100+ Free EF SET Practice Questions

Pass your EF SET English Certificate (50-minute, 2 skills) exam on the first try — instant access, no signup required.

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Question 1

Score: 0/0

You hear: "You couldn't help me carry these boxes, could you?" What is the speaker doing?

Refusing to help

Politely asking for help

Complaining about the boxes

Offering to carry boxes

to track

2026 Statistics

Key Facts: EF SET Exam

The EF SET English Certificate is a free, 50-minute online test of reading and listening with a 25-minute section each; adaptive multiple-choice scoring runs 0 to 100 and maps to CEFR levels A1 to C2.

Sample EF SET Practice Questions

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

1Read the sentence and choose the best word: "She is very tired because she ___ all night."

A.work

B.working

C.worked

D.works

Explanation: The clause needs a past simple verb to describe a completed action during the night, so "worked" is correct. The cause (being tired now) follows from the finished action.

2Choose the word that best completes the sentence: "There ___ a lot of people at the party last night."

A.was

B.were

C.is

D.are

Explanation: "People" is a plural noun and the time phrase "last night" signals the past, so the plural past form "were" is required. Subject-verb agreement matches a plural subject with "were".

3Read the short notice: "Library closed on Mondays. Open Tuesday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m." On which day can you NOT visit the library?

A.Tuesday

B.Wednesday

C.Saturday

D.Monday

Explanation: The notice states the library is closed on Mondays, so Monday is the only day listed when you cannot visit. Tuesday through Saturday are clearly open.

4Choose the correct preposition: "The meeting is ___ Monday morning."

A.on

B.at

C.in

D.by

Explanation: English uses "on" with specific days of the week, including "on Monday morning". The fixed pairing of "on" with named days makes it correct here.

5What is the opposite of "expensive"?

A.costly

B.cheap

C.valuable

D.rare

Explanation: "Cheap" means low in price and is the direct antonym of "expensive". The other choices either share its meaning or describe a different quality.

6Read the email line: "Please find the report attached." What should the reader do?

A.Write a new report

B.Print the email

C.Open the attached file

D.Delete the message

Explanation: "Find the report attached" means a file is included with the email, so the reader should open the attachment. The phrase is a standard way of pointing to an enclosed document.

7Choose the best word: "I have lived here ___ ten years."

A.for

B.since

C.from

D.during

Explanation: "For" introduces a length of time, and "ten years" is a duration, so "for ten years" is correct. "For" answers the question "how long?".

8Read the sign: "No parking between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m." When is parking allowed?

A.At 10 a.m.

B.At noon

C.At 3 p.m.

D.At 7 p.m.

Explanation: Parking is forbidden only from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., so 7 p.m. falls outside that window and is allowed. All the other times listed are inside the restricted period.

9Choose the correct form: "My brother is taller than ___."

A.my

B.me

C.mine

D.myself

Explanation: After "than" in everyday English a comparison uses the object pronoun, so "taller than me" is the natural and accepted form. The pronoun stands as the object of the comparison.

10What does the word "quickly" describe in this sentence: "He answered the question quickly."

A.How he answered

B.What he answered

C.Who answered

D.Why he answered

Explanation: "Quickly" is an adverb of manner that modifies the verb "answered", telling us how the action was done. Adverbs of manner answer the question "how?".

About the EF SET Exam

The EF SET English Certificate is a free, online English proficiency test created and maintained by EF Education First. The 50-minute version, also called the 2-skill test, measures reading and listening comprehension only; it does not assess speaking or writing. It is composed of a 25-minute reading section and a 25-minute listening section, both delivered as computer-adaptive multiple-choice tasks that get harder or easier depending on how the test taker is performing. Scores range from 0 to 100 and are aligned to the six CEFR levels from A1 to C2, with separate reading and listening scores and an overall score that is the average of the two. On finishing, test takers receive a free personalized certificate that can be added to a CV or LinkedIn profile. The test is unproctored and can be taken on a laptop, tablet or phone anywhere in the world.

Questions

100 scored questions

Time Limit

50 minutes total, split into a 25-minute reading section and a 25-minute listening section.

Passing Score

No pass or fail; scores of 0 to 100 map to CEFR bands A1 (1-30), A2 (31-40), B1 (41-50), B2 (51-60), C1 (61-70) and C2 (71-100).

Exam Fee

Free; there is no fee to take the EF SET English Certificate. (EF Education First)

EF SET Exam Content Outline

50%

Reading Comprehension

Written texts of one to five paragraphs with multiple-choice questions on vocabulary, grammar in context, main idea, detail, inference and cohesion across CEFR levels A1 to C2.

50%

Listening Comprehension

Recorded passages in American, British and Australian English with multiple-choice questions on gist, detail, speaker function and intention, best response and inference across CEFR levels A1 to C2.

How to Pass the EF SET Exam

What You Need to Know

Passing score: No pass or fail; scores of 0 to 100 map to CEFR bands A1 (1-30), A2 (31-40), B1 (41-50), B2 (51-60), C1 (61-70) and C2 (71-100).
Exam length: 100 questions
Time limit: 50 minutes total, split into a 25-minute reading section and a 25-minute listening section.
Exam fee: Free; there is no fee to take the EF SET English Certificate.

Keys to Passing

Complete 500+ practice questions
Score 80%+ consistently before scheduling
Focus on highest-weighted sections
Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

EF SET Study Tips from Top Performers

1Take the free 15-minute EF SET practice test first to get comfortable with the adaptive multiple-choice format before sitting the certificate.

2Read a variety of English texts daily, such as news articles and short stories, to build vocabulary and faster comprehension for the reading section.

3Listen to English from different accents, including American, British and Australian speakers, since the listening recordings use all three.

4Practise scanning for specific details and identifying the main idea quickly, because each timed section rewards efficient reading and listening.

5Pace yourself: each section is timed as a whole and you cannot move backward, so do not spend too long on any single text or recording.

6Test your internet connection and use a quiet space with headphones, as a stable connection and clear audio are essential for the listening section.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the EF SET English Certificate really free?

Yes. The EF SET is offered online by EF Education First at no charge, with no registration or examination fee, and you receive a free personalized certificate on completion.

How long is the 50-minute EF SET and what does it test?

It lasts 50 minutes, split into a 25-minute reading section and a 25-minute listening section. This 2-skill version tests reading and listening comprehension only, not speaking or writing.

How is the EF SET scored?

Scores run from 0 to 100 for reading and listening separately, with an overall score that is the average of the two. The test does not have a pass or fail; results map to CEFR levels.

How do EF SET scores map to CEFR levels?

Scores of 1-30 are A1, 31-40 are A2, 41-50 are B1, 51-60 are B2, 61-70 are C1 and 71-100 are C2, giving a clear CEFR equivalency on the result report.

What does it mean that the EF SET is adaptive?

The test adjusts difficulty as you go: questions become harder after correct answers and easier after wrong ones, so the number of tasks varies and the test measures all levels accurately.

Is the EF SET accepted like TOEFL or IELTS?

EF SET scores are aligned to the CEFR and have been correlated with TOEFL and IELTS bands. The certificate is widely used for self-assessment and LinkedIn, and many schools and employers use EF SET for benchmarking.