SPLE Pharmacist Exam Content: The 4 Sections and Their Weights

Information last checked: 31 October 2026. The exam structure and content can change, so check the official SPLE content guideline and the test dates page on the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS) website before you start studying.

The SPLE is the pharmacist licensure exam, and its four sections do not carry equal weight. Two of them, Pharmaceutical Sciences and Clinical Sciences, make up 70% of the questions, so the weights tell you where to begin.

Exam format at a glance

Structure data is from page 3 of the content guideline. Dividing 240 minutes by 200 questions gives about 72 seconds per question, which matters because the questions are in English.

536 is a scaled score, not a percentage

SCFHS set the pass mark after a standard-setting exercise with a panel of Saudi pharmacists, and its Central Assessment Committee approved it. The 536 sits on a scale of 200 to 800. It does not mean 536 correct answers or any fixed share of correct answers.

So our practice tests show your result for each section separately, which tells you where you lose points. They do not show a pass percentage. The official result does not appear instantly: SCFHS announces results within 2 to 6 weeks of the end of the test window, with two reports, a statement of results and a report comparing your performance with other test takers.

The four sections and their weights

The exam follows a blueprint published in the guideline. SCFHS notes that the actual distribution can differ by up to 5% at each level. The question count in the table is the section weight applied to 200 questions:

Section 1: Basic Biomedical Sciences (10%, about 20 questions)

The smallest section, but the base for the others. It has four topics in the guideline:

• 1.1 Physiology: the functions of the major body systems and homeostasis.
• 1.2 Biochemistry: proteins, lipids, carbohydrates and nucleic acids, energy metabolism, enzymes and enzyme kinetics, cell signalling, DNA and RNA structure and protein synthesis.
• 1.3 Microbiology Related to Human Diseases: classification and structure of microorganisms, the pathogenic ones and how they spread.
• 1.4 Immunology and Basics of Pharmacogenomics: innate and adaptive immunity, antibody actions, hypersensitivity types, and the genetic basis of disease.

Section 2: Pharmaceutical Sciences (35%, about 70 questions)

Tied for the largest section with Clinical Sciences. It has six topics:

• 2.1 Medicinal Chemistry: physicochemical properties of drugs and their link to absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion (ADME), structure-activity relationships, metabolic pathways and drug development steps.
• 2.2 Pharmacology and Toxicology: mechanisms of action including biologics, drug classes and contraindications, adverse effects and teratogenicity, drug-drug interactions, acute and chronic toxicity, overdose and antidotes.
• 2.3 Pharmacognosy and Dietary Supplements: crude drugs and purified natural products, and the efficacy and safety of vitamins, minerals and herbals.
• 2.4 Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics: dosage forms (liquids, solids, semisolids, controlled-release, patches, implants), how they are made, their stability and routes of administration.
• 2.5 Pharmacokinetics: linear and nonlinear kinetics, bioavailability and bioequivalence, and how disease and diet affect ADME.
• 2.6 Sterile and Nonsterile Compounding and Pharmaceutical Calculations: International Pharmacopeia guidelines, hazardous drugs, extemporaneous prescriptions and chemotherapy preparation, sterile admixture techniques and pharmaceutical calculations.

Questions here mix recall (drug class, mechanism, adverse effects) with calculation (kinetics and pharmaceutical calculations). How to practise the calculations is in the study plan guide.

Section 3: Social, Behavioral and Administrative Sciences (20%, about 40 questions)

Ten topics, the widest spread of subjects in the exam:

• 3.1 Health Care Delivery Systems and Public Health: the organisations involved in healthcare in Saudi Arabia, the factors shaping it, and public health principles.
• 3.2 Population-Based Care and Pharmacoepidemiology: data sources, epidemiological study designs, monitoring adverse drug events and pharmacovigilance.
• 3.3 Pharmacoeconomics and Humanistic Outcomes: the types of pharmacoeconomic analysis and how they inform resource allocation.
• 3.4 Pharmacy Practice Management: planning, organising, directing and controlling, marketing and pricing, budgeting and accounting.
• 3.5 Pharmacy Law and Regulatory Affairs: administrative, civil and criminal liability of the pharmacist, and rules on prescriptions, narcotics and psychotropics, and nonprescription medicines. The guideline lists the SFDA procedures and controls for narcotic and psychotropic substances among its references.
• 3.6 Biostatistics and Research Design: comparing study designs, choosing the right statistical test and interpreting results.
• 3.7 Ethical Decision Making: biomedical ethics, conflicts of interest, end-of-life decisions and research ethics.
• 3.8 Professional Communication: communicating with patients, caregivers and other providers, health literacy and cultural competency.
• 3.9 Social and Behavioral Aspects of Pharmacy Practice: behaviour modification and improving patient adherence.
• 3.10 Medication Dispensing and Distribution Systems: safe dispensing systems, automation and pharmacy informatics, continuous quality improvement and preventing medication errors.

Section 4: Clinical Sciences (35%, about 70 questions)

This is where most scenario questions sit: a patient with a history, lab values and medicines, and you choose the therapy decision. The guideline has six topics:

• 4.1 Drug Information and Evidence-Based Practice: evaluating information sources and interpreting clinical guidelines.
• 4.2 Clinical Pharmacokinetics and Therapeutic Drug Monitoring: drugs that need level monitoring and the parameters that avoid toxicity and keep efficacy.
• 4.3 Clinical Pharmacogenomics: using genetic information to individualise therapy.
• 4.4 Disease Prevention, Population Health and Immunizations: nonpharmacologic therapy including complementary medicine, prevention and the role of immunizations. The guideline lists the Ministry of Health immunization list as a reference.
• 4.5 Patient Assessment and Laboratory Values: patient history, physical assessment, identifying and prioritising drug-related problems, interpreting lab values and assessment calculations.
• 4.6 Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutic Decision Making: the largest topic (4.6.1 to 4.6.12 in the guideline). It covers applying pathophysiology to decisions, recommending therapy from doses and indications, checking contraindications, therapeutic duplication, interactions and allergies, deciding when to refer, patient-centred plans, nonprescription and natural products, managing side effects and misuse, and special populations such as neonates, pregnancy, lactation and older adults.

On our site we split topic 4.6 into seven groups by organ system (cardiovascular and renal, endocrine, infectious diseases, respiratory, gastrointestinal and hepatic, neurology, psychiatry and pain, oncology, haematology and immunology, and special populations with self-care) so you can practise your weakest one. That split is ours, not the guideline's.

References the guideline recommends

The guideline lists study references and notes that listing them does not mean the questions are taken from them. They include:

Start here

• Free practice test: 10 free questions in English covering the main sections, no sign-up. You see your score and your weakest section.
• Study plan: how to order your study by weight, with a 4-week and a 6-week plan.
• Registration guide: eligibility, the scheduling permit, booking a Prometric date and the coming test windows.
• Exam page with the questions and an explanation for every option.

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