QCHP Internal Medicine Exam 2026: Eligibility, Format & Fee
Medical exams / QCHP Qatar / QCHP Internal Medicine exam guide
QCHP Internal Medicine Exam Quick Summary
The QCHP Internal Medicine exam is Qatar's specialty qualifying test, set by the Department of Healthcare Professions (DHP) and delivered by Prometric: 150 MCQs with a 65% cut score and a fee of USD 244 in 2026. Only specialists whose postgraduate degree falls in DHP's Category 3 must sit it; Category 1 and 2 holders are exempt. Every applicant needs primary source verification by DataFlow or QuadraBay.
Internists who want to practise in Qatar are licensed by the Department of Healthcare Professions (DHP), still widely known by its old name, QCHP. Depending on your postgraduate degree you may need to pass DHP's Internal Medicine qualifying exam. This guide explains who sits it, who is exempt, what it covers, how to prepare and what happens after you pass.
On this page
Who sits the QCHP Internal Medicine exam
DHP licenses specialists according to their postgraduate qualification, using its approved qualifications list for physicians. The Internal Medicine exam covers these scopes of practice: Internal Medicine, Geriatric Medicine, Immunology and Infectious Disease.
| DHP category | What it means for the exam |
|---|---|
| Category 1 and Category 2 | Qualifications DHP accepts without its exam. You still need the post-qualification experience your category requires, plus verification. |
| Category 3 | You need three years of postgraduate training and three years of experience after the degree, and you must pass the specialty exam. The experience must come from government or semi-government hospitals, or hospitals that run postgraduate training programmes. |
If your degree is not on DHP's list, or you do not yet have the experience your category needs, DHP may evaluate you for a lower title such as Assistant Specialty or General Practitioner. Search for your exact degree title and awarding body in DHP's approved qualifications list before you apply.
You also need a valid licence for the years you worked and a certificate of good standing, both checked at the source by your verification provider, and no long break from practice.
Who is exempt from the QCHP Internal Medicine exam
- Holders of Category 1 and Category 2 qualifications on DHP's approved list.
- Qatari nationals, children of Qatari mothers, and graduates of public or private universities and higher education institutions in Qatar (Circular DHP/2025/24, 30 December 2025).
Exemption covers only the exam: you still need verification, the required experience and a DHP evaluation. Our guide to DHP Qatar exam exemption criteria covers the other professions.
How to apply, step by step
Read DHP's Guidelines for Physicians and confirm your qualification and experience meet the rules for the Internal Medicine specialist title.
Applications go through DHP's Registration and Licensing System at dhpportal.moph.gov.qa, usually together with a Qatar employer or prospective employer.
DataFlow or QuadraBay, the two providers DHP approves, verify your degree, experience, licence and good standing directly with the issuing bodies.
Once DHP approves you to sit the exam, book it on Prometric's Qatar DHP page under exam code SCHQ2, at an international Prometric centre or the Doha centre on C Ring Road.
When you pass and your evaluation is approved, your employing facility completes the licensing step with DHP.
Documents to prepare
Your verification provider and DHP's evaluation team work from the same set of papers. Have clear scans of these ready:
- Primary medical degree, internship certificate and transcripts
- Postgraduate degree or board certificate, with training certificates
- Experience certificates for the required years, with dates and job titles
- Licences covering those years
- Certificate of good standing from your licensing authority
- Passport, a recent photograph and a CV on DHP's template
Most delays come from experience letters without exact dates, or licences that do not cover the whole period, so check these first.
What the QCHP Internal Medicine exam covers
DHP publishes a blueprint and reference list for each specialty exam on its qualifying exam page. Questions are single best answer clinical scenarios at specialist level, so expect management decisions, interpretation of investigations and complications rather than simple recall. The main areas to cover are:
The weights above are our guide to how much time each area deserves, based on how specialty boards usually build these papers. Check DHP's own blueprint before you plan. Pass marks and timing for every profession are in our article on the DHP Qatar exam passing score and duration.
A 10-week study plan for the QCHP Internal Medicine exam
Most candidates preparing alongside a full-time job need about ten weeks at two to three hours a day:
| Weeks | Focus | Daily target |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 3 | Cardiology, pulmonology and critical care | 40 to 50 MCQs, then review every explanation |
| 4 to 5 | Endocrinology, nephrology, electrolytes | 40 MCQs and one guideline summary |
| 6 to 7 | Gastroenterology, hepatology, infectious disease | 40 MCQs |
| 8 | Haematology, oncology, rheumatology, neurology | 50 MCQs |
| 9 | Two full 150-question timed mocks | Review each mock the next day |
| 10 | Weak areas from your mocks, then a final mock | Book once you score comfortably above 65% |
Recommended books for the QCHP Internal Medicine exam
These are the standard texts most candidates use. Read one core book well and use the others for reference, alongside a question bank.
| Book | Why it helps |
|---|---|
| Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine | The standard reference for depth and difficult topics |
| Davidson's Principles and Practice of Medicine | Clear, exam-friendly core text |
| Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine | Quick revision of management and doses |
| MKSAP (ACP Medical Knowledge Self-Assessment Program) | Specialist-level questions with up-to-date guidance |
Sample QCHP Internal Medicine exam MCQs
These five questions come from the free trial of our QCHP Internal Medicine QBank, across the main areas of the specialty. Tap a question to see the answer and explanation.
A 41-year-old woman has had heartburn for 2 years. She has taken esomeprazole 40 mg twice daily, correctly before meals, for 3 months with little benefit. Upper GI endoscopy on PPI is normal, and biopsies show no eosinophils. She has never had endoscopy off PPI or reflux testing. What is the most appropriate next step?A. Add a bedtime H2-receptor antagonistB. 24-hour pH-impedance monitoring while on twice-daily PPIC. Stop PPI for 7 days, then prolonged wireless pH monitoringD. Refer for magnetic sphincter augmentation
Answer: C. Stop PPI for 7 days, then prolonged wireless pH monitoring
Explanation: The key question is whether she has GORD at all. She has no objective evidence (no erosive oesophagitis, no Barrett, no previous pH study). The ACG advises that in PPI-refractory symptoms without proven GORD, reflux monitoring should be done off PPI (stop for about 7 days), preferably with 96-hour wireless (capsule) pH monitoring.
A 58-year-old woman with active rheumatoid arthritis has haemoglobin 96 g/L and MCV 77 fL. Her CRP is 48 mg/L, ferritin 150 µg/L and transferrin saturation 11%. B12 and folate are normal. Her rheumatologist wants to know whether she has iron deficiency in addition to anaemia of inflammation. Which blood test is most useful?A. Serum ironB. Total iron-binding capacityC. Soluble transferrin receptorD. Serum erythropoietin
Answer: C. Soluble transferrin receptor
Explanation: In anaemia of inflammation, IL-6 raises hepcidin, which traps iron in macrophages: serum iron and transferrin saturation fall, but ferritin is normal or high. Because ferritin is an acute-phase protein, it cannot exclude true iron deficiency here. The soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) reflects erythroid iron demand and is raised in iron deficiency but normal in anaemia of inflammation, and it is little affected by inflammation.
A 59-year-old woman on haemodialysis via a tunnelled catheter has fever and rigors. Two sets of blood cultures grow methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA). The catheter is removed. Three years ago she had anaphylaxis (hypotension and wheeze) within 20 minutes of oral amoxicillin. Which antibiotic is the most appropriate definitive therapy?A. VancomycinB. CefazolinC. CefadroxilD. Daptomycin
Answer: B. Cefazolin
Explanation: Cross-reactivity between penicillins and cephalosporins is driven mainly by the R1 side chain, not the shared beta-lactam ring; true cross-reactivity is about 1 to 2%. Cefazolin has a unique side chain shared with no other marketed beta-lactam. The 2022 US drug allergy practice parameter states that patients with a penicillin allergy history, including anaphylaxis, can receive a cephalosporin with a dissimilar side chain (e.g. cefazolin) without testing.
A 68-year-old man with ischaemic cardiomyopathy (EF 28%) has NYHA class II symptoms. Echocardiography shows a thickened aortic valve with mean gradient 22 mmHg and aortic valve area 0.9 cm². On low-dose dobutamine stress echocardiography, stroke volume rises by 35%, the mean gradient rises to 29 mmHg and the aortic valve area increases to 1.35 cm². What is the most appropriate management?A. Transcatheter aortic valve implantationB. Surgical aortic valve replacement with coronary bypass graftingC. Optimise guideline-directed heart failure therapy and monitor the valveD. Balloon aortic valvuloplasty
Answer: C. Optimise guideline-directed heart failure therapy and monitor the valve
Explanation: This is pseudo-severe AS. At rest the weak ventricle cannot fully open a moderately diseased valve, so the AVA looks small. With dobutamine he shows good flow reserve (SV +35%), the AVA opens to >1.0 cm² (1.35) and the gradient stays <40 mmHg.
A 58-year-old man has septic shock from pneumonia. Six hours after admission his MAP is 68 mmHg on noradrenaline 0.2 µg/kg/min. Capillary refill time is 5 seconds and lactate has only fallen from 4.8 to 4.2 mmol/L. Paired blood gases: arterial PaCO₂ 42 mmHg; central venous PCO₂ 52 mmHg; central venous oxygen saturation (ScvO₂) 74%. Haemoglobin is 118 g/L. What does this combination of findings most likely indicate?A. Adequate oxygen delivery, because ScvO₂ is above 70%B. Lactate rise from β2-adrenergic stimulationC. Mitochondrial dysfunction with adequate blood flowD. Inadequate cardiac output despite a normal ScvO₂
Answer: D. Inadequate cardiac output despite a normal ScvO₂
Explanation: The central venous-to-arterial PCO₂ difference (Pv-aCO₂ or ‘CO₂ gap’) is 52 − 42 = 10 mmHg. By the Fick principle for CO₂, the gap is inversely related to cardiac output: when flow is low, CO₂ produced by tissues is not washed out and accumulates in venous blood. A gap >6 mmHg means blood flow is inadequate for the metabolic demand.
Want to try more QCHP Internal Medicine questions?
Start with 30 free questions from the same QBank, each with a full explanation, then unlock the full bank when you are ready.
Exam fee and rescheduling
Under Circular DHP/2024/10, the Prometric fee for every Qatar qualifying exam is USD 244 per attempt from 1 January 2026 (it was USD 238 in 2024 and 2025). Verification and DHP evaluation fees are paid separately. Changing or cancelling a booking costs:
| When you change or cancel | Charge |
|---|---|
| 30 days or more before the exam | USD 25 |
| 5 to 29 days before the exam | USD 40 |
| Less than 5 days before, not attending, or arriving over 30 minutes late | Full exam fee |
On exam day
- Bring the identity document you used to book; the name must match your Prometric appointment.
- Phones, watches and notes go in a locker. Prometric gives you everything you need at the desk.
- DHP and Prometric list 3 hours for the 150 questions, while DHP's blueprint document says 3.5 hours, so check the time on your booking confirmation and plan on about 70 seconds per question.
- Flag hard questions and come back to them; every question counts towards the 98 correct answers you need.
Results and attempts
Prometric gives you your result at the centre when you finish. DHP applies the 65% cut score exactly as published, without rounding.
DHP's qualifying exam page currently states that applicants may attempt the exam an unlimited number of times. Older DHP guidelines allowed specialists three attempts, so check the page on the day you book in case the rule changes again.
Getting your licence
Passing the exam makes you eligible, but you can practise only after DHP approves your evaluation and a licensed healthcare facility in Qatar employs you and completes your licence. Keep your verification report and good standing certificate current while you look for a job.
Qatar and other Gulf Internal Medicine exams
| Authority | Where you can work | Exam |
|---|---|---|
| DHP (QCHP) | Qatar | 150 MCQs, 65% cut score, Prometric code SCHQ2 |
| DHA | Dubai | Own Internal Medicine exam |
| SCFHS | Saudi Arabia | Own Internal Medicine exam |
Each authority licenses separately, and a pass in one does not replace Qatar's exam. The clinical content overlaps, so your preparation carries over. See our guides to the DHA Internal Medicine exam and the SLE Internal Medicine exam.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pass mark for the QCHP Internal Medicine exam?
65%, which is 98 of 150 questions. DHP does not round scores, so 97 correct answers is a fail.
Do all Internal Medicine specialists need to sit the QCHP exam?
No. Holders of Category 1 and 2 qualifications on DHP's approved list are exempt. Category 3 holders must pass it.
Which topics carry the most weight?
Cardiology, endocrinology, gastroenterology and pulmonology make up a large share of most internal medicine papers. Use DHP's blueprint to confirm before you plan.
Is the QCHP Internal Medicine exam the same as the GP exam?
No. It is a separate specialty exam of 150 MCQs with a 65% cut score, while the GP exam has a 60% cut score and covers general practice.
How much does the QCHP Internal Medicine exam cost?
USD 244 per attempt from 1 January 2026, paid to Prometric. Verification and DHP evaluation fees are extra.
How many attempts are allowed?
DHP's qualifying exam page currently says the exam can be attempted an unlimited number of times. Older guidelines allowed specialists three attempts, so check before you book.
Further reading
Ready to clear your QCHP Internal Medicine exam on the first attempt?
Practise with 5,900+ exam-style MCQs, 610+ image questions and detailed explanations written for the Qatar specialty exam.
The MOH UAE Internal Medicine Qbank has real depth for a specialty exam. Reviewing the explanations twice was worth the time....