AMIRNET guide
What a low English score costs you
The exam itself runs under an hour. What follows it can run a year. That is the reason to work out the cost before the sitting rather than after it.
Updated September 2026
The first cost: coursework
Every level below exemption carries at least one English course. At Afeka, for example, the Basic level requires a course of six semester hours, and Advanced I and Advanced II require four each. From 134 upward there is no such requirement at all.
That is one example. Every institution publishes its own table, and the gap between two of them can be a whole course.
The second cost: your timetable
English courses are usually taken at the start of a degree, which is exactly when the schedule is fullest. Every hour there is an hour not spent on your subject, and sometimes it pushes back a course that has a prerequisite behind it.
At some institutions English courses earn no degree credits at all. This varies by institution and programme, and it is worth checking rather than assuming either way.
The third cost: the last band
The gap between 120 and 134 is fourteen points on the scale, and it separates Advanced II from full exemption. In syllabus terms that is an entire course. In preparation terms it is usually the shortest gap there is to close.
This is why measuring before booking a date matters. Someone one band below exemption is in a completely different position from someone three bands below.
Why there are no shekel figures here
Tuition for an English course is set by each institution, varies between programmes, and is updated year to year. We are not going to invent an average. The exact figure is on your institution’s tuition page, and the exam fee is on the NITE site.
What can be said: when you put the two numbers side by side, preparation plus another sitting is usually the smaller side of the equation.
What you can do about it
- Measure your level before booking a date, so you know what the distance actually is.
- Find both numbers on your institution’s site: what admission requires and what exemption requires.
- Remember you can sit the exam again, as often as you want, with at least 35 days between sittings.
- Check whether your institution lets you improve a score after the degree begins, because that changes how much rides on the first sitting.
Common questions
How much does an academic English course cost?
It is set by each institution and varies between programmes, so the only place worth checking is your own institution’s tuition page.
Is it better to retake the exam or take the course?
It depends on your distance from exemption and on your timetable. One band is usually a gap you can close, and three bands is a different decision. Compare both against your own institution’s numbers.
Do English courses earn degree credits?
At some institutions yes, at others no. That is a question for your programme’s academic office, and worth asking before you enrol.
What if I score below 85?
Many institutions define levels below that too, with more coursework before you reach your subject. Your institution’s table is what governs, so read it before booking a date.
More in the AMIRNET guide
What AMIRNET is
The format, the score, and what changes in December 2026.
Score 134 and exemption
What exemption means, and why institutions answer differently.
AMIRNET, AMIR, AMIRAM
Three names, one scale. What differs and what counts.
How to prepare
What actually costs points, and how to plan backwards.
Know the number before you pay for it
A short, free diagnostic, ending with your distance from the exemption level.