At a glance
- Grades
- 3, 6 and 9 (third intermediate)
- Subjects
- Reading, maths; plus science in Grades 6 and 9
- 2026 dates
- 5 to 23 April 2026, by grade
- Cost and registration
- Free, no registration
- Effect on promotion
- None
Who sits Nafs and what is tested
From ETEC's Nafs page and parents' guide, checked on 6 October 2026.
| Grade | Subjects | Questions | Time per section |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 (primary) | Reading, mathematics | Reading 20, maths 20 | 40 minutes |
| Grade 6 (primary) | Reading, mathematics, science | Reading 20, maths 25, science 25 | 45 minutes |
| Grade 9 (third intermediate) | Reading, mathematics, science | Reading 20, maths 25, science 25 | 45 minutes |
Short breaks separate the sections, and students complete a questionnaire after the test. Tests are in Arabic, with English versions for foreign and international schools.
Nafs 2026 dates (the pattern for 1448)
ETEC's published 2026 schedule. The 1448 schedule had not been published when we checked; ETEC holds Nafs once a year before school final exams.
| Grade | Gregorian | Hijri |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 (third intermediate) | 5 to 8 April 2026 | 17 to 20 Shawwal 1447 |
| Grade 6 | 12 to 16 April 2026 | 24 to 28 Shawwal 1447 |
| Grade 3 | 19 to 23 April 2026 | 2 to 6 Dhu al-Qa'dah 1447 |
English-language sittings were on two days in each grade's week. Your child's school confirms the exact day.
What Nafs is for
Nafs measures how well students have reached the core learning outcomes at the end of each stage: Grade 3 closes the early grades, Grade 6 closes primary, and Grade 9 closes intermediate. ETEC builds the tests from the national curriculum standards and international frameworks, and models them on the international TIMSS and PIRLS studies. ETEC puts the scale at more than 28,000 schools and more than 1.5 million students across the paper and digital tests.
The results are used to evaluate government schools, accredit private and international schools, and classify schools, alongside giving the Ministry national data. They are not part of your child's report card. Absent students do not resit the test.
What parents receive
| Who | What they get |
|---|---|
| Each school | A performance card showing its students' results compared with the national and education department averages |
| Parents | A report on the school's performance, including its students' Nafs results, through the Mustaqbalhum app |
| Parents (questionnaire) | A digital parent questionnaire, sent by text message, about factors affecting learning |
ETEC's materials describe school-level reporting to parents. Ask your school what, if any, individual feedback it shares.
Does your child need to prepare?
ETEC says no special preparation is needed beyond general review of the year's work, because Nafs tests the learning outcomes of the curriculum. That is fair for most children. Where Nafs is useful to a family is as a signal: the subjects it tests, reading, maths and science, are the foundations everything later builds on. A Grade 3 child who cannot yet read a short passage fluently, or a Grade 6 child shaky on fractions and multiplication, will feel it in every subject afterwards.
If you are worried about one of those foundations, one-to-one lessons can help well before any test date. A tutor starts by checking reading fluency or core number skills with short tasks, then works on the gaps in short, regular lessons, with the shared whiteboard used for worked examples the child copies and then tries alone. Arabic-speaking tutors are available for some subjects, ask when you book; for reading in Arabic, say so when you enquire.
Parent's role on test day
ETEC asks parents to encourage children to take the test seriously so that results reflect real performance, to make sure they are rested, and to complete the parent questionnaire when the text message arrives.
Common questions
Which grades take Nafs?
All students in Grade 3, Grade 6 and Grade 9 (third intermediate) in all schools, government and private, Saudi and non-Saudi.
Does Nafs affect my child's grades or promotion?
No. ETEC states that Nafs results have no effect on moving to the next grade. They are used to evaluate and classify schools.
Do we need to register or pay for Nafs?
No. Students are entered automatically through coordination between ETEC and the Ministry of Education, and there is no fee.
When is Nafs in 1448?
ETEC had not published the 1448 dates when we checked. In 2026 the tests ran from 5 to 23 April, grade by grade, and Nafs is held once a year before school finals.
How much do LiveTutor lessons cost for primary reading or maths?
Every lesson is $15 for 60 minutes one to one, on a weekly plan of 1 to 5 lessons billed monthly. One lesson a week is usual for primary pupils. The first lesson is a free trial.
Sources
Dates and figures on this page come from these official and published sources. Always confirm deadlines on the official page before acting on them.