Prometric Exam for Rheumatologists: Specialist Rheumatology Licence for DHA, MOHAP, DOH, SCFHS & QCHP — the 11-Area Blueprint, 65% Pass Mark, Biologic Prescribing, DM and FCPS Recognition and Salaries (2026)
Lupus, Behçet's and familial Mediterranean fever are all more common in the Gulf than in Europe, and rheumatologists are among the scarcest medical specialists in the region. This guide covers the Specialist Rheumatology paper — 150 questions, three hours, 65% to pass — its eleven official blueprint areas, the classification-criteria, biologic and vasculitis questions that repeat, how DM, DNB and FCPS are recognised, and what rheumatologists earn.
Rheumatology in the Gulf has a distinctive case mix: high rates of lupus, Behçet's disease and familial Mediterranean fever, widespread vitamin D deficiency, and a large burden of osteoarthritis and back pain in an increasingly sedentary population. Biologic therapy is well funded, so treatment decisions are the daily work. Rheumatologists are in short supply everywhere in the region. For holders of a DM, DNB or DrNB in rheumatology, FCPS rheumatology, Arab Board or equivalent, this is the route.
The exam
- Specialist Rheumatology (RHU5501): 150 single-best-answer questions, 3 hours, pass mark 65% — 98 correct answers
- References: the Primer on the Rheumatic Diseases, Weisman's Targeted Treatment of the Rheumatic Diseases, the EULAR Textbook on Rheumatic Diseases, plus the ethics and patient-safety handbooks
A book devoted to targeted treatment is on the list: expect the paper to test which biologic, for whom, and what to check first.
Rheumatology is a subspecialty: check your title
Regulators license rheumatology on a dedicated qualification built on internal medicine — DM or DNB/DrNB rheumatology after MD medicine, FCPS rheumatology, Arab Board, or UK and North American training with certification. MD medicine with a rheumatology clinic is licensed as Specialist Internal Medicine (INT5921). Physiatrists and orthopaedic surgeons who manage arthritis do so on their own licences (PM&R guide, orthopaedics guide). Read the recognition guide and run the eligibility check first.
The eleven blueprint areas
- Rheumatoid arthritis — classification criteria, disease activity scores, treat-to-target, conventional DMARDs and their monitoring, biologic and JAK-inhibitor selection and sequencing, extra-articular disease, perioperative and pregnancy management
- Seronegative spondyloarthropathies — axial spondyloarthritis imaging and criteria, psoriatic arthritis patterns, reactive arthritis, enteropathic arthritis, uveitis association, when to start a biologic
- Systemic lupus erythematosus and antiphospholipid syndrome — classification criteria, serology interpretation, lupus nephritis classes and induction, neuropsychiatric lupus, hydroxychloroquine and eye screening, pregnancy planning, antiphospholipid syndrome anticoagulation
- Other connective tissue diseases — systemic sclerosis subsets and organ complications (renal crisis, pulmonary hypertension, interstitial lung disease), Sjögren's syndrome, inflammatory myopathies and their antibodies, mixed connective tissue disease, IgG4-related disease
- Vasculitis — classification by vessel size, giant cell arteritis as an emergency, Takayasu arteritis, ANCA-associated vasculitis induction and maintenance, polyarteritis nodosa, Behçet's disease, IgA vasculitis, Kawasaki disease
- Crystal-induced arthropathies — acute gout treatment by comorbidity, urate-lowering therapy targets and prophylaxis, calcium pyrophosphate disease
- Infectious and related arthritis — septic arthritis, gonococcal arthritis, tuberculous and brucella arthritis (both seen in the region), viral arthritides, rheumatic fever
- Regional pain syndromes — shoulder, back and neck pain, fibromyalgia, complex regional pain syndrome, entrapment neuropathies, injection techniques
- Cartilage and bone diseases — osteoarthritis management, osteoporosis and glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis, Paget's disease, osteomalacia, avascular necrosis
- Patient safety — screening before immunosuppression (TB, hepatitis B and C, HIV), vaccination, drug monitoring schedules
- Professionalism and ethics
What repeats
- Antibody-to-disease matching. Anti-CCP, anti-dsDNA and anti-Smith, anti-Ro and neonatal lupus, anti-Scl-70 vs anticentromere, anti-Jo-1 and the antisynthetase syndrome, ANCA patterns, anti-U1-RNP.
- Before the biologic. TB and hepatitis screening, vaccinations, contraindications (heart failure and TNF inhibitors, demyelination, malignancy), and what to hold before surgery.
- Giant cell arteritis — start steroids before the biopsy.
- Synovial fluid interpretation — cell counts, crystals under polarised light.
- Gout in the patient with renal disease — which drugs are safe.
- Drug toxicities. Methotrexate (folate, liver, lung, pregnancy), hydroxychloroquine (retina), cyclophosphamide (bladder, fertility), azathioprine and TPMT, leflunomide washout.
- Pregnancy. Drugs compatible with pregnancy and breastfeeding; managing lupus and antiphospholipid syndrome through pregnancy.
- Emergencies. Scleroderma renal crisis, macrophage activation syndrome, catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome, septic arthritis.
Process
- Portal registration and title selection (Sheryan, Mumaris+ or the relevant portal).
- DataFlow verification of the primary degree, medicine qualification, rheumatology qualification, registration and experience (guide, fees).
- Eligibility, booking (lead times), exam — Prometric for most authorities, Pearson VUE for DOH.
- Offer and activation. Musculoskeletal ultrasound and injection privileges are granted on documented training.
Tier 1 exemptions are in the exemptions guide; Specialist vs Consultant titles in the specialist overview.
Salaries
Because supply is thin, rheumatology pays at the upper end of the medical specialties: Specialists in the UAE typically earn AED 40,000–60,000 a month and Consultants AED 60,000–105,000. Saudi packages run SAR 35,000–58,000 for Specialists with housing; Qatar is comparable. Compare in the salary calculator and register in the talent pool.
Eight-week plan
- Week 1: immunology basics, serology and synovial fluid.
- Week 2: rheumatoid arthritis and the targeted therapies.
- Week 3: spondyloarthropathies and crystal disease.
- Week 4: lupus, antiphospholipid syndrome and pregnancy.
- Week 5: other connective tissue diseases.
- Week 6: vasculitis and infectious arthritis.
- Week 7: regional pain, bone disease, ethics, patient safety.
- Week 8: two timed mocks from the Specialist Rheumatology question bank.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pass mark for the Prometric rheumatology exam?
65%. The Specialist Rheumatology paper has 150 single-best-answer questions in three hours, so 98 correct answers are needed.
Can an MD medicine doctor with rheumatology experience be licensed as a rheumatologist?
No. Rheumatology is licensed on a dedicated qualification such as DM, DNB or FCPS rheumatology. An MD in medicine leads to an internal medicine licence.
Which rheumatology topics are tested most?
Antibody-to-disease matching, selecting and screening before biologic therapy, lupus nephritis, vasculitis induction regimens, gout management in comorbid patients and drug toxicity monitoring.
Are biologics available for rheumatology patients in the Gulf?
Yes, widely, through public health systems and insurance, with approval rules that vary by country. Biologic selection and pre-treatment screening are core daily work and a major part of the exam.
Practice banks for this exam
Chapter-wise MCQs with written reasoning on every question, and timed mocks at the real pass mark.