1.1 What Hamza Is: Developer, Format, Delivery & Registration

1.1 What Hamza Is: Developer, Format, Delivery & Registration

The Name and the Owner

Start with the spelling. The test is همزة (Hamzah), named after the Arabic letter hamza (ء), not حمزة (the personal name Ḥamzah). Search results and some websites mix the two up, so search for همزة when you look for official information.

KSGAAL's full description is a test of Arabic language proficiency for non-native speakers for academic purposes (اختبار كفايات اللغة العربية للناطقين بغيرها لأغراض أكاديمية). KSGAAL ties the project to Saudi Council of Ministers Decision No. 34 (dated 13/01/1442 AH), which tasks the academy with building and applying Arabic proficiency tests in coordination with the relevant bodies. KSGAAL places the test among its initiatives under the Human Capability Development Program, one of the Saudi Vision 2030 realization programs. The first administration took place in February 2024.

KSGAAL says it built the test in ten stages:

1. Benchmarking and a survey of established language tests in Arabic, English and French.
2. Defining the test purpose and choosing the CEFR as its reference framework.
3. Building criteria and indicators on the CEFR while taking the characteristics of Arabic into account.
4. Setting the test specifications, components and proportions.
5. Writing the items.
6. Piloting on samples of candidates locally and internationally.
7. Running field studies to develop the test.
8. Checking item validity and reliability.
9. Expert review of the items.
10. Writing the items in their final form.

Who Uses Hamza

KSGAAL lists three groups of beneficiaries:

KSGAAL does not publish one required score. Each university, scholarship body or employer sets its own requirement, so check the exact level your target institution asks for.

The Official Format

The official page gives only the 155-minute total. Section 1.3 covers the per-section timings in KSGAAL's orientation course and the mechanics of each section.

How and Where the Test Is Delivered

KSGAAL says the test is applied in every country, in two ways:

1. Computer-based at accredited test centres (محوسب في مراكز اختبارية معتمدة).
2. Computer-based remotely (محوسب افتراضيًا عن بُعد).

For remote delivery, KSGAAL says the test uses AI-assisted proctoring and sets technical requirements for the camera, internet speed, computer system and microphone. Its orientation course adds two practical points: remote candidates must supply their own headphones for listening and their own Arabic keyboard for the essay. Test centres provide both.

Inside Saudi Arabia, KSGAAL has run Hamza with the Education and Training Evaluation Commission (ETEC), whose National Center for Assessment is known as Qiyas:

• In September 2024, SPA reported that Hamza is usually administered at ETEC's Qiyas centres in Saudi Arabia and at several educational institutions abroad, and that 1,664 candidates had taken it by then.
• In October 2025, SPA reported a round organised with ETEC at 17 universities and colleges in 15 Saudi cities, held in person at computerised university centres, for more than 350 learners.

KSGAAL reports that between the first administration in February 2024 and February 2025, more than 2,700 candidates of over 60 nationalities took the test. It worked with 23 Saudi universities and 8 international universities (two in each of four countries). That is why this guide's label mentions ETEC/Qiyas: in Saudi Arabia the test often runs through that network, but KSGAAL owns the test.

International Standing

In January 2026, KSGAAL announced that Hamza had joined the Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE). ALTE's member directory lists KSGAAL as an Associate Member. That is not the same as full membership or an ALTE quality-audit certification. Treat it as a sign that KSGAAL is benchmarking its testing practice internationally, not as proof that a Hamza level equals a particular Cambridge, DELE or DELF result.

Registration, Fees and What KSGAAL Does Not Publish

• Registration: KSGAAL's official Hamza page links to its registration form on form.ksaa.gov.sa. Sessions run at a university may be booked through that institution.
• Fee: KSGAAL announced that the test would be free for two years (2024–2025). The official pages checked on 2026-10-08 do not state a 2026 fee, so confirm any charge on the registration form.
• Not published on the official pages: retake waiting periods, annual attempt limits, identity-document rules, results turnaround, the score scale and how long a result stays valid. Treat any specific figure you see for these elsewhere as unverified until your own registration instructions confirm it.