Prometric Exam for Internal Medicine: Specialist & Consultant Physician Licence for DHA, MOHAP, DOH, SCFHS & QCHP — the 12-Area Blueprint, 60% and 70% Pass Marks, MD, FCPS and MRCP Recognition and Salaries (2026)
Internal medicine is the most-sat specialist paper in the Gulf. This guide covers the Specialist Internal Medicine exam (150 questions, 60% to pass) and the Consultant paper (100 questions, 70%), the twelve official blueprint areas, the questions that repeat, how MD, DNB, FCPS and MRCP are tiered, and what internists earn in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Every Gulf hospital with inpatient beds needs internists, and the medical subspecialties that cannot show a dedicated qualification — the MD physician who ran a dialysis unit or a diabetes clinic — are all licensed under this title as well. That makes internal medicine the specialist paper with the most candidates. It is also one of the widest: twelve organ systems, one sitting.
Two papers, one blueprint
| Exam (code) | Questions | Time | Pass mark | Correct answers needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Specialist Internal Medicine (INT5921) | 150 | 3 h | 60% | 90 |
| Consultant Internal Medicine (INT5732) | 100 | 3 h | 70% | 70 |
The reference list is Harrison's, Davidson's, the Cecil review and Siegenthaler's differential diagnosis text, plus the ethics and patient-safety handbooks. Siegenthaler is the clue to the question style: most stems give you a presentation and ask for the diagnosis or the next step, not a recalled fact.
Which title will you be given?
The title follows the qualification, not the job you have been doing:
- MD or DNB medicine, FCPS medicine, MRCP(UK) with completed training, Arab Board, American or Canadian boards → Specialist Internal Medicine, or Consultant with the higher tier and the required years after qualification.
- MRCP alone, without a completed training programme → assessed case by case; several authorities ask for additional supervised experience.
- MBBS with medical ward experience → General Practitioner (GEN5331), not internal medicine.
The tiers are set out in the recognition guide; who may skip the paper altogether is in the exemptions guide. Run the eligibility check before paying for verification.
The twelve blueprint areas
- Cardiovascular — acute coronary syndromes, heart failure drug sequencing, atrial fibrillation and anticoagulation scoring, valvular disease, infective endocarditis, hypertension
- Pulmonary diseases — asthma and COPD stepwise care, pneumonia severity scoring, pulmonary embolism, pleural effusion analysis, tuberculosis
- Gastrointestinal diseases — upper GI bleeding, inflammatory bowel disease, cirrhosis and its complications, viral hepatitis serology, pancreatitis
- Infectious diseases — sepsis bundles, HIV and opportunistic infection, malaria, brucellosis, meningitis, antimicrobial choice
- Nephrology — acute kidney injury, electrolyte and acid–base disorders, glomerular disease, chronic kidney disease
- Rheumatology — rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, gout, vasculitis, antibody interpretation
- Endocrinology — diabetes drug selection, DKA, thyroid function patterns, adrenal insufficiency, hypercalcaemia
- Neuroscience — stroke thrombolysis windows, seizures, headache red flags, Guillain–Barré, myasthenia
- Haematology — anaemia work-up, sickle cell disease and thalassaemia (both common in the region), anticoagulation, thrombocytopenia
- Oncology — oncological emergencies, screening, paraneoplastic syndromes
- Emergency medicine — anaphylaxis, poisoning and antidotes, shock, status epilepticus
- Patient safety — medication error, handover, infection control
What repeats
- ECG-in-words and blood-gas interpretation.
- Diabetes drug choice by comorbidity and the DKA potassium rule.
- Hyponatraemia and hyperkalaemia — classification and the treatment sequence.
- Anticoagulation decisions — who, which agent, how long, how to reverse.
- Haemoglobinopathies — sickle crisis management, G6PD deficiency triggers.
- Hepatitis B serology and ascitic fluid analysis.
- Antibiotic selection for pneumonia, meningitis and endocarditis.
- Ethics scenarios — consent, confidentiality, breaking bad news, the family that asks you to withhold a diagnosis.
Process
- Portal registration and title selection (Sheryan, Mumaris+ or the relevant portal).
- DataFlow verification of the primary degree, the medicine qualification, registration and experience (DataFlow guide, fees).
- Eligibility, booking (lead times), exam — Prometric for most authorities, Pearson VUE for DOH.
- Offer, credentialing and licence activation.
Salaries
Specialist internists in the UAE typically earn AED 30,000–50,000 a month and Consultants AED 50,000–85,000. Saudi packages run SAR 28,000–48,000 for Specialists, usually with housing; Qatar is comparable. Compare offers in the salary calculator and register in the talent pool.
Eight-week plan
- Weeks 1–2: cardiovascular and pulmonary.
- Week 3: gastroenterology and infectious diseases.
- Week 4: nephrology, electrolytes and acid–base.
- Week 5: endocrinology and rheumatology.
- Week 6: neurology, haematology and oncology.
- Week 7: emergencies, ethics and patient safety.
- Week 8: two timed mocks from the Specialist or Consultant question bank.
How the specialist papers compare with one another is in the specialist overview.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pass mark for the Prometric internal medicine exam?
60% for the Specialist paper, which has 150 questions in three hours, and 70% for the Consultant paper, which has 100 questions in three hours.
Is MRCP enough for a specialist internal medicine licence in the Gulf?
MRCP with a completed training programme is recognised. MRCP on its own is assessed case by case, and several authorities ask for additional supervised experience before granting the Specialist title.
Can an MBBS doctor with medical ward experience sit the internal medicine paper?
No. Without a postgraduate medicine qualification the licence is General Practitioner, and the exam is the General Practice paper.
Which topics carry the most questions?
Cardiovascular, endocrine, renal and infectious disease questions make up the largest share, and most are written as clinical scenarios that ask for the diagnosis or the next step.
Practice banks for this exam
Chapter-wise MCQs with written reasoning on every question, and timed mocks at the real pass mark.