Qiyas to open 100 computer-based testing centers

RIYADH: Qiyas (National Center for Assessment in Education) is planning to open 100 centers to conduct 80 percent of its exams via computer-based testing (CBT) throughout the Kingdom within the next five years.
“We intend to achieve the maximum result in our network of 30 local testing centers to improve academic excellence across Saudi Arabia,” Faisal Abdullah Al-Saud, chief executive officer of Qiyas, said.
By the year-end, he said, Qiyas intends to increase sush centers to 60.
He made the announcement during a meeting recently with executives from Pearson VUE, an international company.
Qiyas, which was created by a royal decree, delivers university admission and conducts other specialized exams in the Kingdom in partnership with Pearson VUE.
“Qiyas also has the largest Pearson VUE authorized testing center in the world, with 180 seats. Pearson VUE delivers more than 25 different exam titles for Qiyas,” Al-Saud said.
Qiyas will be adding more computer-based tests similar to the general aptitude tests for high school students, university graduates, standardized test of English proficiency (STEP), among others, he added.
In a statement, Gary Gates, senior vice president at Pearson VUE, said, “Our expanding partnership with Qiyas will continue to improve academic excellence across Saudi Arabia.”
He said that he was delighted that Qiyas “had demonstrated confidence in Pearson VUE’s ability to deliver computer-based tests in a highly secure and consistent environment.”
Pearson VUE is the global leader in computer-based tests for high-stakes certification and license exams in health care, finance, information technology and academic and admission tests.