Prometric Exam for Speech Therapists (Speech & Language Pathologists) and Audiologists: DHA, MOHAP, DOH, SCFHS & QCHP Requirements, Official Blueprints, Pass Marks, Fees & Salaries (2026)
Speech-language pathologists and audiologists are among the hardest allied professionals for Gulf hospitals and child-development centres to recruit. This guide covers the two separate licences, degree and experience rules by regulator, the 100-question speech therapy paper (60% to pass) and the 150-question audiology paper (55%), their official blueprint areas, the Arabic-language question, DataFlow, fees and salaries.
Autism and early-intervention centres, school support services, cochlear implant programmes, stroke rehabilitation units — all of them have expanded quickly across the Gulf, and all of them depend on two professions that the region trains in very small numbers. If you are a speech-language pathologist or an audiologist, the licensing process is the only real barrier between you and a job offer.
Two professions, two licences
Many universities — particularly in India — award a combined degree in audiology and speech-language pathology (BASLP). Gulf regulators license the two separately. You apply under one title, sit that title's exam, and can add the second later by sitting the second paper, provided your transcript shows adequate hours in both.
| Title (code) | Questions | Time | Pass mark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speech Therapist / Speech & Language Pathologist (SPL6732) | 100 | 3 h | 60% |
| Audiologist (AUD4312) | 150 | 3 h | 55% |
| Audiology Assistant (AUD4311) | 150 | 3 h | 50% |
Qualifications and experience
- Speech-language pathologist: bachelor's degree (four years) in speech-language pathology or a combined BASLP, or a master's. UAE and Qatar regulators typically ask for two years of experience after a bachelor's, less after a master's. North American and UK candidates use their master's plus ASHA CCC-SLP or HCPC/RCSLT registration.
- Audiologist: bachelor's or master's in audiology, or AuD. Same experience pattern.
- Audiology assistant / technician: diploma in audiology or hearing-aid technology.
- Home registration: RCI registration for Indian graduates, HCPC for UK, ASHA or state licence for US, PRC or professional association in the Philippines, the relevant syndicate in Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon.
SCFHS classifies bachelor's holders as Specialist and master's holders at a higher grade, and is open to newer graduates. DHA, MOHAP and QCHP use Prometric; DOH uses Pearson VUE. Confirm your own title with the eligibility check.
Do you need Arabic?
The exam is in English and Arabic is not a licensing requirement. It is, however, a real hiring factor for speech therapy in a way it is not for most professions, because therapy is delivered in the client's language. English-medium positions exist in large numbers — international schools, expatriate-focused clinics, and centres serving South Asian and Filipino families — and bilingual Arabic-English therapists command a premium. Audiology is far less language-dependent.
Speech therapy blueprint (SPL6732)
- Foundations of speech-language pathology — anatomy and physiology of speech, swallowing and hearing; neuroanatomy; normal speech and language development and milestones
- Communication science — phonetics, acoustics, psycholinguistics
- Assessment and diagnosis — standardised vs criterion-referenced testing, language sampling, oral-motor examination, instrumental swallowing assessment (VFSS and FEES), differential diagnosis
- Treatment and intervention — articulation and phonological disorders, child language disorders and autism, fluency (stuttering modification vs fluency shaping), voice, aphasia types and treatment, motor speech disorders (dysarthria types, apraxia), dysphagia management and diet modification, AAC, cleft palate, hearing-impaired populations
- Professional practice — ethics, evidence-based practice, documentation, counselling, multidisciplinary work
With only 100 questions, each is worth a full percentage point. The classic high-yield tables are aphasia classification (fluency, comprehension, repetition), dysarthria types by lesion site, and developmental milestones by age. Dysphagia carries more weight than most paediatric-focused therapists expect — revise it even if you never work with adults.
Audiology blueprint (AUD4312)
- Ethics and professionalism; infection control
- Anatomy and physiology of the auditory and vestibular systems
- Physics of sound — decibel scales, frequency, masking principles
- Instrumentation and calibration
- Paediatric assessment — newborn screening (OAE, AABR), behavioural observation, VRA, play audiometry by age
- Adults and older adults — pure-tone and speech audiometry, masking rules, tympanometry types, acoustic reflexes, presbycusis, noise-induced loss
- Auditory evoked potentials — ABR waves and generators, threshold estimation, ASSR
- Vestibular and balance — VNG, calorics, Dix-Hallpike, BPPV manoeuvres
- Disorders and syndromes — otosclerosis, Ménière's, vestibular schwannoma, ototoxicity, syndromic hearing loss
- Hearing aids and implantable devices — fitting and verification (real-ear measures), cochlear implant candidacy, bone-anchored devices
- Documentation, communication and counselling
Audiogram interpretation is the core skill tested: type, degree and configuration of loss, when masking is needed, and what the tympanogram plus reflex pattern implies about site of lesion.
Preparation
Use the speech therapy bank or the audiologist bank, give it six weeks, and sit at least two timed mocks (MCQ strategy). The reference lists are the standard texts — a speech-language pathology review guide, an assessment resource manual, a dysphagia text, and for audiology the clinical audiology handbook and a paediatric audiology text.
Process, fees and timeline
- Register with the authority and select the title.
- DataFlow verification of degree, registration and experience — four to eight weeks (guide).
- Eligibility, exam booking (steps), exam — fee around USD 240.
- Offer from a licensed facility and licence activation.
Budget three to five months and see the fee guide for totals.
Salaries (monthly, 2026)
| Country | Speech-language pathologist | Audiologist | Senior / bilingual / CI specialist |
|---|---|---|---|
| UAE | AED 10,000–18,000 | AED 9,000–16,000 | AED 18,000–28,000 |
| Saudi Arabia | SAR 9,000–16,000 | SAR 8,000–15,000 | SAR 16,000–25,000 |
| Qatar | QAR 10,000–17,000 | QAR 9,000–16,000 | QAR 17,000–26,000 |
These sit well above most allied-health bands because supply is so thin. Compare in the salary calculator, register in the talent pool and watch the jobs board.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are in the DHA speech therapist exam?
100 multiple-choice questions in three hours, with a pass mark of 60%. The blueprint covers foundations, communication science, assessment and diagnosis, treatment and intervention, and professional practice.
Can a BASLP graduate work as both audiologist and speech therapist in the UAE?
The two titles are licensed separately. You apply and sit the exam for one title first, and may add the second by passing its exam if your transcript shows sufficient training in both fields.
Is Arabic required for speech therapists in the Gulf?
Not for the licence — the exam is in English. It matters for hiring, because therapy is language-based, but there are many English-medium roles in international schools and expatriate-focused centres.
What is the pass mark for the Prometric audiologist exam?
55% on a 150-question, three-hour paper. The audiology assistant paper requires 50%.
Practice banks for this exam
Chapter-wise MCQs with written reasoning on every question, and timed mocks at the real pass mark.