STEP English Test: Parts, Weights and Question Types

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: STEP has three parts: Reading Comprehension 40%, Structure 40% and Listening Comprehension 20%. The questions are in English, all four-option multiple choice. The full mock exam here is 100 questions in 125 minutes with the same weights.

The parts and their weights

The test has 100 scored questions and may include unscored pilot questions that do not count toward your score. Calculators are not allowed.

Part 1: Reading Comprehension (40%)

Short reading passages followed by questions. The topics measured:

• Main idea and best title
• Vocabulary in context
• Stated details, including NOT and EXCEPT questions
• Inference and author's purpose
• Pronoun reference
• Text organization and paragraphs

An example of the question type (written by us): after a passage about farming in the desert:

In line 3, the word "scarce" is closest in meaning to ______.
A. rare   B. heavy   C. clean   D. noisy

Go back to line 3 and read the sentence around the word. If it says water is in short supply, the answer is A. The rule: choose from the sentence, not from the word alone.

Part 2: Structure (40%)

Short grammar questions, plus the "compositional analysis" questions that now count under this part (error spotting, punctuation and sentence order). The topics:

• Verb tenses
• Conditionals and modals
• Passive voice and verb patterns (gerund and infinitive)
• Nouns, pronouns and subject-verb agreement
• Adjectives, adverbs and comparison
• Prepositions, connectors and relative clauses
• Error spotting and word order
• Punctuation, spelling and sentence order

Example (written by us):

If I ______ more time yesterday, I would have finished the report.
A. have   B. had   C. had had   D. would have

The answer is C. A past condition that did not happen (third conditional) needs had + past participle after if.

Part 3: Listening Comprehension (20%)

You hear conversations and short talks, then answer questions. The topics:

• Gist and purpose
• Details and numbers: time, place, price and order
• Inference and speakers' attitudes
• Meaning of phrases in context

Example (written by us): you hear a man tell a colleague, "I'd love to join, but I'm swamped until Thursday." Then the question:

What does the man mean?
A. He cannot come before Thursday.   B. He dislikes the idea.   C. He forgot about Thursday.   D. He wants to leave on Thursday.

The answer is A. "Swamped" means very busy, and "but" signals that the reply is a delay, not a refusal.

An older split that still circulates

You will find online that the test has four parts: Reading 40%, Structure 30%, Listening 20% and Compositional Analysis 10%. ETEC's current page lists three parts only, and the compositional analysis questions (error spotting, punctuation and sentence order) now count under Structure. That makes Reading and Structure 40% each, and we build our questions and mock exams on that.

What score do you need?

There is no single pass mark. Each university, program or employer sets the minimum it requires. The King Saud University graduate studies table, for example, treats STEP 83 as IELTS 6, 75 as 5.5 and 67 as 5. That is one university's table, so ask the body you are applying to for your number.

Start here

Take 10 free questions across all three parts, no sign-up, and see what you would score if you took the test today and which part is weakest. Then read the study plan and the registration steps.