Home›Exams›Specialist Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation

Specialist Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Prometric Exam

PHY5261 is the DHA code for the Specialist Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Prometric exam, and its published blueprint splits the paper across 14 areas: spinal cord injury, stroke, traumatic brain injury, musculoskeletal, sport and chronic pain rehab, amputation, prosthetics and orthotics, pediatric rehab, rheumatology rehab, orthopedics rehab, neurorehab, cardiac/ pulmonary rehab, burns and oncology rehab, geriatric rehab, patient safety and professionalism and ethics. That list is the syllabus — questions are written to those headings from 7 named reference texts, so revision that ignores it is revision spent on the wrong material.

Exam Guidelines by Prometric and Pearson VUE

Exam summary, coverage areas and references

Duration
3 hrs
Questions
150
Exam Code
PHY5261
Exam Fee
USD 280
approx. AED 1,028
Pass Score
65%

Exam Coverage

  • Spinal Cord Injury
  • Stroke
  • Traumatic Brain Injury
  • Musculoskeletal, Sport and Chronic Pain Rehab
  • Amputation, Prosthetics and Orthotics
  • Pediatric Rehab
  • Rheumatology Rehab
  • Orthopedics Rehab
  • Neurorehab
  • Cardiac/ Pulmonary Rehab
  • Burns and Oncology Rehab
  • Geriatric Rehab
  • Patient Safety
  • Professionalism and Ethics
Recommended references (7)
  1. 1. Braddom's Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation by David X. Cifu, Latest Edition.
  2. 2. DeLisa's Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation: Principles and Practice by Prof. Walter R. Frontera, Latest Edition.
  3. 3. Brain Injury Medicine: Principles and Practice by Nathan Zasler, Douglas Katz and Ross Zafonte, Latest Edition.
  4. 4. Spinal Cord Medicine: Principles and Practice, edited by Vernon W. Lin, Diana D. Cardenas, Nancy C. Cutter, Frederick S. Frost, Margaret C. Hammond, Laurie B. Lindblom, Inder Perkash, Robert Waters, and Robert M. Woolsey, Latest Edition.
  5. 5. Understanding Patient Safety, Robert Wachter and Kiran Gupta, Latest Edition.
  6. 6. Essentials of Patient Safety, SCHS, Latest Edition.
  7. 7. Physical medicine and rehabilitation board Review by Sara J. Cuccurullo, latest edition.

Chapters

4.8(193)
2 chapters · 200 total questions

Enroll to start practicing

Sign in (or create a free account), then pay the enrollment fee to unlock 6 months of full access with unlimited retries.

6 months access Unlimited retries
USD 64.99USD 129.9850% off

Offer ends 31 October

Total for 6 months

Mock exams

Full-length · timed · 65% to pass

Once you're comfortable with the chapters, take a full-length mock under real exam conditions - 150 randomized questions, 3-hour timer, no instant feedback. Three separate papers so you can build stamina across multiple attempts.

About the Specialist Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Prometric Exam (PHY5261)

PHY5261 is the DHA code for the Specialist Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Prometric exam, and its published blueprint splits the paper across 14 areas: spinal cord injury, stroke, traumatic brain injury, musculoskeletal, sport and chronic pain rehab, amputation, prosthetics and orthotics, pediatric rehab, rheumatology rehab, orthopedics rehab, neurorehab, cardiac/ pulmonary rehab, burns and oncology rehab, geriatric rehab, patient safety and professionalism and ethics. That list is the syllabus — questions are written to those headings from 7 named reference texts, so revision that ignores it is revision spent on the wrong material.

The sitting is 150 multiple-choice questions in 3 hours — about 1.2 minutes per question — delivered on computer at a Prometric test centre. The 65% pass mark works out at roughly 98 correct answers out of 150. Nothing is deducted for a wrong answer, so an unanswered question is the only guaranteed zero on the paper.

The paper is sat by doctors applying for a licence under the Specialist Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation professional title. Specialist is a graded title: the regulator checks your specialty certificate and post-qualification years against its classification table, and a mismatch there is refused on classification rather than on the paper. In practice the exam is rarely the bottleneck: the regulator has to accept your qualification and experience, and Dataflow has to return primary source verification, before a booking slot exists at all. Start that paperwork alongside your revision rather than after it.

This bank holds 200 explained questions cut to the same headings as the PHY5261 outline, each with written reasoning that also rules out the distractors. Retries are unlimited, and the timed mocks run at the real 150-question, 3-hour, 65%-to-pass settings — so the first time you sit this paper at full pace is not the morning it counts.

One body of content, seven regulators. DHA in Dubai, MOHAP across the UAE, SCFHS in Saudi Arabia, QCHP in Qatar, NHRA in Bahrain and OMSB in Oman all license the Specialist Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation title off a Prometric-delivered MCQ paper, and the overlap between them is substantial. DOH runs its sitting through Pearson VUE instead. What differs is the pass mark, the classification tier they will grade you into, and how many attempts they allow — not the medicine.

Specialist Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation exam — frequently asked questions

What does exam code PHY5261 cover?

PHY5261 is the Specialist Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Prometric paper. The code appears on your eligibility approval and on the Prometric booking screen — quote it when you book, because neighbouring grades of the same profession have their own codes and their own papers.

How many questions is the Specialist Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation exam, and how long do I get?

150 questions in 3 hours, which is about 1.2 minutes each. It is computer-based at a Prometric centre, and you can flag and revisit questions before you submit.

What is the pass mark for PHY5261?

65% under the DHA guideline — roughly 98 correct answers out of 150. Nothing is deducted for wrong answers, so leave nothing blank. Other Gulf regulators publish their own thresholds for the same content, so confirm the figure with the authority you are applying to.

Which topics carry the marks in the Specialist Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation exam?

The published blueprint names 14 areas: Spinal Cord Injury, Stroke, Traumatic Brain Injury, Musculoskeletal, Sport and Chronic Pain Rehab, Amputation, Prosthetics and Orthotics, Pediatric Rehab, Rheumatology Rehab, Orthopedics Rehab, Neurorehab, Cardiac/ Pulmonary Rehab, Burns and Oncology Rehab, Geriatric Rehab, Patient Safety and Professionalism and Ethics. Our chapters use the same headings, so a weak chapter score points straight at the blueprint area to revisit.

Do I need a separate exam for each Gulf authority?

No. DHA, MOHAP, SCFHS, QCHP, NHRA and OMSB each license the Specialist Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation title off a Prometric-delivered MCQ paper built on the same content. DOH runs its sitting through Pearson VUE instead. What changes between them is the pass mark, the classification tier and the attempt limit — so one body of preparation carries across, but each application is its own file.

What does it cost to sit PHY5261?

DHA's exam guideline prices this sitting at USD 280, which is roughly AED 1,028 at the dirham peg. That is the test fee alone: the regulator's application charge and Dataflow verification are billed separately, and other Gulf authorities set their own amounts for the same paper.

How much experience does the Specialist grade need?

It depends on the regulator. For the Specialist classification this paper belongs to: DHA asks for 3 years in specialty after board qualification; MOHAP asks for 3 years in specialty post-board; DOH asks for 5 years post-qualification (3 in specialty); SCFHS asks for 4 years post-qualification (2 in specialty); QCHP asks for 3 years in specialty after board qualification; NHRA asks for 3 years in specialty post-board; OMSB asks for 3 years in specialty post-board. Each authority counts those years against its own classification table, and they have to be backed by experience letters that survive Dataflow verification.

What do I need before I can book PHY5261?

An eligibility approval from the regulator — your qualification and experience accepted against its classification rules — plus Dataflow primary source verification returned on your degree, licence and experience letters. The booking window opens after that, not before, which is why the paperwork should run in parallel with your revision.

Guides for Specialist Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation candidates

Prometric Exam for Physiatrists (PM&R / Rehabilitation Doctors): Specialist Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Licence for DHA, MOHAP, DOH, SCFHS & QCHP — the 14-Area Blueprint, 65% Pass Mark, Rehab Hospital Roles, MD and DNB Recognition and Salaries (2026)

New rehabilitation hospitals in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Riyadh and Doha have created a demand for physiatrists that the region's training programmes cannot meet. This guide covers the Specialist Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation paper — 150 questions, three hours, 65% to pass — its fourteen official blueprint areas, the spinal cord, stroke, brain injury and prosthetics questions that repeat, how MD, DNB and board qualifications are recognised, what a physiatrist does in a Gulf rehab team, and salaries.

Read the guide

Prometric Exam for Family Medicine Doctors: Specialist & Consultant Family Physician Licence for DHA, MOHAP, DOH, SCFHS & QCHP — Blueprint, 60% and 70% Pass Marks, MRCGP and DNB Recognition, GP vs Family Medicine and Salaries (2026)

Family medicine and general practice are different licences with different papers and different pay. This guide covers the Specialist Family Medicine exam (150 questions, 60% to pass) and the Consultant paper (100 questions, 70%), the official blueprint areas, the screening and chronic-disease questions that repeat, how MRCGP, DNB, MD and FCPS are recognised, and salaries.

Read the guide

Prometric Exam for Sports Medicine Doctors: Specialist Sports Medicine Licence for DHA, MOHAP, DOH, SCFHS & QCHP — the 9-Area Blueprint, 55% Pass Mark, Which Qualifications Count, Club and Federation Jobs, and Salaries (2026)

Professional football, international events and a national push on physical activity have made sports medicine a real career in the Gulf. This guide covers the Specialist Sports Medicine paper — 150 questions, three hours, 55% to pass — its nine official blueprint areas (heavier on exercise science than most candidates expect), which master's degrees, diplomas and fellowships are accepted, where sports doctors actually work, and what they earn.

Read the guide

Licensing routes for doctors

The full pathway — eligibility, documents, exam and registration — written per authority.

Neighbouring exam banks

Papers from the same professional group, each with its own code, blueprint and pass mark.

Authorities that license this title

Each regulator sets its own pass mark, classification tier and attempt limit for the same paper. Check yours before you book.

Experience each regulator asks for at the Specialist grade
RegulatorMinimum experience
DHA3 years in specialty after board qualification
MOHAP3 years in specialty post-board
DOH5 years post-qualification (3 in specialty)
SCFHS4 years post-qualification (2 in specialty)
QCHP3 years in specialty after board qualification
NHRA3 years in specialty post-board
OMSB3 years in specialty post-board

What candidates are saying

Verified reviews from doctors, nurses, and allied-health professionals who prepared with this bank.

4.8
Based on 193 verified reviews
5
81%
4
15%
3
3%
2
1%
1
0%
MS
Maria Santos
🇵🇭 Verified
Registered Nurse · Manila
12d ago

Question quality is very close to the actual exam. Wish I had found this earlier - would have saved me two months of scattered PDF revision.

AO
Adaeze Okafor
🇳🇬 Verified
Registered Nurse · Lagos
47d ago

I was nervous about the DHA process from Nigeria. The eligibility checker on the site told me exactly which authorities I qualified for. Enrolled the same day.

GL
Grace Lim
🇵🇭 Verified
Nurse · Cebu → Riyadh
92d ago

The team helped me with documentation guidance beyond just the exam. Actually landed a hospital placement thanks to their talent pool.

FA
Farhan Ali
🇵🇰 Verified
Assistant Nurse · Rawalpindi
142d ago

Was worried about my English medical vocab. The explanations are written simply - non-native speakers will feel at home.

FA
Fatima Al Balushi
🇴🇲 Verified
Assistant Midwife · Muscat
26d ago

The team on WhatsApp answered my licensing questions within an hour. That kind of support you don't see with the big test-prep sites.

YK
Yousef Al Kaabi
🇦🇪 Verified
General Practice · Al Ain
66d ago

Local candidate here - passed MOHAP without an exam thanks to the eligibility route they showed me. Then I enrolled anyway for CPD.

BS
Bilal Sheikh
🇵🇰 Verified
Radiology Tech · Multan
112d ago

Solid. A couple of image-based questions could use better resolution but nothing that changes the answer. Passed DHA tech exam.

RM
Rohit Menon
🇮🇳 Verified
General Practitioner · Kerala
9d ago

The explanations after each question are what sold me. It's not just A/B/C/D - you actually understand WHY the answer is right. Cleared MOH Sharjah last month.

How it works

  • • Pick any chapter and start answering questions
  • • Wrong answer? You instantly see the correct answer and a clear explanation
  • • Track your score at the end of each chapter