Saudi Arabia: Licensing Exams for Doctors, Nurses, Pharmacists and Dentists

Medical and health education in Saudi Arabia

Saudi medical colleges mostly teach in English. The MBBS runs about five to six years including a preparatory or foundation year, followed by a compulsory 12-month internship. Nursing is generally a four-year bachelor's plus an internship year, pharmacy a five-year PharmD or BPharm, and dentistry a five- to six-year programme with an internship. The country has well over 30 medical colleges, and programmes are accredited by the education quality authority (formerly NCAAA, now part of ETEC) under the Ministry of Education.

Licensing is separate and sits with the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties. Registration as a practitioner depends on holding a recognised degree, completing the internship and passing the relevant SCFHS licensing exam, which graduates of Saudi colleges are also expected to take. Postgraduate training runs through the Saudi Board residency programmes. Check current SCFHS rules before planning.

A licence and a grade in one step

In Saudi Arabia the SCFHS does not only register you. It classifies you into a grade, such as specialist or technician, and that grade determines what titles and posts you can hold. The classification exams are how it tests the grade. For doctors, nurses, pharmacists and dentists the classification exam is a named national licensure exam. For midwives and physiotherapists it is a profession-specific exam inside the same system.

Who needs a licensing exam in Saudi Arabia

Everyone who wants to practise as a health professional goes through SCFHS registration, Saudi and foreign alike. The difference between the two groups is not whether they sit the exam but when. Saudi graduates and interns often take it before or at graduation. Foreign-trained applicants take it while their file is open, usually with a hospital offer behind them.

Specialists and consultants take separate SCFHS specialty classification exams, also by Prometric, rather than the general entry tests. Applicants with recognised senior qualifications may have a different route, so check the classification rules for your specialty.

Expect primary source verification of your degree and experience, usually through DataFlow, alongside the exam.

Doctors: the SMLE

The Saudi Medical Licensure Examination is the exam that matters most in volume. It has 200 single-best-answer questions with four options each. Up to 20 of them are unscored pilot items. You sit two blocks of 100 questions, 120 minutes each, with a 30-minute break, so plan on about four hours plus the break at a Prometric centre.

The pass mark is 560 on a scaled 200-800 range, applied since June 2017. You can attempt up to four times a year until you pass. Final-year students and interns are eligible, and many sit it early because the score is also used when you apply for Saudi residency through SCFHS matching. That dual role is the main reason the SMLE feels higher stakes than a plain licensing hurdle.

Official source: the SMLE 2026 blueprint and the applicant guide.

Nurses: the SNLE

The Saudi Nursing Licensure Examination uses the same architecture: 200 single-best-answer questions, up to 10% pilot, two blocks of 100 in 120 minutes, and a 30-minute break. It is for nurses holding a BSN or equivalent, plus interns and final-year students. Diploma-level nurses and technicians take separate SCFHS classification exams instead.

This is the exam with the largest expatriate audience, with many candidates coming from India, the Philippines, Egypt and Pakistan. Read the SNLE applicant guide for the current eligibility rules, because degree recognition is where applicants most often stumble.

Midwives: classification exam, two grades

There is no SMLE-style named exam for midwives. Instead SCFHS runs a Midwifery Specialist exam for degree holders and a Midwifery Technician exam for diploma holders, both multiple-choice computer-based tests at Prometric. Blueprints are public for both: see the Specialist blueprint and the Technician blueprint. Question counts were not stated on the pages we reviewed, so read the blueprint before you plan timing.

Pharmacists: the SPLE

The Saudi Pharmacist Licensure Examination follows the 200-question, two-block format, up to 10% pilot items, with a 30-minute break. It is open to PharmD and BPharm graduates, interns and final-year students, Saudi and foreign. Pharmacy technicians have a separate classification exam. A 2026 guide labelled SPHLE also appears on the SCFHS site, so confirm the current exam name and the applicant guide in force when you register: SPLE guide.

Dentists: the SDLE

The Saudi Dental Licensure Examination is a 200-question test in the same format. The pass mark is 542 on the 200-800 scale and you have up to four attempts a year. It is for BDS holders or equivalent, interns and final-year students. Dental specialists take SCFHS specialty classification exams instead. See the 2026 SDLE guide.

Physiotherapists: Specialist or Technician

Physiotherapists sit a computer-based multiple-choice classification exam, with degree holders classed as Specialist and diploma holders as Technician. The Specialist blueprint and Technician blueprint are published. The Specialist blueprint on the site dates from 2022, so check for a newer version.

Exams at a glance

Language and recognition

The exams are in English, and clinical work in most hospitals runs in English alongside Arabic. Recognition is by SCFHS evaluation of your degree, experience and verification, not by treaty. A licence from another Gulf state does not transfer, though your qualifications may help your classification. DataFlow verification is a normal part of the file.

Typical steps

1. Create your SCFHS profile and upload your degree, transcript and ID.
2. Confirm your grade. Degree means Specialist-level exams, diploma means Technician-level.
3. Start verification early. DataFlow checks are slower than the exam booking.
4. Book at Prometric. Pick the exam that matches your profession and grade.
5. Sit the exam. Use your first attempt seriously, as you can sit up to four times a year on the SMLE and SDLE.
6. Complete registration. Classification and registration follow a pass and valid verification.

Last reviewed October 2026