SCFHS exam 2026: pass marks, format and attempts

SCFHS runs seven licensure exams: the SMLE (doctors), SNLE (nurses), SPLE (pharmacists), SDLE (dentists), SLLE (laboratory specialists), SRTLE (radiologic technologists) and SRCLE (respiratory care). They share one format: 200 multiple-choice questions, each with four options and one best answer, split into two parts of 100 questions with 120 minutes for each part and a scheduled 30-minute break between them. Up to 10% of the questions are unscored pilot items. The papers mix recall questions with scenario questions that test interpretation, analysis, decision-making and problem-solving.

You can test at any SCFHS-approved Prometric centre in Saudi Arabia or abroad; centres appear when you schedule.

SCFHS reports results on a 200-800 scale, set by a standard-setting panel and approved by its Central Assessment Committee. The pass marks are 500 for the SNLE, 530 for the SRTLE, 536 for the SPLE, 542 for the SDLE and SRCLE, 554 for the SLLE and 560 for the SMLE. A scaled score is not a percentage, so the flat "60%" often quoted online does not apply.

Unlike DHA or DOH, SCFHS gives you more than pass or fail: every candidate receives a statement of results and a feedback report on performance compared with other test takers, 2-6 weeks after the test window closes.

SCFHS's 2026 SMLE blueprint weights the paper at Medicine 30%, Obstetrics and Gynaecology 25%, Pediatrics 25% and Surgery 20%. Half the exam is women's and children's health, so a medicine-heavy revision plan leaves a large gap. The SPLE blueprint weights Basic Biomedical Sciences 10%, Pharmaceutical Sciences 35%, Social, Behavioural and Administrative Sciences 20% and Clinical Sciences 35%, with each area allowed to vary by up to 5%. The SLLE gives 15-20% each to blood bank, clinical chemistry, haematology and microbiology, with the rest across immunology, molecular biology, laboratory operations and professional practice.

Practise across the full blueprint under timed conditions: start with our free mocks for GPs, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, lab, radiography and respiratory candidates, then work through full-length papers in the question banks.

SCFHS runs the exams in testing windows. You can sit up to four times a year until you pass, but only once per window - a second sitting in the same window is counted as an attempt and voided. Scheduling your attempts within the year is your responsibility; SCFHS says it is not responsible if you leave them to the end of the year and find no test slot. Arrive on time: more than 30 minutes late counts as an attempt.

The exam is one step of professional classification and registration through Mumaris Plus, alongside DataFlow verification. Our SCFHS licence requirements, SCFHS licence guide and Mumaris Plus guide cover the full process.