How to Prepare for the Scientific Tahsili: A Study Plan by Weeks Remaining

Last verified: 1 November 2026. Our sources are the Scientific Standard Achievement Admission 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 110 questions in 5 sections of 22 questions each, in 125 minutes, split equally between biology, chemistry, physics and maths, with no calculator. Start with free questions that measure your level, begin with your weakest subject, and divide the weeks you have left among the four subjects.

Know what you face

• Questions and time: 110 multiple-choice questions in 125 minutes, about 68 seconds each. In this site's tests the questions are split as 28 biology, 28 chemistry, 27 physics and 27 maths.
• Four subjects, equal weight: biology 25%, chemistry 25%, physics 25% and maths 25%, from the general concepts in all three years of secondary school. One weak subject therefore costs you a quarter of your score.
• No calculator: ETEC bans it, so every calculation in chemistry, physics and maths is by hand and in your head. See mental maths training below.
• No pass or fail: the score is used to rank applicants, together with Qudurat and your school grades. Each university and college decides how much Tahsili counts, so ask what it weighs at the college you want.
• Language: you choose Arabic or English when you register and the whole test is in that language. Practise in the one you will sit; every question on the site is available in both.

Where your score places you

The table comes from ETEC's official guide. Pick a target score based on the college you want, make your first goal getting past 65, then raise it.

Start by measuring your level

Take the free Tahsili questions: 10 questions with every option explained, no sign-up. At the end you see the score you would get if you sat the test today and your weakest subject, which is where you start.

1. Rank the four subjects from weakest to strongest. If two are close, put first the one that needs more calculation (physics or maths), because speed there takes longer to build.
2. A day or two after the diagnostic, take a full mock exam of 110 questions in 125 minutes, with no phone and no calculator. Its four subject scores are the baseline you compare against each week.
3. After each test record: the score in each subject, how many questions you did not reach, and how many mistakes came from arithmetic. The last two tell you whether your problem is knowledge or speed.

The plan by weeks remaining

The 2027 dates have not been published yet and are expected in two periods, May and June, as in 2026 (13 to 17 May and 5 to 9 June). Count the weeks from the period you will book. In every plan: review mistakes the same day, then redo each question you got wrong from the mistakes list two or three days later.

8 weeks left

1. Week 1: the diagnostic, then a full mock exam. Start with your weakest subject: the unit summary, then its questions in the practice area.
2. Weeks 2 and 3: your two weakest subjects, 30 questions a day. Give each of them two days a week, and one day to the other two subjects together so you do not forget what you know.
3. Weeks 4 and 5: the two stronger subjects at the same pace, then a full mock exam at the end of week 5. Compare each subject with your baseline.
4. Weeks 6 and 7: study by your mistakes: open the mistakes list and do 40 questions a day from the units you keep missing, and do not open a new unit. A full mock exam every week.
5. Week 8: the last-week plan below.

4 weeks left

1. Week 1: the diagnostic, then a full mock exam. After it, your two weakest subjects, 40 questions a day.
2. Week 2: the other two subjects at the same pace. At the end, a full mock exam, compared with your baseline.
3. Week 3: the two weakest units in each subject according to the mock result, 50 questions a day under real timing.
4. Week 4: the last-week plan.

2 weeks left

1. Day 1: the diagnostic, then a full mock exam.
2. Days 2 to 7: only your two weakest subjects, 50 questions a day, and review that day's mistakes at the end of the day.
3. Days 8 to 10: the other two subjects at a faster pace, 30 questions a day, then a second full mock exam.
4. Days 11 to 14: the last-week plan.

1 week left

1. Two full timed mock exams, with a day between them spent only on your mistakes.
2. Do not start a new question type. Review the units you missed more than once and redo their questions.
3. Two days before the test: 20 light questions from each subject, and enough sleep. No full mock exam the last night.
4. Check your date and centre in your profile on the e-services portal, and that your ID is an original, valid plastic card with a clear photo (national ID, iqama, paper passport or Saudi driving licence; work ID and university cards are not accepted). You can delete or change the booking up to 72 hours before the test.

Splitting the 125 minutes

There are five sections of 22 questions and 125 minutes, so one section fits in about 25 minutes. Use that as a checkpoint while you take the mock exams:

Each question also has a rough limit by type:

• Direct-knowledge questions (a term, a definition, a structure, a law you know): 30 to 45 seconds. If you do not know it by then, two more minutes will not help.
• Calculation questions in physics, maths and chemistry: up to 90 seconds.
• Anything past two minutes: mark it, move on and come back after the easy ones.

Split your time like this: about 90 minutes for a first pass through all the questions, about 25 minutes for the ones you marked, and the last 10 minutes to check that every question has a recorded answer. If you are slow at arithmetic, practise finishing the first pass in 85 minutes in the mock exams, before you need it on test day.

Mental maths training without a calculator

Set aside 10 to 15 minutes a day before you study, with a timer, from week one. Start with twenty operations, time yourself and try to cut the time each week. These drills cover what comes up most in the arithmetic:

1. Multiplying and squaring: the times table up to 15 and the squares of 1 to 25. They appear in algebra, physics and mole calculations.
2. Fractions and percentages: memorise common fractions as percentages: 1/2, 1/4, 1/5, 1/8 (12.5%) and 1/3. Practise taking 10%, 5% and 25% of a number quickly.
3. Powers and scientific notation: multiply and divide powers of ten (10³ × 10^-5) and convert between scientific and ordinary form. They come up often in chemistry and physics.
4. Rounding: round to the nearest easy number (48 to 50), calculate, then compare with the options. Use the value given in the question for constants such as gravitational acceleration, not one you have memorised.
5. Roots: square roots of perfect squares up to 25, and estimating a root that lies between two squares.
6. Unit conversion: kilometre to metre, hour to second, centimetre to metre, litre to millilitre. Most arithmetic mistakes in physics and chemistry come from a unit that was not converted.
7. Trying the options: in an equation or unknown-value question, substitute the options instead of solving the long way, starting with the easiest one to substitute.

Add one habit: write your working on the scratch paper in a tidy line, because most mistakes in hand calculation come from a step that got lost, not from not knowing the formula.

Where time usually goes

• Biology: the questions test knowledge and reading diagrams. Read the diagram or table first, then the question, and do not spend time memorising details outside the syllabus.
• Chemistry: balance the equation before any calculation, and write down the molar masses you need in rounded numbers. Watch the units of concentration and volume.
• Physics: write down the givens and their units before the formula, and check that the unit of your answer matches what is asked. This catches many errors before you spend time calculating.
• Maths: rule out unreasonable options by sign or size, then substitute the rest. Review the mistakes that came from a copied sign.

Try the free questions now

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 10 free Tahsili questions, no sign-up, and see your score and your weakest subject.