Prometric Exam for Cardiologists: Specialist Cardiology Licence for DHA, MOHAP, DOH, SCFHS & QCHP — the 12-Area Blueprint, 65% Pass Mark, Interventional Privileges, DM and DNB Recognition and Salaries (2026)

Coronary disease presents a decade earlier in the Gulf than in Europe, diabetes prevalence is among the highest anywhere, and every large hospital group now wants a 24-hour primary PCI service. Cardiologists are recruited year-round. If you hold a DM, DNB or DrNB in cardiology, FCPS cardiology, an Arab Board subspecialty certificate or an equivalent, the written paper below stands between you and the licence. Cardiac technical staff are licensed separately — see the ECG technician and perfusionist guide.

The exam

• Specialist Cardiology (CRD5751): 150 single-best-answer questions, 3 hours, pass mark 65% — 98 correct answers
• References: Braunwald's Heart Disease, Hurst's The Heart, Topol's Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine, the Mayo Clinic Cardiology concise textbook, and the ACC's adult clinical cardiology self-assessment programme

The presence of a self-assessment programme on the reference list tells you the style: guideline-based clinical vignettes with one best management answer.

Cardiology is a subspecialty: check your title first

Regulators license cardiology on a subspecialty qualification, built on a base qualification in internal medicine. The clean cases are DM or DNB/DrNB cardiology after MD medicine, FCPS cardiology, Arab Board cardiology, and UK or North American training with certification. The problem cases:

• MD medicine with years of cardiology work but no cardiology degree — licensed as Specialist Internal Medicine (INT5921), not cardiology.
• MRCP plus cardiology experience — MRCP is a medicine qualification; without completed specialty training and certification it does not make you a cardiologist for licensing.
• Diplomas and short fellowships in cardiology, echocardiography or non-invasive cardiology — generally not sufficient for the Specialist Cardiology title.

See the recognition guide, the exemptions guide for Tier 1 holders, and run the eligibility check before paying for anything.

The twelve blueprint areas

1. Coronary artery disease — chronic coronary syndromes, NSTE-ACS risk stratification and timing of angiography, STEMI reperfusion strategy and time targets, antiplatelet choice and duration, complications of MI (mechanical and electrical), secondary prevention
2. Cardiac failure — classification by ejection fraction, the four pillars of therapy for reduced ejection fraction, device indications (ICD, CRT), acute decompensation, advanced therapies
3. Valve disease — severity criteria, timing of intervention in aortic stenosis and mitral regurgitation, rheumatic mitral stenosis and balloon valvotomy (still common in source countries and in the region), prosthetic valve anticoagulation, TAVI basics
4. Arrhythmias — atrial fibrillation (stroke risk scoring, anticoagulation, rate vs rhythm), SVT mechanisms and acute treatment, ventricular tachycardia, channelopathies, syncope work-up, pacing indications
5. Congenital heart disease — ASD, VSD, PDA, coarctation, tetralogy in the adult, Eisenmenger syndrome, pregnancy risk
6. The cardiomyopathies — hypertrophic (sudden death risk markers), dilated, restrictive, arrhythmogenic, takotsubo, peripartum
7. Pericardial disease — acute pericarditis treatment, tamponade physiology, constriction vs restriction
8. Infective endocarditis — diagnostic criteria, empirical therapy, surgical indications, prophylaxis rules
9. Peripheral vascular disease — aortic aneurysm thresholds, dissection classification, limb ischaemia, carotid disease
10. Systemic disease and the heart — diabetes, renal disease, thyroid, connective tissue disease, cardio-oncology, pregnancy
11. Cardiac pharmacology — antiarrhythmic classes and toxicities (amiodarone in particular), anticoagulant and antiplatelet interactions, lipid-lowering beyond statins, drugs to avoid in heart failure and in long QT
12. Professionalism and ethics

What repeats

• "Which intervention, and when?" Symptomatic severe aortic stenosis; primary mitral regurgitation with falling ejection fraction; NSTEMI with high-risk features. Timing questions dominate.
• Device indications. Primary-prevention ICD criteria, CRT criteria (QRS width and morphology), pacing for AV block.
• Atrial fibrillation decisions. Who gets anticoagulated, with what, and what to do around cardioversion and ablation.
• ECG and haemodynamic interpretation from description. Pressure tracings in tamponade and constriction, intracardiac shunt calculations, right-heart catheter data.
• Murmur physiology. Dynamic manoeuvres distinguishing hypertrophic cardiomyopathy from aortic stenosis.
• Pregnancy. Lesions that are high-risk, anticoagulation with mechanical valves, drugs to avoid.
• Drug toxicity. Amiodarone (thyroid, lung, liver, eye), digoxin, QT-prolonging combinations.

Revise from current international guidelines: management that was standard when you trained may now be the distractor.

Interventional privileges

The Specialist Cardiology licence covers clinical cardiology. Coronary intervention, structural procedures and electrophysiology are privileged separately by each hospital's credentialing committee, on documented fellowship training and case volumes — expect to be asked for your numbers as first operator over the last two to three years, with complication rates. Hospitals running primary PCI rotas will not put an operator on call without it. Keep a signed logbook; it directly determines both your scope and your salary band.

Process

1. Portal registration and title selection.
2. DataFlow verification of the primary degree, the medicine qualification, the cardiology qualification, registration and experience — three qualifications means a larger verification bill, so budget for it (DataFlow guide, fees).
3. Eligibility, booking (lead times), exam — Prometric for most authorities, Pearson VUE for DOH.
4. Offer, credentialing, privileging and activation. BLS and ACLS are required.

Salaries

Non-invasive Specialist cardiologists in the UAE typically earn AED 40,000–60,000 a month; interventional cardiologists AED 60,000–100,000; Consultants and electrophysiologists AED 80,000–150,000, often with procedure-linked incentives. Saudi packages run SAR 35,000–60,000 for Specialists and considerably more for interventional Consultants, usually with housing. Compare offers in the salary calculator and register in the talent pool — hospitals request cardiologists by subspecialty.

Ten-week plan

1. Weeks 1–2: coronary disease and pharmacology.
2. Week 3: heart failure and cardiomyopathies.
3. Week 4: valve disease and endocarditis.
4. Weeks 5–6: arrhythmias, devices and ECG interpretation.
5. Week 7: congenital, pericardial and vascular disease.
6. Week 8: systemic disease, pregnancy, ethics.
7. Weeks 9–10: timed mocks from the Specialist Cardiology question bank, with a guideline check on every miss.

Frequently asked questions

What is the pass mark for the Prometric cardiology exam?

65%. The Specialist Cardiology paper has 150 single-best-answer questions in three hours, so 98 correct answers are needed.

Can an MD medicine doctor with cardiology experience get a cardiologist licence in the UAE?

No. Cardiology is licensed on a subspecialty qualification such as DM, DNB or FCPS cardiology. An MD in medicine with cardiology experience is licensed as Specialist Internal Medicine.

Does the cardiology licence allow me to perform angioplasty?

The licence covers clinical cardiology. Coronary intervention, structural procedures and electrophysiology are privileged separately by each hospital on documented training and recent case volumes.

How many qualifications does DataFlow verify for a cardiologist?

Usually three — the primary medical degree, the internal medicine qualification and the cardiology qualification — plus registration and experience, so verification costs more than for a GP.