Tahsili Scientific Content: The Four Subjects, Question Types and No Calculator

Last verified: 1 November 2026. Test details can change, so check the Standard Achievement Admission Test (Scientific) page on the Education and Training Evaluation Commission (ETEC) website before you start studying. This is an independent study guide and is not affiliated with ETEC, Qiyas (the National Center for Assessment) or any government body.

The Standard Achievement Admission Test, Scientific (SAAT; students call it «التحصيلي» or «التحصيلي العلمي», Tahsili) is run by Qiyas, ETEC's National Center for Assessment. ETEC describes it as a standardised objective test of specialised knowledge and skills in biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics, and universities and colleges use the result as part of admission. It is aimed at Grade 12 students and graduates of the science tracks: the General track, Health and Life Sciences, and Computer Science and Engineering.

Tahsili asks what you studied at school, while the General Aptitude Test (Qudurat) measures understanding and reasoning through language and maths. So preparing for Tahsili means preparing from the school curriculum itself.

Test format at a glance

Dividing the time by the questions gives about 68 seconds per question on average (125 minutes ÷ 110 questions). Some questions take seconds because they ask for one fact, and some are multi-step problems that take two minutes or more, so do not rely on the average for every question.

Sections and subjects

The test has 5 sections of 22 questions each. There are four subjects with equal weight: biology 25%, chemistry 25%, physics 25% and mathematics 25%. ETEC does not say that each subject has its own section, so do not assume a fixed order of subjects, and practise switching from one subject to another.

Because the weights are equal, a subject you are weak in costs you as many points as a strong subject earns you. ETEC does not publish unit weights inside a subject, so the safest plan is to cover the whole curriculum.

In the full mock exam on this site the 110 questions are split as 28 biology, 28 chemistry, 27 physics and 27 mathematics, because 25% of 110 is 27.5.

What your score means

ETEC says a Tahsili score does not mean pass or fail; what matters is where you stand among all test takers. This is the table in its guide:

Each university and college decides how much Tahsili counts in its weighted score, so find the requirements of the programme you want and compare them with this table. Do not compare your Tahsili score with your high-school grade; each has its own scale.

What the questions are like

ETEC says the questions vary in the thinking they require: some ask for understanding, some for application and some for inference. The sample questions in its guide show these patterns:

• Direct fact questions: a short sentence and four options, such as linking a dietary deficiency to a disease, or naming the enzyme that digests a given nutrient. If you know the concept you answer in seconds.
• Application to a situation: the relationship between two organisms, why a bottle full of water cracks in the freezer, or the speed of a thrown object at its highest point.
• Problems with simple numbers: substitute into a formula, then an easy division or multiplication, such as a temperature rise or the mass of an element in a compound.
• Figure or diagram questions: two plants in a garden, connected vessels of water, a parabola; you read the figure and link it to the concept.
• Elimination questions: «which of the following is NOT correct?» so you check all four options.

Biology and ecology: what to review

ETEC tests the general concepts in the biology and ecology curriculum of all three years. The question bank on this site is organised around these units:

• Classification and diversity of living things: the kingdoms and their features, the invertebrate phyla (sponges, cnidarians, annelid worms, molluscs, arthropods and others) with the traits of each, and the vertebrate classes.
• The cell and cellular energy: organelles and their functions, movement across the membrane (diffusion, osmosis, active transport), photosynthesis and cellular respiration, and enzymes.
• Cell division, genetics and biotechnology: mitosis and meiosis, DNA structure and protein synthesis, Mendel's laws, Punnett squares and probabilities, mutations and genetic engineering.
• Human body systems: digestive, circulatory, respiratory, nervous, endocrine, immune, excretory, muscular and skeletal. Know each system's organs, their functions and the best-known disorders.
• Plants: structure, functions and reproduction: plant tissues, root, stem and leaf, transpiration and water transport, plant hormones and the reproduction of flowering plants.
• Ecology: food chains, food webs and energy pyramids, relationships between organisms (symbiosis, parasitism, predation and others), matter cycles, population growth and pollution.

How to study: biology relies on knowledge more than any other subject, so collect terms on flashcards and review them daily. In genetics, practise Punnett squares until you can work out a probability in a few lines. When a question comes with a figure, read its labels before the options.

Chemistry: what to review

• Matter, atoms and the periodic table: atomic number, mass number and isotopes, electron configuration and the periodic trends (atomic radius, ionisation energy, electronegativity).
• Bonds, compounds and naming: ionic, covalent and metallic bonds, Lewis structures, molecular shapes and polarity, naming common compounds and writing their formulas.
• Reactions and stoichiometry: balancing equations, the mole and molar mass, percent composition, the limiting reactant, and mole or volume ratios in a balanced equation.
• Gases, solutions and states of matter: the gas laws, molarity and dilution, solubility and changes of state.
• Energy, reaction rates and equilibrium: exothermic and endothermic reactions and enthalpy change, factors affecting rate, Le Chatelier's principle and the equilibrium constant.
• Acids, bases and redox: the Arrhenius, Brønsted-Lowry and Lewis definitions, pH, oxidation numbers, oxidising and reducing agents, and electrochemical cells.
• Organic chemistry: hydrocarbons (alkanes, alkenes, alkynes), functional groups (alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids, esters) and naming the basic compounds.

How to study: start with the periodic table and compound formulas, because every later unit uses them. Memorise the rounded atomic masses of common elements (H, C, N, O, Na, Cl) so you can do mole calculations on paper. Put the functional groups in one table and review it; they are a source of quick questions.

Physics: what to review

• Motion and forces: displacement, velocity and acceleration, motion graphs, free fall and projectiles, Newton's laws, friction, and the difference between mass and weight.
• Work, energy and momentum: work and power, kinetic and potential energy, conservation of energy, momentum and impulse, and collisions.
• Rotation and gravitation: angular velocity, torque and equilibrium, centripetal force, the law of universal gravitation and Kepler's laws.
• Fluids and heat: pressure, Pascal's law and Archimedes' principle, specific heat, heat transfer and thermal expansion, and the laws of thermodynamics.
• Waves, sound and light: wave properties (speed = frequency × wavelength), the speed of sound, resonance, reflection, refraction and total internal reflection, mirrors and lenses.
• Electricity and circuits: charge and Coulomb's law, electric field and potential, Ohm's law, series and parallel circuits, electrical power and the variable resistor.
• Magnetism and induction: the magnetic field, the force on a current-carrying wire and on a moving charge, electromagnetic induction, generators and transformers.
• Modern physics: the photoelectric effect and photon energy, atomic models, radioactive decay and half-life.

How to study: units cost the most points in physics, so write the unit next to every number. Memorise the basic formulas and know what each symbol means. For figure questions (connected vessels, circuits, a ray path), copy the figure onto your scratch paper and mark the given values before you calculate. Check which value of gravitational acceleration your textbook uses.

Mathematics: what to review

• Functions and algebra: domain and range, composite and inverse functions, exponential and logarithmic functions, polynomials, and the laws of exponents and radicals.
• Equations, inequalities and matrices: linear and quadratic equations and systems, inequalities and absolute value, matrices and determinants, and the equation of a line with its slope, parallels and perpendiculars.
• Trigonometry: degrees and radians, the unit circle, exact values for special angles, identities, and the laws of sines and cosines.
• Geometry, vectors and conics: coordinate geometry and the circle, conic sections and their elements (focus, directrix, latus rectum), vectors and the dot product, areas and volumes.
• Sequences and series: arithmetic and geometric, the general term and the sum, and the infinite geometric series.
• Statistics and probability: mean, median and standard deviation, simple, compound and conditional probability, permutations and combinations.
• Limits, derivatives and integrals: limits and how to find them, differentiation rules, tangents and applications, and definite and indefinite integrals.

How to study: master the basics first (exponents, radicals, factorising and solving equations), because they appear in every later unit. ETEC's samples sometimes ask for the «exact value» of a trigonometric ratio, so memorise the values for special angles without a calculator. When a problem gets long, go back to its numbers: ETEC says the questions use easy numbers.

What no calculator means

ETEC states that the questions use easy numbers, so calculators of any kind are not allowed, including a watch with a calculator. In the paper test you can use the question booklet as scratch paper, and in the computer-based test there is an electronic scratchpad. In practice:

• Calculation is part of studying: solve practice problems with pen and paper from day one, not with a calculator.
• Memorise what saves time: the multiplication table, squares up to about 15, powers of 2 and 10, common fractions with their percentages, approximate values of √2 and √3.
• Simplify before you calculate: cancel fractions, write large numbers as powers of ten, and estimate the result to rule out two of the four options.
• An ugly result is a warning: if you reach a messy root or fraction, recheck your substitution and units.

How to split 125 minutes

• Average: about 68 seconds per question. If the time is split evenly across the five sections, each gets about 25 minutes. The invigilator tells you the number of sections and the time of each before you start.
• Quick ones first: direct fact questions in biology, chemistry and physics are usually answered in seconds. Answer them at once and bank the time for problems.
• Long questions: multi-step maths problems and some calculation problems in physics and chemistry take two minutes or more.
• Do not get stuck: if two minutes pass without progress, pick your best answer and move on. In the computer-based test you cannot return to an earlier section once you move on, and in the paper test you may not move between sections without the invigilator's permission, so use each section's time fully before you leave it.
• There are no breaks: the test is 2 hours 5 minutes without a pause, so sit at least one full-length test before the day.

Study tips

• Start by measuring your level: do the free questions on this site to see your weakest subject before you plan your time.
• Plan by weakness: the four subjects weigh the same, so an hour on your weakest subject raises your score more than an hour on your strongest.
• All three years: the test covers Grade 10, 11 and 12 material, so do not stop at what you studied most recently.
• Review every answer: after each unit, solve questions on it and read the explanation of the options to see why one was right and where you went wrong.
• Study in the language you will sit: the whole test is in Arabic or in English, whichever you choose at registration, so learn the scientific terms in that language.
• In the last two weeks: sit a full test against the clock, then review your mistakes by subject and unit.
• Know your target: find the score the programme you want relies on and compare it with the position table above.

How this site helps

• 10 free questions, no sign-up: see what you would score if you sat the test today, and your weakest subject.
• Practice by unit: biology, chemistry, physics and maths questions split across the main units of each subject.
• An explanation for every option: each answer shows why the right option is right and why the others are wrong.
• A full mock exam: 110 questions in 2 hours 5 minutes with the same subject weights.
• Mistake notebook and a score for each unit: so you can see where you lose points.
• Arabic and English: every question is available in both languages, one tap to switch.

The questions on this site are for practice and are not issued by ETEC. Your score here is not an official result, but it shows you where you need more review.

Start now: answer 10 free Tahsili questions and see your score and your weakest subject.