What this page covers
This page covers the IELTS test centre entries we read for Abha, Khamis Mushait, Najran, Unayzah, Buraydah, Hail, Tabuk, Arar, Hafar Al Batin, Jazan and Bisha. We read them on 24 October 2026 on the ielts.org test centre finder for Saudi Arabia, on IDP's Saudi Arabia test dates page and on the British Council's Saudi Arabia dates, fees and locations page. The three sources are not equally detailed: the finder has an entry for every one of these places; among them, IDP's list names venues only in Abha, Unayzah, Tabuk and Jazan (its city filter also includes Hail, Arar and Hafar albatin), and the British Council's page names only Buraydah, Hail and Tabuk. Lists change, so treat every row below as a dated snapshot, and rely on the provider's booking page for your own session.
Private venues are described here by town, district or street, and the provider's booking page for your session is where you confirm the venue. For the country as a whole, including how the three sources count centres differently, see IELTS test centres in Saudi Arabia, city by city.
The entries we read
| Town | What is listed | Where it was read |
|---|---|---|
| Abha | IDP: King Khalid University, College of Languages and Translation Building, Al Fara Road, Asir Region | IDP's Saudi Arabia list; ielts.org finder, Abha |
| Abha (Khamis Mushait) | British Council: a centre whose address is in Khamis Mushait, shown under Abha | ielts.org finder, Abha |
| Najran | British Council: a centre in the Prince Mashal district | ielts.org finder |
| Unayzah | IDP: a centre on Al Shubaili Street | ielts.org finder |
| Buraydah | British Council: Females Only and Males Only entries | ielts.org finder, Buraydah |
| Hail | British Council: a centre in the Al Matar area | ielts.org finder, Hail |
| Tabuk | British Council at the University of Tabuk; IDP at Fahad Bin Sultan University | ielts.org finder, Tabuk |
| Arar | British Council: Females Only and Males Only entries | ielts.org finder, Arar |
| Hafar Al Batin | British Council: Females Only and Males Only entries | ielts.org finder |
| Jazan | British Council: a centre in the Ar Rawdah district; IDP's list also names a venue in Jazan | ielts.org finder; IDP's Saudi Arabia list |
| Bisha | British Council: a centre in the Al Khuzama district | ielts.org finder |
Tags such as Computer, One Skill Retake and UKVI Approved appear on the finder's cards, and IDP's list adds the note One Skill Retake available to the Abha venue. A tag reports what a listing states, not that a seat is open. Our guide to One Skill Retake in Saudi Arabia covers that option, and IELTS for UKVI in Saudi Arabia covers the UKVI version.
Town by town
Abha and Khamis Mushait
IDP's list names King Khalid University in Abha, in the College of Languages and Translation Building on Al Fara Road, Asir Region. The name is followed by the label (Male & Female), and the entry carries the note One Skill Retake available. The same list also carries a second King Khalid University entry naming the same building, without that label or note, so read your session's details.
The finder's Abha results show two kinds of entry: the IDP King Khalid University entry, tagged Computer and One Skill Retake, and a British Council centre whose address is in Khamis Mushait, tagged Computer and One Skill Retake. So a search for Abha can return an address in another town. We do not say how far apart the two towns are, so read the address before you plan the journey.
Najran
The finder lists a British Council centre in Najran, in the Prince Mashal district, tagged Computer and One Skill Retake. It is the only Najran entry recorded on this page. That does not say that no other provider has a centre there, so check the booking pages of both IDP and the British Council.
Buraydah and Unayzah
In Buraydah the finder lists two British Council entries, one labelled Females Only and one labelled Males Only. Both are tagged UKVI Approved, Computer and One Skill Retake. IELTS for UKVI is a separate version of the test, and whether you need it is for the organisation or visa route asking for your result to say; this page gives no visa advice. The British Council's Saudi page names Buraydah only in its paper-based sentence, so here, as in Hail and Tabuk, the finder's Computer tag and that page do not match (see the computer or paper section below).
In Unayzah the finder lists an IDP centre on Al Shubaili Street, tagged Computer and One Skill Retake, and IDP's own list names a venue in Unayzah too.
Hail: where the sources disagree
The finder lists a British Council centre in the Al Matar area of Hail, tagged Computer and One Skill Retake. The British Council's own Saudi page names Hail only in its paper-based sentence; its computer sentence names Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam. The two sources disagree about the same town, and we cannot say which is current. If your date is in Hail, ask the provider which format it uses and read the address on the booking page.
Tabuk
The finder lists a British Council centre in the Student Affairs Building at the University of Tabuk and an IDP centre at Fahad Bin Sultan University, with an address on Jordan Road. Both are tagged Computer and One Skill Retake. The British Council's Saudi page names Tabuk only in its paper-based sentence, so the British Council entry shows the same mismatch as Hail and Buraydah. Because the two entries belong to different providers, check the dates, format and rules with the one you book with.
Arar and Hafar Al Batin
In Arar and in Hafar Al Batin the finder lists British Council entries labelled Females Only and Males Only, each tagged Computer and One Skill Retake. The finder's city menu spells Hafar Al Batin as Hafr Al Baten, so try both spellings. The British Council's Saudi page names neither town in its paper or computer sentence; that tells you what the sentences list, not whether a centre exists.
Jazan and Bisha
The finder lists a British Council centre in the Ar Rawdah district of Jazan and another in the Al Khuzama district of Bisha, each tagged Computer and One Skill Retake. IDP's list also names a venue in Jazan, and names none in Bisha. The British Council's Saudi page names neither town in its computer or paper sentence. A listing does not show that a seat is open on your date, so check the provider's booking page.
The labels in one table
These are the labels as written, for the towns above where one appears. This page gives no rule on who may book or sit at a labelled centre: that is for the provider's booking page.
| Town | Entry | Label as written | Where it was read |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abha | IDP, King Khalid University | Male & Female | IDP's Saudi Arabia list |
| Buraydah | British Council, two entries | Females Only; Males Only | ielts.org finder |
| Arar | British Council, separate entries | Females Only; Males Only | ielts.org finder |
| Hafar Al Batin | British Council, separate entries | Females Only; Males Only | ielts.org finder |
Our page on women's and men's test centres in Saudi Arabia compares these labels with those in other towns.
Computer or paper in these towns
The British Council's Saudi page says you can choose to take IELTS on computer at its test centres in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam, and lists Buraydah, Hail and Tabuk among the centres where it offers IELTS on paper. It names none of the other towns on this page in either sentence. On the finder, every entry for the towns on this page carries a Computer tag: the British Council entries in Khamis Mushait, Najran, Buraydah, Hail, Tabuk, Arar, Hafar Al Batin, Jazan and Bisha, and the IDP entries in Abha, Unayzah and Tabuk.
So for the British Council entries in Buraydah, Hail and Tabuk the two sources disagree about format, and we cannot say which is current. Confirm the format on the session itself. For how computer-delivered IELTS is described across the Gulf, see computer-delivered IELTS in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman.
Other parts of the country
See our pages for Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Al Khobar and the Eastern Province, Makkah and Taif and Madinah and Yanbu.
How to check a centre before you book
This is general advice, not guidance from IDP, the British Council or ielts.org.
- Start from the provider you will book with. The finder's cards carry either a British Council or an IDP name, so you can see which provider each entry belongs to. Choose the provider first, then the town and the session.
- Read the town in the address, not only the menu heading. The finder files a Khamis Mushait centre under Abha.
- Read the label, the format and the address on the session itself. If two sources differ, as they do for Hail, Buraydah and Tabuk, ask the provider before you pay or travel.
- Try more than one spelling if a town returns nothing, for example Hafr Al Baten as well as Hafar Al Batin.
- Read the booking and ID rules before you pay. Check them on the provider's booking page and in our guide to booking IELTS in Saudi Arabia (ID, Iqama and changing your date).
- Look again close to your date, because lists change.
Where online lessons with Mike fit
Band Booster IELTS is a private online tutoring service. It is not a test centre, it is independent of IDP, the British Council and Cambridge University Press & Assessment, and it does not register you, hold a place, set test fees or dates, or issue results. This page quotes no exam fee or test date; the providers set and change them.
Every lesson is one-to-one on Google Meet in English with Mike, who holds the Cambridge CELTA, teaches from Hanoi and scored 8.5 in Speaking in his own IELTS (about Mike). Because lessons are online, you can join from any Saudi city, and the centre you choose for the test does not change where you study; there is no classroom in Saudi Arabia. The booking calendar shows each slot in your own time zone, and the booking page shows your price in your own currency before you pay. A paid 30-minute trial can be taken once, on your first booking, and you can reschedule at no charge up to 12 hours before a session. No band is guaranteed: progress depends on your starting point and the work you do between sessions.
For lessons from a particular city, see online IELTS tutoring for Riyadh, Jeddah or Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman, or browse online IELTS tutoring by country.