STEP English Test Study Plan: 4 Weeks or 1 Week

Last verified: 31 October 2026. Our source is the STEP page on the Education and Training Evaluation Commission (ETEC) website. Fees and procedures can change, so confirm them on the site before you pay. This guide is independent: it is not affiliated with the Education and Training Evaluation Commission (ETEC), Qiyas (the National Center for Assessment) or any government body.

In short: start with 10 free questions to see what you would score if you took the test today and which part is weakest. Split your time by weight: Reading and Structure are 40% each, Listening 20%. Practise listening every day. Two days before the test, take a full timed mock exam.

Know what you are facing

• Format: 100 four-option multiple-choice questions, in English.
• Time: the full mock exam here is 125 minutes, about 75 seconds per question.
• Calculator: not allowed, and you will not need one.
• Your target: there is no single pass mark, so ask your university or employer for the minimum it requires. King Saud University's table, for example, treats STEP 83 as IELTS 6.

Where the questions go

Details of each part are in what the test covers and its weights.

Four-week plan

The plan assumes 60 to 90 minutes a day, and reviewing your mistakes the same day. Listening every day, 10 to 15 minutes, in all four weeks.

Week 1: find your starting point, then Structure

1. On day one take the 10 free questions: you will see what you would score today and which part is weakest.
2. Days 2 to 6: Structure, starting with tenses, conditionals and passive voice, one topic a day.
3. Day 7: go through the questions you got wrong in the mistakes notebook.

Week 2: Reading

1. Days 1 to 5: two or three passages a day. Start with main idea and vocabulary in context, then details and inference.
2. Read each passage with one question in mind: what is each paragraph about?
3. Days 6 and 7: pronoun reference and paragraph organization, then review your mistakes.

Week 3: Structure (part two) and Listening

1. Days 1 to 4: prepositions, connectors and relative clauses, then error spotting and word order.
2. Day 5: punctuation, spelling and sentence order.
3. Days 6 and 7: step up listening. Play each recording once only, then answer, and after answering read the transcript to see the sentence you missed.

Week 4: measure, then the weakest part

1. Day 1: a full timed mock exam (100 questions, 125 minutes), phone away. It needs paid access.
2. Day 2: review every mistake and see which part cost you the most.
3. Days 3 to 5: practise your two weakest parts from the result.
4. Two days before the test: a second full timed mock exam.
5. The day before: review the mock exam mistakes only, an hour at most, then sleep well.

One-week plan

If you have one week, weight is your guide: Reading and Structure are 80% together.

1. Day 1: the 10 free questions, and pick your weakest part. Listening for 15 minutes.
2. Days 2 and 3: Structure: tenses, conditionals, passive voice, prepositions. 40 questions a day. Listening for 15 minutes.
3. Days 4 and 5: Reading: passages back to back, main idea, vocabulary and inference. Listening for 15 minutes.
4. Day 6: a full timed mock exam, then review every mistake.
5. Day 7: only your weakest part from the result, and the mistakes notebook. No new topics.

If your test is only two days away: the free questions, then a full mock exam on day one, and review its mistakes on day two.

Using the site

• The 10 free questions show your level now, with every option explained.
• Practice by part in the practice area, with the mistakes notebook to redo what you got wrong.
• Listening questions with audio that you play on the same page, with the full transcript shown after you answer.
• The full timed mock exam with the same question count and weights.
• Switching between Arabic and English in the interface. The questions themselves stay in English, as on the test.

This plan is a suggestion for organizing your time and does not guarantee any result, and your mock exam score is not an official result. For booking see how to register, then start from practice by part.