SPLE Exam 2026: Saudi Pharmacist Blueprint & Pass Mark
Medical exams / Saudi Licensing Exam / SPLE exam guide
SPLE Exam Quick Summary
The Saudi Pharmacist Licensure Examination (SPLE) is set by the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS) and delivered by Prometric. It has 200 single best answer MCQs in two parts of two hours each, and you pass with a scaled score of 536 on a 200 to 800 scale. You apply through Mumaris Plus and can sit up to four times a year.
This guide covers who can sit the SPLE, how to apply through Mumaris Plus, the official SCFHS blueprint and pass mark, the attempt rules and how to prepare, with five sample questions from our SPLE QBank.
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Who can sit the SPLE
Under the SCFHS SPLE applicant guide, you can sit the exam if you:
- Hold a recognised pharmacy degree, or
- Are in your internship year, or
- Are within one year of graduation. Saudi students may sit in their final year.
Passing the SPLE is one step. To practise you also need professional classification and registration with SCFHS, DataFlow verification of foreign qualifications, and the experience SCFHS sets for your nationality and degree.
How to apply, step by step
Apply for the exam through the SCFHS e-services in Mumaris Plus and pay the fee shown there.
SCFHS emails a scheduling permit with your eligibility period.
Book at any SCFHS-approved Prometric centre, in Saudi Arabia or abroad, up to three months ahead.
Bring your permit and passport or national ID. An optional practice test is available from Prometric.
After passing, complete DataFlow verification and professional classification in Mumaris Plus.
Exam format and pass mark
| Item | Details (SCFHS SPLE applicant guide) |
|---|---|
| Questions | 200 single best answer MCQs, four options each |
| Structure | Two parts of 100 questions, 120 minutes each, with a 30-minute break |
| Pilot items | Up to 10% may be pilot questions |
| Pass mark | Scaled score of 536 on a 200 to 800 scale |
| Results | Two to six weeks after the testing window closes |
Official SPLE blueprint
SCFHS sets these weights, each of which may vary by up to 5%:
An 8-week study plan
| Weeks | Focus | Daily target |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 3 | Clinical pharmacotherapy: cardiovascular, endocrine, infections, respiratory, CNS | 40 to 50 MCQs, then read every explanation |
| 4 to 5 | Pharmaceutics, pharmacokinetics and calculations | 40 MCQs and 10 calculations |
| 6 | Law, ethics, management, medication safety and OTC counselling | 40 MCQs |
| 7 | Two full timed mocks | Review each mock the next day |
| 8 | Weak areas and a final mock | Book when you score well above the pass mark |
Reference books in the SCFHS guide
SCFHS lists these as study aids; it does not endorse any single book:
| Area | Books |
|---|---|
| Review | The APhA Complete Review for Pharmacy |
| Pharmacology and therapeutics | Goodman and Gilman; Koda-Kimble Applied Therapeutics; DiPiro Pharmacotherapy; Lexicomp |
| Pharmaceutics and kinetics | Shargel Applied Biopharmaceutics and Pharmacokinetics; Aulton's Pharmaceutics; Ansel's Pharmaceutical Calculations |
| Basic sciences | Lippincott Illustrated Reviews: Biochemistry and Pharmacology |
| Saudi practice | SFDA and Ministry of Health resources |
Sample SPLE MCQs
These five questions come from the free trial of our SPLE QBank, one from each part of the blueprint where possible. Tap a question to see the answer and explanation.
A 71-year-old man is scheduled for transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) next week. He has no urinary symptoms and no fever. Pre-operative urine culture grows more than 10^5 CFU/mL of Escherichia coli susceptible to co-amoxiclav, cefalexin and gentamicin. A doctor says asymptomatic bacteriuria should never be treated. What is the most appropriate recommendation?A. No antibiotic, as asymptomatic bacteriuria is never treatedB. A 7-day course of cefalexin starting the day after surgeryC. A culture-directed antibiotic 30 to 60 minutes before, 1 or 2 dosesD. Postpone surgery and give low-dose prophylaxis for 3 months
Answer: C. A culture-directed antibiotic 30 to 60 minutes before, 1 or 2 doses
Explanation: Asymptomatic bacteriuria is usually not treated, because treatment does not improve outcomes and drives resistance and C. difficile. There are two main exceptions: pregnancy, and before endourological procedures that breach the mucosa, such as TURP. Resection opens venous sinuses in the prostate, and bacteria in the urine can cause post-operative bacteraemia and urosepsis in up to 60% of untreated bacteriuric patients.
A hospital pharmacist is explaining aerosol deposition to pharmacy students. Inhaled drug particles deposit in different parts of the respiratory tract mainly according to their aerodynamic diameter. Which particle size range is most likely to reach and deposit in the bronchi, bronchioles and lower airways?A. Below 0.5 micrometreB. 10 to 20 micrometresC. 5 to 10 micrometresD. 1 to 5 micrometres
Answer: D. 1 to 5 micrometres
Explanation: Particles deposit by three mechanisms. Inertial impaction affects large particles (above about 5 micrometres), which hit the back of the throat and upper airways, are swallowed and may cause systemic or local effects (for example oral candidiasis from inhaled corticosteroids). Gravitational sedimentation acts on particles of about 1 to 5 micrometres in the smaller conducting airways and alveoli, where the airflow slows, so this is the target range (the fine particle fraction).
A 7-year-old boy with newly diagnosed asthma comes to the pharmacy with his mother to collect a salbutamol pMDI and a spacer. The mother says she will listen to the instructions and "he does not need to understand". The boy looks curious and is holding the spacer box. What is the most appropriate approach?A. Speak to the boy at his eye level, demonstrate, let him practise, and involve his motherB. Explain everything to the mother only, as she is legally responsibleC. Give the boy a children's leaflet to read while his mother is counselled aloneD. Tell the boy the inhaler is a sweet spray so he will not be afraid of it
Answer: A. Speak to the boy at his eye level, demonstrate, let him practise, and involve his mother
Explanation: A 7-year-old can understand simple, concrete explanations and learn a device technique, and he is the person who will use the inhaler at school and play. Good practice is to talk to the child directly, sit or kneel at his eye level, use words he knows ('this helps open your breathing tubes'), and demonstrate with a placebo device, then let him practise and praise his effort. The parent remains a partner: she supervises, learns the same technique and gets the written information.
A pharmacist is training a new pharmacy assistant on the sale of paediatric ibuprofen oral suspension 100 mg/5 mL without a prescription. What is the minimum age and weight for supplying it over the counter?A. 1 month of age and at least 3 kgB. 3 months of age and at least 5 kgC. 6 months of age and at least 7 kgD. 12 months of age and at least 10 kg
Answer: B. 3 months of age and at least 5 kg
Explanation: Paediatric ibuprofen suspension is licensed for OTC sale from 3 months of age in infants weighing at least 5 kg. Younger or lighter babies have immature renal function and are more vulnerable to NSAID adverse effects, and fever in a baby under 3 months needs medical assessment rather than self-treatment. For infants aged 3 to 5 months, the OTC labelling also advises seeing a doctor if symptoms persist for more than 24 hours.
A 45-year-old man who drinks about a bottle of spirits daily is admitted for elective hernia repair and has had no alcohol since admission. Thirty hours after his last drink he becomes tremulous, sweaty, anxious and tachycardic, and then has a generalised tonic-clonic seizure. His glucose is 5.6 mmol/L. Which neuroadaptation best explains the seizure?A. Upregulated GABA-A receptor function with reduced glutamate releaseB. Induction of hepatic alcohol dehydrogenase lowering blood alcohol fasterC. Downregulated GABA-A receptor function and upregulated NMDA receptor activityD. Increased dopamine D2 receptor density in the nucleus accumbens
Answer: C. Downregulated GABA-A receptor function and upregulated NMDA receptor activity
Explanation: Acutely, ethanol enhances GABA-A receptor chloride currents and inhibits NMDA glutamate receptors. With chronic heavy drinking the brain adapts: GABA-A receptor function falls (reduced numbers and altered subunits) and NMDA receptors are upregulated, keeping excitability near normal while alcohol is present. When drinking stops, the brain is left with too little inhibition and too much excitation, plus noradrenergic overactivity.
Want to try more SPLE questions?
Start with 30 free questions from the same QBank, each with a full explanation, then unlock the full bank when you are ready.
Fees
SCFHS shows the SPLE fee in Mumaris Plus when you pay, and the amount can change. DataFlow verification and professional classification are charged separately.
Results and attempts
- You can sit up to four times a year until you pass, counted from your first attempt.
- Only one attempt is allowed in each testing window; a second sitting in the same window counts as an attempt and its result is cancelled.
- After passing, you may sit twice more to improve your score.
- Graduates still failing two years after graduation fall under SCFHS classification rules, so plan to pass early.
Frequently asked questions
What is the SPLE pass mark?
A scaled score of 536 on a 200 to 800 scale, under the SCFHS applicant guide.
How many questions are in the SPLE?
200 single best answer MCQs in two parts of 100, with 120 minutes for each part.
Can I sit the SPLE before graduating?
Yes. You can sit during your internship year or within one year of graduation.
How many attempts are allowed?
Up to four a year until you pass, one in each testing window.
Which part of the SPLE is largest?
Pharmaceutical Sciences and Clinical Sciences, at 35% each.
Where can I take the SPLE?
At SCFHS-approved Prometric centres in Saudi Arabia and abroad.
Ready to pass the SPLE?
Practise with exam-style SPLE questions built around the SCFHS blueprint, with full explanations and timed tests.
The subject scores showed that urology was dragging my average down, so I fixed that early....