Saber 11 Requirements & Prerequisites
Everything you need to know before registering for the Saber 11, eligibility, cost, format, and what to expect on exam day.
Cost
~$30
Provider
ICFES
Validity
Lifetime
Available
Colombia
Education
Check official exam requirements
Experience
1-3 years of hands-on experience recommended
Specific Requirements
- Students are registered by their educational establishment through the ICFES Prisma platform. They must be in the final grade of educacion media, which is grade 11, or grade 26 for adult secondary education.
- Graduated bachilleres register directly with ICFES through Prisma without an establishment, and must hold the bachiller title.
- Registration must fall inside the published window for that application. ICFES sets an ordinary period and a more expensive extraordinary period for each of the two annual applications.
- Payment of the tarifa for your population category. For 2026 that ranges from COP 72,000 for a public school student in the ordinary window to COP 646,000 for a graduated bachiller registering for a fifth or later time in the extraordinary window.
- A valid identity document matching the registration, presented with the citacion issued through Prisma.
- Any disability must be declared during registration through Prisma, using the categories drawn from the SIMAT enrolment system, so ICFES can validate the supports required. Requests made after registration cannot be guaranteed.
- No minimum score, prior test or preparatory course is required. There is no prerequisite exam.
Number of Questions
302 items in the standard booklet: 143 in session one and 159 in session two. 254 of those are academic questions across the five pruebas, and the other 48 belong to the socioeconomic and school climate questionnaires.
Duration
Two sessions of 4 hours 30 minutes each, 540 minutes in total. ICFES publishes the same 4 hours 30 minutes for every booklet version, including the reduced reasonable-adjustment booklets, so candidates with fewer items get more time per item.
Question Format
Single-answer multiple choice throughout. ICFES states the exam consists of items with a stem, an evaluation task and several answer options, of which exactly one answers the task, Session one, 143 items: Matematicas 25, Lectura Critica 41, Sociales y Ciudadanas 25, Ciencias Naturales 29, socioeconomic questionnaire 11, school climate questionnaire 12, Session two, 159 items: Matematicas 25, Sociales y Ciudadanas 25, Ciencias Naturales 29, socioeconomic questionnaire 13, Ingles 55, school climate questionnaire 12, The Ingles prueba is built in seven parts, each carrying a published share of the questions, including matching descriptions to a list of seven words and choosing where a notice would appear, Answers are marked by completely filling the corresponding circle on the answer sheet
Passing Requirement
There is no cut score. ICFES sets no pass mark for Saber 11 and reports a score, percentile, performance level and qualitative description per prueba plus a Global Score and its percentile. Thresholds are set by receiving universities and funding programmes.
How It Is Delivered
The standard booklet is delivered on paper at assigned sites across Colombia. ICFES also operates an electronic application of Saber 11, and the reasonable-adjustment booklets for deaf candidates who use Colombian sign language are delivered electronically. Registration is handled through the ICFES Prisma platform.
Languages Offered
Spanish for Lectura Critica, Matematicas, Sociales y Ciudadanas and Ciencias Naturales, English for the Ingles prueba, Members of indigenous communities and ethnic groups whose second language is Spanish may choose, under article 28 of Resolucion 675 de 2019, whether to sit the Ingles prueba at all. ICFES also publishes an orientation guide in Colombian sign language.
Visit the official ICFES certification page
Create an account and select your exam
Choose a test center or online proctoring option
Pay the exam fee and schedule your date
Score Scale
0 to 100 with no decimals for each of the five pruebas, and a Global Score of 0 to 500 with no decimals. The Ingles prueba additionally carries a CEFR performance level, with a Pre-A1 band below A1.
Score You Need
There is no cut score. ICFES sets no pass mark for Saber 11 and reports a score, percentile, performance level and qualitative description per prueba plus a Global Score and its percentile. Thresholds are set by receiving universities and funding programmes.
How It Is Calculated
Each prueba is scored with a three-parameter logistic item response model, in which the probability of a correct answer depends on the item's characteristics and the candidate's ability rather than on a raw count. ICFES calibrates each 0 to 100 scale so the national mean is 50 with a standard deviation of 10. The Global Index averages the five prueba scores with weights of 3 for each prueba except Ingles, which carries 1, over a divisor of 13. The Global Score is that index multiplied by 5, rounded to the nearest integer. No deduction is published for wrong answers.
When You Get Results
No score is available on exam day and there is no unofficial result. ICFES sets the individual results publication date in the cronograma resolution issued for each application, and results are consulted online. The report arrives complete, with per-prueba scores, percentiles, performance levels and descriptions alongside the Global Score and its percentile.
In raw terms: ICFES publishes no raw-to-scaled conversion table, and the methodology makes one impossible in principle: under the three-parameter logistic model, two candidates answering the same number of items correctly can receive different scores depending on which items they got right. The only fixed reference points ICFES publishes are the scale anchors, a mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 10 on each prueba.
- Two forms of valid ID (one government-issued with photo)
- Appointment confirmation email
- For online proctoring: webcam, microphone, clean desk, stable internet
What are the prerequisites for the Saber 11?
Students are registered by their educational establishment through the ICFES Prisma platform. They must be in the final grade of educacion media, which is grade 11, or grade 26 for adult secondary education.. Graduated bachilleres register directly with ICFES through Prisma without an establishment, and must hold the bachiller title.. Registration must fall inside the published window for that application. ICFES sets an ordinary period and a more expensive extraordinary period for each of the two annual applications.. Payment of the tarifa for your population category. For 2026 that ranges from COP 72,000 for a public school student in the ordinary window to COP 646,000 for a graduated bachiller registering for a fifth or later time in the extraordinary window.. A valid identity document matching the registration, presented with the citacion issued through Prisma.. Any disability must be declared during registration through Prisma, using the categories drawn from the SIMAT enrolment system, so ICFES can validate the supports required. Requests made after registration cannot be guaranteed.. No minimum score, prior test or preparatory course is required. There is no prerequisite exam..
How much does the Saber 11 cost?
The Saber 11 exam costs ~$30. This includes the exam fee only, study materials are additional.
How do I register for the Saber 11?
Visit the official ICFES certification page → Create an account and select your exam → Choose a test center or online proctoring option → Pay the exam fee and schedule your date
What should I bring to the Saber 11?
Two forms of valid ID (one government-issued with photo). Appointment confirmation email. For online proctoring: webcam, microphone, clean desk, stable internet.
Ready to prepare for Saber 11?
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