Reading Comprehension
40%of exam
Grammar Structures
40%of exam
Listening Comprehension
20%of exam
Quick Facts
- Exam
- STEP English Proficiency
- Owner
- ETEC / Qiyas
- Sections
- Reading, Grammar, Listening
- Item count
- Not published by ETEC
- Time limit
- Not published by ETEC
- Validity
- 3 years from test date
- Fee
- 150 SAR in-Kingdom; 200 outside
- Format
- Digital, year-round scheduling
- Reschedule window
- Up to 48 hours ahead
Section Weights
Reading 40, Grammar 40, Listening 20
Reading: 40% of scoreGrammar: 40% of scoreListening: 20% of score
Reading vs Listening
Reading
- Printed or on-screen text
- Reread passage anytime
- 40% of total score
Listening
- Spoken audio recordings
- Follow the audio closely
- 20% of total score
Eyes vs ears
Reading Question Picker
- Asks for main point→Main idea question(Check first, last lines)
- Asks for exact detail→Detail question(Scan for the keyword)
- Asks implied meaning→Inference question(Read between the lines)
- Asks a word's meaning→Vocabulary in context(Check the surrounding sentence)
- Asks the writer's reason→Purpose question(Weigh the overall tone)
- Asks what pronoun means→Reference question(Look at the prior noun)
Reading Skills
- Main idea
- Central point of passage
- Supporting detail
- Evidence for the main idea
- Inference
- Implied but unstated meaning
- Vocabulary in context
- Word meaning from surrounding text
- Author's purpose
- Why the writer wrote it
- Text organization
- How ideas are arranged
- Topic sentence
- States the paragraph's main point
- Paraphrase
- Same meaning, different words
Reading Question Order
Gist first, then detail, then inference
Gist: overall topicDetail: one exact factInference: implied meaning
Main Idea vs Detail
Main idea
- Whole passage's central point
- Found in intro or conclusion
Detail
- One specific, stated fact
- Found by scanning text
Overall vs specific
Reading Question Types
- Gist question
- Overall passage meaning
- Detail question
- A specific, stated fact
- Vocabulary question
- Meaning of a word in context
- Inference question
- Implied, not directly stated
- Purpose question
- Author's intent or reason
- Organization question
- Structure or sequence of ideas
- Reference question
- What a pronoun refers to
- Attitude question
- Author's tone or stance
Conditional Ladder
Zero, first, second, third: real to unreal
Zero: always trueFirst: real future chanceSecond: unreal present situationThird: unreal past regret
Simple Past vs Present Perfect
Simple past
- Finished past action
- Has a specific past time
Present perfect
- Past action linked to now
- No specific past time given
Closed vs still relevant
Grammar Choice Picker
- Need singular-verb match→Check the subject's number(Ignore phrases in between)
- Describing a general truth→Simple present tense(Zero conditional works too)
- Real future possibility→First conditional(If present, will plus verb)
- Unreal present situation→Second conditional(If past, would plus verb)
- Past regret or guess→Third conditional(If had, would have)
- Need a contrast word→However or although(Comma rules differ)
Verb Tenses
- Simple present
- Habits, facts, or routines
- Simple past
- Finished action, past time
- Present perfect
- Past action linked to now
- Past perfect
- Earlier of two past actions
- Future (will)
- Prediction, promise, or decision
- Present continuous
- Action happening right now
- Past continuous
- Ongoing action at past time
- Future perfect
- Finished before a future time
Verb Tense Timeline
Past perfect, then past, then present
Past perfect: earliest eventSimple past: next eventPresent perfect: links to now
Who vs Which
Who
- Refers to people
- Can be subject or object
Which
- Refers to things
- Can start non-defining clauses
People vs things
Subject-Verb Agreement
- Singular subject
- Takes a singular verb
- Plural subject
- Takes a plural verb
- Each / every
- Always takes a singular verb
- Collective noun
- Usually takes a singular verb
- Subjects joined by and
- Takes a plural verb
- Or / nor subjects
- Verb matches the nearer subject
- Indefinite pronoun
- Usually takes a singular verb
- There is / are
- Verb matches the noun after
Comparative vs Superlative
Comparative
- Compares exactly two items
- Uses -er or more
Superlative
- Compares three or more items
- Uses -est or most
Two items vs group
Conditionals
- Zero conditional
- States general truths or facts
- First conditional
- Real, possible future result
- Second conditional
- Unreal present or future situation
- Third conditional
- Unreal past, often regret
- Mixed conditional
- Past cause, present result
- Unless
- Means if not
- Provided that
- Means only if
- Even if
- True whatever the condition
Defining vs Non-Defining Clause
Defining clause
- No commas are used
- Gives essential information
Non-defining clause
- Commas are required
- Adds extra, removable information
Essential vs extra
Connectors and Conjunctions
- However
- Shows contrast between ideas
- Therefore
- Shows a result or conclusion
- Although
- Introduces a contrasting clause
- In addition
- Adds a similar point
- For example
- Introduces a specific instance
- Despite
- Contrast before noun or gerund
- Because
- Gives a direct reason
- Moreover
- Adds a stronger point
Prepositions
- In
- Enclosed space, months, years
- On
- Surfaces, specific days, dates
- At
- Exact point, time, or place
- Since
- Marks a start point
- For
- Shows a duration of time
- By
- Deadline, method, or agent
- Into
- Movement toward the inside
- Onto
- Movement onto a surface
Relative Clauses
- Who
- Refers to people
- Which
- Refers to things or animals
- That
- Defining clauses, people or things
- Whose
- Shows possession
- Where
- Refers to a place
- When
- Refers to a time
- Defining clause
- No commas, essential information
- Non-defining clause
- Commas required, extra information
Comparatives and Superlatives
- Comparative
- Compares exactly two things
- Superlative
- Compares three or more
- As...as
- Shows an equal comparison
- Short adjective
- Add -er or -est
- Long adjective
- Use more or most
- Irregular forms
- Good, better, best pattern
- Less / least
- Decreasing comparison or ranking
- Much / far
- Intensifies comparative degree words
Listening Focus Points
Opening sets topic; signal words flag shifts
Opening: topic clueSignal word: shift or exampleClosing: summary or action
Inference vs Stated Fact
Inference
- Implied, not directly said
- Requires logical reasoning
Stated fact
- Directly said or written
- Quoted from text or audio
Implied vs explicit
Listening Question Picker
- Hear two speakers talk→Short conversation item(One exchange only)
- Hear one speaker talk→Longer talk item(Extended monologue format)
- Asks the overall topic→Gist or main idea(Focus on opening lines)
- Asks an exact detail→Detail question(Listen for numbers, names)
- Asks speaker's attitude→Attitude or tone question(Listen to word choice)
- Asks the likely next step→Prediction question(Infer from the context)
Listening Skills
- Main idea
- Overall point of the talk
- Specific detail
- A stated fact or number
- Speaker's purpose
- Why the speaker is talking
- Speaker's attitude
- Speaker's tone or feeling
- Inference
- Conclusion not directly stated
- Prediction
- Likely next step or outcome
- Signal word
- Cue for a shift or example
- Paraphrase
- Restates the spoken idea
Listening Formats
- Short conversation
- Two speakers, one exchange
- Longer talk
- One speaker, extended monologue
- Note-style question
- Fill in a missing detail
- Gist question
- Asks the overall topic
- Detail question
- Asks for an exact fact
- Function question
- Asks what speaker intends
- Attitude question
- Asks speaker's feeling or tone
- Context clue
- Tone, word choice, or pause
Common Traps
Main Idea vs Topic
Topic is one word or phrase ≠ Main idea is a full point
Inference vs Opinion
Inference follows the text's logic ≠ Opinion is an unsupported guess
Since vs For
Since marks a starting point ≠ For marks a span of time
Who vs Whom
Who is the subject form ≠ Whom is the object form
Less vs Fewer
Fewer modifies countable nouns ≠ Less modifies uncountable nouns
Affect vs Effect
Affect is usually the verb ≠ Effect is usually the noun
Retired Compositional Analysis Section
Current STEP page lists three sections ≠ Old 10% section is gone
Last Minute
- 1.Reading 40%, Grammar 40%, Listening 20%
- 2.No compositional analysis section now
- 3.ETEC publishes no item count
- 4.No published STEP time limit
- 5.No universal STEP passing score
- 6.Check your institution's minimum score
- 7.Results stay valid three years
- 8.150 SAR inside Kingdom; 200 outside
- 9.ID: National ID/Iqama, passport, license
- 10.Calculators are not allowed in STEP
- 11.Reschedule up to 48 hours ahead
- 12.Results post in 3-5 working days
- 13.Register via e-services.etec.gov.sa profile
- 14.Digital test, offered year-round
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