit, plus 1024 explained questions across 5 units, every option explained, a review of your mistakes, and two ways to practise: see the answer right away, or sit a full timed mock. Every question is reviewed and referenced, ready to practise on your phone. Try the free questions and read the explanations before buying full access.
What does the PGAT cover?
Five components according to ETEC's page: verbal (semantic relations, language structure, comprehension), quantitative (arithmetic, geometry, data analysis), critical thinking (checking assumptions and ideas, making judgments), logic (valid reasoning) and figures (spatial visualisation and relations between shapes). Each component has 24 questions, 20% of the test.
How is the PGAT different from the high-school Qudurat test?
The PGAT is a separate test for graduates and final-year university students. Besides verbal and quantitative questions it has critical thinking, logic and figures components that the high-school test does not have, with 120 questions in 2 hours 5 minutes.
What is the pass mark for the PGAT?
There is no single pass mark. Each university or body sets its own minimum; for example, King Saud University's graduate studies deanship requires at least 70, and some departments may require more. Check the requirements of the programme you are applying to.
How many times can I sit the test, and how long is the result valid?
You may sit the test five times, and a sixth time three years after your first test. The result is valid for five years from the test date and is released 3 to 5 working days after the test.
When can I take the PGAT?
According to ETEC's page, the computer-based test is available all year in 2026 for men and women; you choose the date and centre when you register in your beneficiary profile.
Is my mock exam score an official result?
No. Scores on this site are for practice only and are not an official result. This site is independent and is not affiliated with ETEC, Qiyas or any government body. They do show where you'd stand if the test were today: the full mock exam has the real question count and time, and your score is split by part of the exam so you can see where you lose points.
Is this an official site, and how do I pay?
It is an independent site, not part of Qiyas or any government body, and every question is reviewed before it is published. You pay once, with no automatic renewal, through Waffo Pancake (the merchant of record) by Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay or Google Pay, and your statement shows "WAFFO". If you were charged twice or the pass did not open, email support@saudiexams.com.
Study material sample: Verbal
Summary
The Verbal section of the Post-Graduate General Aptitude Test measures three abilities listed on the ETEC website: semantic relations, linguistic structures and comprehension. The website says each section has 24 questions, so expect about 24 verbal questions out of the 120 in a computer-based, Arabic-only test lasting two hours and five minutes; every question is multiple choice with four options. This unit covers four question types: verbal analogy (recognising the relation between two words and matching it to a similar pair), sentence completion (choosing what completes a short gapped text into a meaningful sentence), contextual error (spotting the one word that does not fit the overall meaning of the sentence; the error is never spelling or grammar), and reading comprehension (understanding and analysing a passage and answering questions about its content). The key to all four is the same: read the context and pin down the relation between meanings, rather than memorising rare vocabulary. (Definitions from the PGAT booklet, National Center for Assessment, 2017, p. 5)
What the exam focuses on
- Verbal analogy: put the relation between the two stem words into a short, specific sentence (e.g. a clock is an instrument for measuring time), then test that same sentence on each option in the same order.
- Verbal analogy: if the relation fits more than one option, narrow it with an extra condition such as degree of intensity (jog : run), necessary association (fish : water) or function (practical versus decorative).
- Sentence completion: work out the direction of meaning from the connectives before reading the options; contrast words (but, rather, despite) call for an opposing idea, while result and reason words (so, because) call for a consistent one.
Show 5 more
- Two-blank completions: settle the blank you are surest of first, eliminate every option that does not fit it, then reread the whole sentence with your chosen option.
- Contextual error: the error is about meaning, never spelling or grammar. Look for the word that reverses the sense, most often a word placed where its opposite belongs, and check by substituting the opposite: if the sentence then makes sense, you have found the error.
- Contextual error: split the sentence into its meaning units and ask whether they agree; cause-and-effect links (scarcity raises prices, not lowers them) and contrast phrases (even so) expose the misfit word.
- Reading comprehension: answer from the passage alone, not from prior knowledge, and go back to the relevant lines before committing; the phrase «the passage mentions» means stated explicitly.
- Reading comprehension: expect recurring question types: main idea and title, explicit detail, inference, word meaning in context, pronoun reference, the relation between two phrases (emphasis, opposition, general and specific), and literal versus figurative meaning.
Common traps
- The same-topic trap: an option from the same subject area as the stem words does not share the same relation; what matters is the type of link between the words, not their meaning.
- Ignoring word order: «ink : pen» is not the same as «pen : ink»; if the relation fits an option only in reverse, that option is wrong.
- Confusing synonyms with degree: «happiness : delight» are synonyms, whereas «jog : run» share a field but the second is more intense; one cannot stand in for the other.
Show 5 more
- Hunting for a spelling or grammar mistake in contextual-error questions: the sentence is grammatically sound, and the target word is correct Arabic in itself but contradicts the overall meaning.
- Picking what is true in reality rather than in the passage: many options are factually true statements the passage never makes, and they are the most common reading trap.
- Settling for the dictionary meaning: the question asks for the meaning in context, as with «al-mutarjimūn», which in a passage about a scholar's life means biographers, not translators.
- Choosing an option broader than required: meaning and relation questions often include a wider term than intended (historians instead of biographers); the right answer is the one that fits the context most precisely.
- Missing negation and exception words in the question, such as «which is NOT among them» or «which the passage does NOT support», and choosing a statement the passage does contain when the opposite is required.
Try the flashcards
Tap a card to see the answer
What are the four verbal question types?
Verbal analogy, sentence completion, contextual error and reading comprehension.
How many verbal questions should you expect?
About 24; the ETEC website says each section has 24 questions out of 120.
What is the first step in an analogy question?
State the relation between the stem words as a short, specific sentence, then apply it to each option in the same order.
What is the relation in «jog : run»?
Gradation: same field, the second more intense; a matching pair is «inclination : infatuation».
Why does «fish : water» match «planet : space» but «medicine : pharmacy» does not?
The relation is necessary place: fish live only in water, whereas medicine can be found outside a pharmacy.
What do «but» or «despite» signal in sentence completion?
Contrast: what follows carries a meaning opposite to what precedes.
Where do you start in a two-blank sentence?
With the clearer blank: settle it, eliminate options that do not fit, then check the second blank.
Is a contextual error a spelling or grammar mistake?
No; it is a linguistically correct word whose meaning clashes with the sentence's overall sense.
Why you can trust these questions
- Published questions: 1024. We reviewed every one before publishing it: the answer, the explanation of each option and the source.
- Exam facts last checked against the organiser’s website: 2026-10-18. We check them again every three months and two weeks before each test.
- Found a mistake? Tap "Report an error" under any question in the practice area, or email us at support@saudiexams.com
- Independent website. Not affiliated with ETEC (Qiyas), the Financial Academy or any government body.
Update log
- 2026-11-01 Added a comparison of the PGAT and the high-school Qudurat test: who sits each one, its sections, and its questions and time.
- 2026-10-31 Free diagnostic test: 10 questions covering every unit, with every option explained and your weakest units shown.
- 2026-10-29 Rechecked ETEC's page: results in 3 to 5 working days, valid for five years, test available all year.