English Placement Test (EPT)
Your EPT score decides whether you start your programme straight away or spend a term in foundation English courses. Practise 476 listening, reading and structure questions in the test's own proportions, and see your score before you book.
Try 10 free questions and see your levelTake a full mock exam
- 476 questions in the bank
- 80 questions in 90 min per mock
- 39 flashcards
Every option explained so you understand why
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.
By the time Lina graduates next summer, she ____ four years at university.
All 10 free questions with answers and an explanation for every option
What you get
- 476questions in the bankPractise with the answer shown right away, or sit a full timed mock
- 3unitsSplit by the exam syllabus
- 39flashcardsTo lock in terms and definitions
- 51quick review pointsEach unit in a few key lines
Unit map
- 01Listening Comprehension20 questions
- 02Reading Comprehension20 questions
- 03Structure40 questions
Exam facts
English Placement Test (EPT) — Number of questions: 80 questions. Exam time: 90 minutes. Pass mark: There is no single pass mark; each university or programme sets the score it requires. Calculator: Not allowed. Exam fee: SAR 100. Source: Education and Training Evaluation Commission (ETEC) (Last verified: 2026-11-01). Question bank: full mock exams of 80 questions in 90 minutes, like the real test with a result for every unit, plus 476 explained questions across 3 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 language
- English
- Number of questions
- 80 questions Source
- Exam time
- 90 minutes Source
- Pass mark
- There is no single pass mark; each university or programme sets the score it requires Source
- Calculator
- Not allowed Source
- Exam fee
- SAR 100 Source
- Registration
- The test is digital only and available throughout 2026, with registration open all year Source
- Results
- 3 to 5 working days after the test, in your beneficiary profile Source
- Retakes
- Five attempts within three years; a sixth attempt is allowed three years after your first test Source
Last verified: 2026-11-01
Where other sources differ
- An older split still circulates online: 80 questions for structure (40), reading (20) and compositional analysis (20), with no listening. ETEC's current page adds listening: Listening 25%, Reading 25% and Structure 50%, so prepare for the listening part too.
- EPT is not STEP: the fee is SAR 100 instead of 150, you get five attempts in three years, listening is a quarter of the test and structure is half. University English programmes use it to place students at the right level.
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 English Placement Test (EPT). It is digital only and available all year, so pick the city, test centre and time that suit you.
- Pay the SAR 100 test fee. You can delete or change the booking up to 48 hours before the test.
- Bring proof of identity on test day: a national ID for Saudis or an iqama for non-Saudis, a passport, or a Saudi driving licence. Calculators are not allowed.
- Your result appears in your beneficiary profile 3 to 5 working days later (Sunday to Thursday), ready to give to the university or programme that asked for it.
Exam body
Education and Training Evaluation Commission (ETEC): Official website: Education and Training Evaluation Commission (ETEC)
Study guides
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are on the EPT and how long is it?
The test has 80 multiple-choice questions with four options and lasts 90 minutes. With ETEC's weights that is 20 listening, 20 reading and 40 structure questions. The full mock exam on this site has 80 questions in 90 minutes with the same split.
Can I try EPT English 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 EPT English question bank different?
Question bank: full mock exams of 80 questions in 90 minutes, like the real test with a result for every unit, plus 476 explained questions across 3 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 are the parts of the EPT and what does each one test?
According to ETEC's page: Listening Comprehension 25% (short conversations and announcements followed by questions), Reading Comprehension 25% (main idea, details, vocabulary in context and inference) and Structure 50% (tenses, prepositions, pronouns, comparison and relative clauses, plus error spotting, word order and punctuation).
What EPT score do I need?
There is no single pass mark: each university or programme sets its own minimum, so check with the one you are applying to. For example, Prince Sultan University asks for at least 50% on the EPT for admission, and applicants below that are placed in its intensive English course.
What is the difference between EPT and STEP?
Both are ETEC tests in English, digital and available all year. EPT is a placement test: 80 questions in 90 minutes, half structure and a quarter listening, SAR 100 with five attempts in three years. STEP is a proficiency test that universities, scholarship programmes and employers ask for, and costs SAR 150 inside Saudi Arabia.
How much does the EPT cost and when do results come out?
The fee is SAR 100 and the test is digital and available all year. Results appear in your beneficiary profile 3 to 5 working days later, and you can change or delete the booking up to 48 hours before the test.
How do I practise the listening section here?
Every listening question has an audio recording you play on the same page, on a phone or a computer, then answer. After you answer, the full transcript appears with every option explained, so you can see the sentence you missed.
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 test's question count, time and part weights, and your score is split across the three parts 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: Listening Comprehension
Summary
The Listening part is 20 of the 80 questions on the EPT, 25% of the score. You hear short conversations and announcements in English, then answer four-option multiple-choice questions. The questions cover gist and the speaker's purpose, details and numbers, inference and what happens next, and everyday expressions in context. The quickest method: read the question and options before the audio so you know what to listen for, note numbers and names as you hear them, and do not stop on a word you missed, because the answer is often in a later sentence. On this site you play the recording on the page itself, and after you answer you see the transcript with every option explained, so you can find the sentence you missed.
What the exam focuses on
- Gist: the first thing to catch is the topic and why the person is speaking; the answer usually comes in the opening sentences.
- Details and numbers: time, date, price and place. Write them down as you listen instead of trusting memory.
- Self-correction inside a dialogue: a speaker gives a number and then changes it (actually…, sorry…). The last number is the answer.
Show 5 more
- The relationship between speakers: clerk and customer, student and professor, doctor and patient. You work it out from the vocabulary and tone.
- Place: words such as boarding pass, menu or syllabus reveal the setting without naming it.
- Inference and what happens next: focus on the last thing said (I'll call him now), because it decides the next action.
- Everyday expressions: the meaning follows the context, not the word-for-word translation, as in Could you give me a hand?
- Tone of voice: sarcasm, hesitation and enthusiasm change the meaning, so listen to how a sentence is said, not only what is said.
Common traps
- An option that repeats a word you heard but describes something else. Matching sounds does not mean matching meaning.
- Numbers that sound alike: thirteen and thirty. Listen for the stress: thirTEEN versus THIRty.
- The first number before a correction: 5 is mentioned, then the speaker says "sorry, 6". Whoever picked 5 fell into the trap.
Show 5 more
- An option about the other speaker. The question names who it is about (the woman, the man), so check this before playing.
- Mixing up what has happened and what will happen: "I already booked it" is not a future plan, but "I'll book it" is.
- An option that sounds logical in real life but is never said. The question is about the recording, not your own expectation.
- Stopping on a hard word and losing the next sentence. Let the word go and keep listening; the idea comes from the whole sentence.
- A hidden negative: hardly, barely and never reverse the meaning, and "I couldn't agree more" means he fully agrees.
Try the flashcards
Tap a card to see the answer
What is the first step before playing a listening recording?
Read the question and options so you know what to expect: a number, a reason or a place.
How do you tell thirteen from thirty?
thirteen is stressed on the last syllable (thirTEEN) and thirty on the first (THIRty).
What do you do if the speaker corrects a number?
Take the last one: Monday… no, sorry, Tuesday → Tuesday.
Which turning words come before the key information?
but, however, actually and unfortunately.
What does I'm all ears mean?
I'm listening closely, go ahead.
What does It's up to you mean?
The decision is yours.
What does Could you give me a hand? mean?
Can you help me?
How do you know a conversation is in an airport?
Words such as boarding pass, gate, luggage and departure.
Why you can trust these questions
- Published questions: 476. 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: 2026-11-01. 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 Published the exam facts from ETEC's page: the three parts and their weights, the fee, the number of attempts and when results come out.