Exam guide
The SMLE exam, explained
The Saudi Medical Licensing Examination (SMLE) is the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties assessment of whether a doctor is ready to practise, or to move into postgraduate training. It is a computer based multiple choice exam, sat at Prometric test centres, reported on a scale of 200 to 800 with 560 to pass.
Last checked 11 August 2026. Every figure below is taken from the SCFHS Saudi Medical Licensure Examination applicant guide. Exam rules change, so confirm the current detail with the SCFHS before you book.
Who sits the SMLE
The SMLE is written for people entering practice in Saudi Arabia. Under the applicant guide you may apply if you hold a recognised primary degree, an MBBS or its equivalent, from an accredited health science programme. You may also apply if you have commenced the internship year, or if you are a student one year away from graduation.
Applications go through the SCFHS e-application with the required attachments. Once an application is processed a scheduling permit is issued carrying an eligibility period, and the exam is then booked at any SCFHS approved Prometric test centre, inside Saudi Arabia or abroad. A candidate may not sit the exam twice in the same testing window.
How the exam is structured
As of March 2023 the SMLE consists of 200 MCQs divided into two sections, with 120 minutes allowed for each section and one scheduled break between them. This matters when you are reading around: a great deal of published advice still describes the retired format of 300 questions across three sections over six hours.
| Questions | 200 MCQs, in two sections |
|---|---|
| Time | 120 minutes for each section |
| Breaks | One scheduled break between the two sections |
| Question type | Four options, one best answer |
| Delivery | Computer based, at SCFHS approved Prometric test centres |
| Score scale | 200 to 800 |
| Pass score | 560 |
Every question offers four options and asks for the single best answer. The paper mixes recall questions, which test knowledge directly, with clinical scenarios that test interpretation, analysis, decision making, reasoning and problem solving. The exam also carries unscored pilot items, which do not count towards your result. The applicant guide writes each section as 100 (+10) questions, so plan on a little over a minute per question.
What the exam covers
The content is set by a test blueprint, established by the SMLE steering committee, which is made up of representatives from the Saudi medical college deans. The blueprint fixes how much of the paper each discipline takes.
| Section | Weight |
|---|---|
| Medicine | 30% |
| Obstetrics and Gynecology | 25% |
| Pediatrics | 25% |
| Surgery | 20% |
The guide notes that the distribution in any given sitting may differ by up to five percentage points in each category. Read the table as proportions rather than a promise: medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, and pediatrics together account for four fifths of the paper.
How the SMLE is scored
Results are reported on a scale of 200 to 800, and the pass score is 560. That standard was not picked arbitrarily. The SCFHS convened a panel of Saudi physicians for a standard setting exercise in April 2017, the panel recommended 560, and the Central Assessment Committee reviewed and approved it. It has applied since June 2017.
Results are not given at the test centre. Psychometric analysis is run during the window closing period, and results are announced within two to six weeks of the end of a test window. Every candidate receives two documents: a statement of results, and a feedback report showing how their performance compared with other candidates.
How many attempts you get
Eligible candidates may sit the SMLE up to four times a year, from the first attempt until a pass score is obtained. Passing does not close the door: a candidate may sit twice more to improve their mark for residency selection, and after one calendar year from that second attempt, once more annually for the same purpose. SCFHS classification and registration rules apply to candidates who do not pass within two years of their graduation date.
How to prepare for the SMLE
The blueprint is the most useful planning document you have, and most candidates under-use it. A few things follow directly from the structure above.
- Revise in the blueprint's proportions. Medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, and pediatrics carry 80 percent of the paper between them. Time spent evenly across every specialty is time spent against the odds.
- Practise the actual question format. Four options, one best answer, with a distractor set built to punish half-knowledge. Reading notes builds recognition; answering questions builds the discrimination the exam actually measures.
- Rehearse under the clock. A little over a minute per question is not long enough to reason from first principles on every item. The pace has to be trained, not discovered on the day.
- Train for two long sections, not one short burst. Two 120 minute sections with a single break is an endurance problem as much as a knowledge problem.
- Space the work and come back to your mistakes. Questions you got wrong are the highest yield material you own, and they are worth nothing unless something brings them back.
- Check what your source rests on. Guidelines move, and revision material goes stale quietly. An answer you cannot trace to a source is an answer you cannot check.
Questions about the SMLE
What is the SMLE?
The Saudi Medical Licensing Examination is the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties assessment of whether a candidate is ready to practise medicine or move into postgraduate training. It is a computer based multiple choice exam sat at Prometric test centres.
How many questions are on the SMLE?
As of March 2023 the exam consists of 200 MCQs divided into two sections, with 120 minutes allowed for each section and one scheduled break between them. The earlier format of 300 questions across three sections is retired.
What is the passing score for the SMLE?
560 on a reporting scale of 200 to 800. That standard was set by a panel of Saudi physicians in April 2017, approved by the Central Assessment Committee, and applied from June 2017.
Who is eligible to sit the SMLE?
Candidates who hold a recognised primary degree such as an MBBS or equivalent from an accredited health science programme, or who have commenced the internship year, or who are students one year away from graduation.
How many times can you sit the SMLE?
Up to four times a year from the first attempt until a pass score is obtained. After passing, a candidate may sit twice more to improve their mark for residency selection, and one further attempt annually after that.
When are SMLE results released?
Results are not instant. Psychometric analysis runs during the window closing period and results are announced within two to six weeks of the end of a test window.
Where PassCurve fits
Knowing the blueprint is one thing; revising in its proportions while working full time is another. PassCurve builds each session to those weights, then tilts it toward whichever subject is currently costing you marks. Anything you miss returns on a spacing curve until it sticks, every answer names the source it rests on, and every question is in English, the language the exam is sat in.
Five questions a day are free, with no card required, and the review deck is free for good.
Sitting a different Gulf licensing exam? PassCurve also covers the DHA exam in Dubai, the DOH exam in Abu Dhabi, and the same regulator's SNLE for nurses, each with its own guide.
PassCurve is an independent revision tool. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or accredited by the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties, Prometric, or any exam authority. This page summarises published SCFHS material for candidates and is not a substitute for it. Always confirm current exam rules, fees and dates with the SCFHS before applying.