How to Prepare for Qudurat (GAT): A Study Plan by Weeks Remaining

Last verified: 1 November 2026. Our sources are the General Aptitude Test page on the Education and Training Evaluation Commission (ETEC) website and the test's official guide; check them before you register. This guide is independent: it is not affiliated with ETEC, Qiyas (the National Center for Assessment) or any government body.

In short: the test is 120 questions in 2 hours 5 minutes, in five sections of 24 questions each, with no calculator. Start by measuring your level now, spend the weeks you have on the question types with the biggest weights, and finish with full timed mocks.

Know what you face

• Time: 125 minutes for 120 questions, about a minute per question. One 24-question section averages about 25 minutes.
• Every section is timed: on the computer-based test you cannot go back to an earlier section once you move on. Do not leave a question blank thinking you will return to it.
• No calculator: ETEC bans it and bans bringing it into the room, so practise arithmetic by hand and in your head from day one.
• No pass or fail: your score shows where you stand among test takers. Each university decides how much Qudurat counts in its weighted score, so find the figure for the major you want and make it your target.

Where the marks are: question-type weights

The question types are the same in both versions, but the weights differ. The scientific test is for the General, Health and Life Sciences, and Computer Science and Engineering tracks; the theoretical test is for the Sharia and Business Administration tracks. Know your version and order your time by the weights.

Adding them up: verbal is 55% and quantitative 45% on the scientific test, and verbal is 75% and quantitative 25% on the theoretical test. A theoretical-track student earns more from verbal than from quantitative, and a scientific-track student cannot skip arithmetic.

Day one: measure your level

Take the free questions: 10 questions covering the main question types, with every option explained. At the end you see your score today and your weakest part, so you know where to start. No sign-up needed.

The plan by weeks remaining

6 weeks before the test

1. Week 1: after the free questions, take a full mock exam on day 2, timed, with no phone and no calculator. Your score is the baseline. Then start with your weakest type.
2. Weeks 2 and 3: the heaviest types for your version: arithmetic, reading comprehension and verbal analogy on the scientific test; reading comprehension, verbal analogy and arithmetic on the theoretical test. A new type every 3 or 4 days, 30 to 40 questions a day.
3. Week 4: the lighter types (sentence completion, contextual error, geometry, algebra, data interpretation). Their weight is smaller, but each question counts the same.
4. Week 5: 24-question sections in about 25 minutes, mixing the types, and redo every question you got wrong from the mistakes list two days later.
5. Week 6: two full mock exams, with a day between them spent only on your mistakes.

4 weeks before the test

1. Week 1: a full mock exam on day 2, then your two weakest types, 40 questions a day.
2. Week 2: the rest of the heaviest types for your version, then one timed section at the end of the week.
3. Week 3: timed sections that mix the types, a return to the types you still miss, and a second full mock exam at the end.
4. Week 4: two full timed mock exams, with mistake review between them.

2 weeks before the test

1. Days 1 and 2: the free questions, then a full timed mock exam.
2. Days 3 to 10: the three types that are heaviest for your version and weakest in your result, 40 to 50 questions a day, reviewing each day's mistakes the same day.
3. Days 11 to 14: two full timed mock exams, with a day between them for mistakes only.

The last week

• One full mock exam early in the week, then review your mistakes and the question types you keep getting wrong.
• Do not start a new type. Do one timed section in the last days to keep your rhythm.
• Check your date and centre in your profile on the e-services portal, and that your ID is an original, valid card: national ID, iqama for non-Saudis, a paper passport or a Saudi driving licence. Work ID cards and university cards are not accepted.
• Sleep well the night before.

Choose your date

• Paper: 10 to 14 December 2026, with late registration open from 1 November. You can delete or change the booking up to 72 hours before, and results come about a month later.
• Computer-based: available all year in 2026, so you choose the date and centre yourself, with changes allowed up to 48 hours before, and results come 3 to 5 working days later.
• Fee: SAR 100 for early paper registration, SAR 150 for late paper registration or the computer-based test, SAR 200 outside Saudi Arabia.
• Attempts: you have five attempts, and a result is valid for five years from the test date. Book your first attempt so that a second one remains before the last date you need the score.

Count the weeks from today to your date and pick the matching plan above. With more than 6 weeks left, use the first plan and stretch weeks 2 and 3 over more types.

How to spend time inside the test

• A minute a question: 125 minutes for 120 questions. If a question takes more than two minutes, pick the most reasonable answer and move on.
• No going back: each section is timed and cannot be revisited, so do not leave a question blank before the section's time is up.
• Start with the easy ones in a section: finish what you know first and then return to what needs thought, but only within the same section.
• Train the rhythm: in every full mock exam keep to the section time (about 25 minutes for 24 questions); that is what differs from untimed practice.

Where time usually goes

• Verbal analogy: state the relation between the two words in one sentence before you look at the options, then test each option against the same sentence.
• Reading comprehension: read the question before the passage, then look for the sentence it asks about instead of reading the passage twice.
• Arithmetic: ratio, speed and fraction problems are faster if you simplify before multiplying, or estimate and compare the options. With no calculator, drill your times tables and common fractions.
• Geometry: draw the figure on your paper and mark the givens on it before any equation.
• Data interpretation: read the chart title and axis unit first; many mistakes come from a unit that was ignored.

This plan is our suggestion for organising your time and does not guarantee a score; your mock exam results are an estimate of readiness, not an official result.

Start today with the free questions: 10 questions that show your score today and your weakest part, then build your plan on them.