100+ Free ICFES Pre Saber Practice Questions

Prepare for the Colombia ICFES Pre Saber (Prueba Pre Saber) exam with instant access — no signup required.

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2026 Statistics

Key Facts: ICFES Pre Saber Exam

Examen de ensayo

Official ICFES trial exam with characteristics similar to Saber 11°, not the Examen de Estado itself

ICFES Pre Saber page

Not for admission

Results are not valid as a legal requirement for higher-education entry

ICFES Pre Saber page

Five tests

Lectura Crítica, Matemáticas, Sociales y Ciudadanas, Ciencias Naturales, and Inglés

ICFES Pre Saber page

245 prompts

221 test questions plus 24 socioeconomic questions across two sessions of 4 hours 30 minutes

ICFES Saber 11° 2026-2 orientation guide, Pre Saber table

COP $72,000

2026 ordinary fee

Resolución 000629 of 11 November 2025

COP $108,000

2026 extraordinary fee

Resolución 000629 of 11 November 2025

26 July 2026

Calendar A application day shared with Saber 11 Calendario A and Validación

ICFES 16 April 2026 notice

Percentiles

Report shows overall and per-competency percentiles plus niveles de desempeño

ICFES Pre Saber results page

Own identity

Separate Prisma registration category from Saber 11 and Validación

ICFES Pre Saber etapas previas

Colombia's official 245-prompt, two-session ICFES Saber 11 trial exam; 2026 ordinary fee COP $72,000 and no university-admission pass mark.

Sample ICFES Pre Saber Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to test your ICFES Pre Saber exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1Read this school notice: «AVISO: La biblioteca abrirá el sábado de 8:00 a.m. a 12:00 m. Traiga carné estudiantil.» At what time does the library open on Saturday?

A.12:00 m.

B.8:00 a.m.

C.Only after noon

D.It does not open on Saturday

Explanation: The notice states Saturday hours from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 m. Lectura Crítica local comprehension (afirmación 1) asks you to recover an explicit time from a short discontinuous aviso.

2Read this story excerpt: «Al abrir la caja, Inés encontró la carta que su abuela había guardado durante veinte años. La leyó junto a la ventana.» What did Inés find in the box?

A.A photograph of the window

B.A letter kept by her grandmother

C.A new school textbook

D.A key to the library

Explanation: The literary excerpt explicitly says that Inés found «la carta» her grandmother had kept. Identifying the named object is local comprehension of a continuous literary text.

3Read these lines from a poem: «La lluvia golpea el techo / y el gato duerme junto al fuego.» Where is the cat sleeping?

A.On the wet roof

B.Beside the fire

C.Under the rain

D.Inside a school locker

Explanation: The poem locates the sleeping cat «junto al fuego», or beside the fire. This asks for an explicitly stated detail in a continuous literary text.

4A two-panel comic shows: Panel 1—Sara holds up an empty watering can and says, «No queda agua.» Panel 2—Tomás walks toward a tap. What object is Tomás carrying in Panel 2?

A.A school backpack

B.A garden hose

C.The watering can

D.A tray of food

Explanation: The comic's second panel continues the action with Tomás carrying the watering can toward the tap. Reading an explicit visual detail in a comic is local comprehension of a discontinuous literary text.

5A sports story says: «El equipo ganó el partido, aunque llegó cansado del viaje.» What relationship does «aunque» create between the two parts of the sentence?

A.Cause producing an effect

B.Contrast or concession

C.A strict time sequence

D.Simple addition of two facts

Explanation: «Aunque» introduces a concessive contrast: the team won despite fatigue. Explaining how the connector articulates two propositions is part of constructing the text's global meaning.

6An environmental-ethics essay opens: «No basta con sembrar árboles el Día de la Tierra si el resto del año se tiran escombros al caño.» What is the author's main claim?

A.Tree-planting days are illegal

B.One-day environmental gestures are not enough without year-round care

C.Canals should be filled with rubble

D.Earth Day should be cancelled

Explanation: The sentence contrasts a symbolic planting day with ongoing dumping. Global sense (afirmación 2) requires stating that sustained practice, not a single event, is the point.

7A report says: «Según la rectoría, el horario no cambiará. Los estudiantes, en cambio, piden empezar más tarde.» How many distinct voices does the text present?

A.Only the rectoría

B.Only the students

C.Two: the school administration and the students

D.No viewpoints are present

Explanation: Afirmación 2 evidence 2.2 asks readers to identify voices. «Según la rectoría» and «los estudiantes, en cambio» mark two opposing sources.

8A philosophical paragraph gives reasons that responsible freedom requires considering other people, then ends: «Por lo tanto, ser libre no significa actuar sin considerar a los demás.» What does «por lo tanto» indicate about this sentence's role?

A.It introduces an example

B.It states a conclusion drawn from prior reasons

C.It marks a sudden topic change

D.It repeats a definition

Explanation: «Por lo tanto» is a consecutive connector: the sentence functions as a conclusion. Seeing how parts articulate global meaning is afirmación 2.

9A philosophical essay has three labeled parts: (1) the problem of whether knowledge can be certain, (2) two proposed answers, and (3) a defended position. What is the most accurate description of this formal structure?

A.A random list of unrelated facts

B.A problem-solution organization that ends in a recommendation

C.A biography in chronological order

D.A poem based on rhyme

Explanation: Recognizing how parts give global sense includes naming the problem-solution pattern. The third part selects among the proposals.

10A chronicle states: «Nadie aplaudió cuando el concejal terminó. Solo se oyeron sillas al moverse.» What does the text imply about the audience reaction?

A.The audience showed enthusiastic approval

B.The audience reaction was cold or unsupportive

C.The hall was empty of furniture

D.The councilor never finished speaking

Explanation: No applause plus the sound of chairs implies a chilly reception. Global reading includes inferences supported by the scene, not extra facts.

About the ICFES Pre Saber Exam

The ICFES Prueba Pre Saber is an official examen de ensayo with characteristics similar to Saber 11°. ICFES says it is aimed mainly at students who are about to sit Saber 11 and want a similar experience, and that anyone not registered for Saber 11 or Validación (Validantes) may enroll. A 16 April 2026 ICFES notice also describes Pre Saber as directed at grades 9° and 10°. The 2026 booklet has 245 prompts over two 4-hour-30-minute sessions: 221 questions in Lectura Crítica, Matemáticas, Sociales y Ciudadanas, Ciencias Naturales, and Inglés, plus 24 socioeconomic questions. Results tell students their strengths and gaps before Saber 11; ICFES states they are not valid as a legal requirement for higher-education entry. The 2026 ordinary fee is COP $72,000 (Resolución 000629 of 11 November 2025). ICFES scheduled distinct Calendar B and Calendar A applications for 15 March and 26 July 2026. The official exam is delivered in Spanish and includes an Inglés test. This free bank is an English-language four-option MCQ study adaptation, not an official ICFES translation, not a timed booklet simulation, and not a substitute for a live Pre Saber application or for Saber 11 admission results.

Assessment

Two sessions. Session one: Matemáticas 22, Lectura Crítica 36, Sociales y Ciudadanas 22, Ciencias Naturales 26, and 11 socioeconomic questions. Session two: Matemáticas 22, Sociales y Ciudadanas 22, Ciencias Naturales 26, Inglés 45, and 13 socioeconomic questions. The 2026 Calendar B sitting was on-site paper-and-pencil; ICFES also documents an electronic path. All test items are single-answer multiple choice, with no assignments, oral examinations, practical performances, or case-study submissions.

Time Limit

Two sessions of 4 hours 30 minutes each (9 hours maximum testing time in one day)

Passing Score

No pass/fail for higher-education entry. Report includes percentiles and niveles de desempeño by competency for diagnostic use.

Exam Fee

2026 ordinary COP $72,000; extraordinary COP $108,000 (Resolución 000629 of 11 November 2025). (ICFES (Instituto Colombiano para la Evaluación de la Educación))

ICFES Pre Saber Exam Content Outline

16%

Lectura Crítica

Recover local meaning, build global sense of a text, and evaluate arguments in continuous and discontinuous Spanish texts.

20%

Matemáticas

Interpret representations, execute solutions, and justify quantitative claims, including genuine calculations with COP amounts when money appears.

20%

Sociales y Ciudadanas

1991 Constitution, civic participation, Colombian social science, and evaluating social arguments.

24%

Ciencias Naturales

Use scientific ideas, explain natural phenomena, and read inquiry data in biology, chemistry, physics, and environmental contexts.

20%

Inglés

English reading and language-in-use at the MCER-aligned levels used on Saber 11° (Pre A1 to B1).

How to Pass the ICFES Pre Saber Exam

What You Need to Know

Passing score: No pass/fail for higher-education entry. Report includes percentiles and niveles de desempeño by competency for diagnostic use.
Assessment: Two sessions. Session one: Matemáticas 22, Lectura Crítica 36, Sociales y Ciudadanas 22, Ciencias Naturales 26, and 11 socioeconomic questions. Session two: Matemáticas 22, Sociales y Ciudadanas 22, Ciencias Naturales 26, Inglés 45, and 13 socioeconomic questions. The 2026 Calendar B sitting was on-site paper-and-pencil; ICFES also documents an electronic path. All test items are single-answer multiple choice, with no assignments, oral examinations, practical performances, or case-study submissions.
Time limit: Two sessions of 4 hours 30 minutes each (9 hours maximum testing time in one day)
Exam fee: 2026 ordinary COP $72,000; extraordinary COP $108,000 (Resolución 000629 of 11 November 2025).

Keys to Passing

Work through all 100 available questions
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ICFES Pre Saber Study Tips from Top Performers

1Treat the five Saber 11 tests as the closest official blueprint: ICFES says Pre Saber has similar characteristics, not that it is Saber 11.

2Use the official report (percentiles and niveles de desempeño) to target weak competencias before you sit Saber 11.

3Work genuine calculations and COP table items; Saber-style math rewards representation and execution, not trivia.

4Review Article 1 of the 1991 Constitution, the three branches in Article 113, and tutela in Article 86 for Sociales y Ciudadanas.

5This bank cannot replace timed Spanish paper-booklet or electronic-client practice from ICFES materials such as Ponte a Prueba.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the ICFES Pre Saber exam?

It is ICFES's official examen de ensayo with characteristics similar to Saber 11°. Results are diagnostic for later Saber 11 preparation and are not a legal requirement for higher-education entry.

Is Pre Saber the same exam as Saber 11?

No. ICFES registers Pre Saber as its own exam with a separate fee table, Prisma category, and result dates. Similar five-test scope does not make it the Saber 11 Examen de Estado.

Who can sit Pre Saber?

ICFES says it is aimed mainly at students about to take Saber 11, and that anyone not registered for Saber 11 or Validación may enroll. A 2026 ICFES news notice also names students in grades 9° and 10°.

How is Pre Saber scored?

There is no university-admission pass mark. The report shows the examinee's percentile overall and by competency, plus the nivel de desempeño in each competency, with an interpretation guide.

How much does Pre Saber cost in 2026?

Ordinary 2026 fee COP $72,000; extraordinary COP $108,000 (ICFES Resolución 000629 of 11 November 2025).

When is Calendar A 2026?

ICFES announced that Saber 11 Calendario A, Pre Saber, and Validación would be applied on Sunday 26 July 2026, with ordinary registration closing Friday 1 May 2026.

How many questions and how much time does Pre Saber use?

The ICFES 2026-2 guide lists 245 total prompts: 221 across the five tests plus 24 socioeconomic questions. It allows 4 hours 30 minutes for each of two sessions.

Is this practice bank in the same language and format as the real exam?

No. The official exam is in Spanish and includes an Inglés test. This bank is an English-language four-option MCQ study adaptation, not an official translation or a substitute for a live Pre Saber application.