EPT English Placement Test: Parts, Weights and Question Types

Last verified: 1 November 2026. Our source is Qiyas centre page on the Education and Training Evaluation Commission (ETEC) website and the archived older version of the test page. 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: the EPT has three parts: Listening 25%, Reading 25% and Structure 50%. The questions are in English, all four-option multiple choice. The full mock exam here is 80 questions in 90 minutes with the same weights.

The parts and their weights

Half of your score comes from Structure, so that is where you start. Calculators are not allowed. This is a placement test: your score is not a pass or a fail, it decides whether you are exempted from foundation English courses or placed in them.

Part 1: Listening Comprehension (25%)

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

• Gist and purpose
• Details and numbers: time, place, price and order
• Inference and what happens next
• Everyday expressions in context

Example (written by us): you hear a student tell the library clerk, "I'm afraid I've lost the book I borrowed last week." Then the question:

Why is the student talking to the librarian?
A. To return a book   B. To report a lost book   C. To borrow a new book   D. To pay a late fee

The answer is B. "I've lost" states the purpose directly. The rule: for purpose questions, listen closely to the first two sentences, because that is where speakers say why they are talking.

Part 2: Reading Comprehension (25%)

Short reading passages followed by questions. The topics:

• Main idea and best title
• Vocabulary in context
• Stated details
• Inference and author's purpose
• Pronoun reference

Example (written by us): after a passage that says, "Many cities now plant trees along busy roads. They give shade and they also reduce noise."

What does "They" in the second sentence refer to?
A. Cities   B. Trees   C. Roads   D. Drivers

The answer is B. It points back to the nearest plural noun that can be the subject of both give and reduce, which is trees. Cities do not give shade in this sentence.

Part 3: Structure (50%)

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

• Verb tenses
• Modals and conditionals
• Passive voice and verb patterns
• Nouns, pronouns and agreement
• Adjectives, adverbs and comparison
• Prepositions, connectors and relative clauses
• Vocabulary and word forms
• Error spotting and word order
• Punctuation, spelling and sentence order

A grammar question (written by us):

She ______ in Riyadh since 2019.
A. lives   B. lived   C. has lived   D. is living

The answer is C. Since with a starting point in the past needs the present perfect.

An error-spotting question (written by us): which part of the sentence is wrong?

The students (A) who (B) is studying in the library (C) are preparing (D) for the exam.

The answer is B. The subject of the relative clause is students, which is plural, so the verb should be are studying. This type rewards finding the real subject before you read the verb.

An older version that still circulates: no listening

You will find online an older split: 80 questions for structure (40), reading (20) and compositional analysis (20), with no listening. ETEC's current page adds listening at 25% and makes Structure 50%. In practice you need to train your listening too, and compositional analysis questions now sit inside Structure. We build our questions and mock exams on the current weights.

EPT and STEP compared

On the EPT a quarter of the test is listening and half is structure, and you get five attempts in three years. If you need STEP as well, it has its own guide.

What score do you need?

There is no single pass mark. Each university or programme sets its own minimum. For example, the Prince Sultan University admissions flyer asks for at least 50% on the EPT, and applicants below that are placed in its intensive English course. That is one university's rule, so ask the body you are applying to for your number.

Start here

Take 10 free questions with 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.