Registering for the Scientific Tahsili: Steps, Fees, Dates and Language

Last verified: 1 November 2026. Fees, dates and rules can change, so confirm them on the Scientific Achievement Test page on the Education and Training Evaluation Commission (ETEC) website before you pay. This guide is independent: it is not affiliated with ETEC, Qiyas (the National Center for Assessment) or any government body, and it cannot register you.

Key facts

Who can register?

ETEC targets Grade 12 students and graduates of the science tracks or their equivalent (the General track, Health and Life Sciences, and Computer Science and Engineering), plus anyone applying to a body that requires the test. ETEC's guide sets one condition: you must be in Grade 12 or hold the general secondary certificate.

How to register

1. Go to ETEC's e-services portal and open your beneficiary profile (ملف المستفيد), or create an account if you do not have one. Check that the mobile number in your profile is correct, because your result is sent to it by text message.
2. Choose the period and centre from what the portal offers. Register only for a period you can attend, since ETEC requires you to sit the test on the date you booked.
3. Pick the test language: Arabic or English. The whole test will be in the language you choose, so you cannot switch between the two during the test.
4. Pay the fee (see "Fee" below). After payment you can delete or change your booking up to 72 hours before the paper test.
5. Sit the test with your original proof of identity, and know your seat number for the paper test (see "Test day" below).

We have not used the portal ourselves because it needs a login, so button names may differ slightly from what is described here.

Choosing the language: Arabic or English?

ETEC offers the test in two languages and asks you to pick your preferred one when you register. The choice binds you for that sitting: according to ETEC's page the test is "only in the language the student chooses". Choose the language you studied biology, chemistry, physics and maths in and remember the terms in. Someone who studied sciences in English at a university or an international school may feel more comfortable in the English version, while a student who followed the Ministry of Education's Arabic curriculum will usually be better off with Arabic.

On this site every question is available in both languages, so you can try the free questions in each language before you decide.

Fee

The paper test inside Saudi Arabia costs SAR 100 for early registration and SAR 150 for late registration. Outside Saudi Arabia it costs SAR 200. Late registration starts on a date ETEC sets for each period (see the dates table), so registering early saves you SAR 50.

Dates

The two 2026 periods

2027 dates

The test is expected in two periods in May and June 2027, like the 2026 periods, with registration opening about three months earlier. Watch ETEC's page and your beneficiary profile for the dates once they are announced.

When you choose a period, remember that paper results take about a month and that you have only two attempts in each stage. Pick the period in which you will be ready, and do not book the first period hoping to make up for it in the second.

Changing or deleting your booking

Once you have paid, you can delete or change your booking up to 72 hours before the paper test. If you need a different period or centre, do it early.

Paper and computer-based tests

According to ETEC's guide the test is held on paper and on computer. The paper test runs in the periods above. Inside Saudi Arabia the computer-based test is a single exceptional attempt for someone who could not sit the paper test for an accepted reason; outside Saudi Arabia the same four attempts apply. If you are preparing from inside Saudi Arabia, prepare for the paper test.

Test day: proof of identity

ETEC requires your ID to be:

• The original, not a copy.
• A plastic card.
• Valid (not expired).
• With a clear personal photo.

You can enter with any of these documents:

• National ID card.
• Resident ID card (iqama) for non-Saudis.
• Your own paper passport.
• Saudi driving licence.

Cards that are not accepted include work ID cards and university student cards.

There are no breaks during the test. At computer-based centres each section has its own time limit, and once you move to a later section you cannot go back. Follow the national dress code set out in the public decency regulation at test centres.

Results, validity and number of attempts

• When results come out: paper tests about a month after the test, computer-based tests 3 to 5 working days. Your result is sent by text message to the mobile number in your profile, and you can also look it up on ETEC's website.
• Sent to universities: ETEC sends results electronically to universities, colleges and any body that requires the test, so you are not asked to submit a paper certificate.
• Result validity: five calendar years from the test date.
• Attempts: two in Grade 12 and two in the first year after graduating, which is four attempts within three years. You may not sit the test more than once in the same period; if you do, the first result counts and the second is cancelled.

How to read your score

Tahsili has no pass or fail. You receive a score that carries a weight with the body you apply to, and what matters is where you stand among test takers. ETEC also warns against comparing your Tahsili score with your secondary school grade, because each has its own scale.

Each university or college decides how much Tahsili counts in its weighted score, so check the admission requirements of the programme you want.

Before you register: know your level

Attempts are limited, so it is better not to spend one without knowing where you stand. Try the free questions: 10 questions with no sign-up, after which you see what you would score if you sat the test today and your weakest subject among biology, chemistry, physics and maths. Then practise by subject with every option explained.