Arab Board
The Arab Board of Health Specializations is the leading regional postgraduate medical education authority, operating under the League of Arab States and the Council of Arab Health Ministers. It establishes unified residency training frameworks, accredits training centres, and issues the Arab Board Certificate — a specialist qualification recognised across the Arab region, subject to each country's licensing policies.
Start your preparation
Your pathway
- Check eligibility
- Pass the licensing exam
- Register with the authority
- Specialty or board exam
Exams and products
Language requirements
Most authorities ask for an English test. Germany asks for German.
What is the Arab Board?
The Council of Arab Health Ministers took the founding decision in 1978. The Board's Supreme Council first convened in 1979, in Kuwait.
Damascus is the permanent legal headquarters. Because of the conflict in Syria, the secretariat operated from Amman and other Arab capitals for approximately 13 years. The Board held its first meeting in Damascus in 13 years on 6 February 2026, with a Supreme Council session planned for April 2026 to formalise the return. A physical office also exists in Amman–Khalda, and country coordination offices operate in member states.
How the Arab Board Works
- Hospital entry — secure an accredited residency slot. Accredited centres include Salmaniya Medical Complex in Bahrain, Hamad Medical Corporation in Qatar, SEHA facilities in the UAE, University of Jordan Hospital, and Ministry of Health tertiary centres across Jordan, Iraq, Egypt and other member states.
- Initial training — one academic year, ten months of actual training before Initial Written Examination eligibility.
- Initial Examination — foundational written MCQ covering applied basic sciences and fundamental clinical diagnostics.
- Logbook and research evaluation — standardised rotations, procedural numbers logged, and an approved research project, all before the Final Knowledge Examination.
- Final Knowledge Examination — comprehensive clinical written MCQ.
- Final Practical Examination — specialty-specific; may include OSCE, OSPE, clinical cases, slides or oral components. An exceptional final practical track also exists.
- Certification.
Passing Standards
The Arab Board sets the passing mark at 60% for all examinations. Following item analysis, up to 5 points may be added where flawed questions are removed.
This is a flat, fixed, published figure, stated in the current Examination Laws and Regulations.
Exam Cadence & Eligibility Timelines
| Exam | Cadence |
|---|---|
| Initial Examination | Two sessions a year — April/May and October/November |
| Final Knowledge Examination | Once annually, synchronised with the autumn Initial sitting |
| Final Practical Examination | Two sessions — regular and exceptional — a minimum of 4 to 6 months apart |
All exams are announced at least 3 months in advance; applications close about 1 month before.
Eligibility. One academic year — ten months — of training before the Initial Examination. A minimum 6-month gap is required between the Initial Examination and the Final Knowledge Examination. The Final Knowledge Examination follows completion of training, research and logbook requirements; the Final Practical follows a Final Knowledge pass.
Attempt Limits
| Exam | Attempts |
|---|---|
| Initial Examination | 3, plus a possible discretionary exceptional attempt |
| Final Knowledge Examination | 4 plus 1 discretionary exceptional attempt. After those are exhausted, a two-cycle wait yields 2 further attempts |
| Final Practical Examination | 4 plus 1 exceptional attempt with no fixed expiry, conditional on the candidate being employed in the specialty |
Specialties and Program Durations
| Category | Specialty | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Clinical | Internal Medicine · Pediatrics · Family Medicine · Emergency Medicine · Anaesthesia & Intensive Care · Psychiatry · Dermatology & Venereology · Ophthalmology · Otolaryngology | 4 years |
| Primary Clinical | Obstetrics & Gynaecology | 5 years |
| Surgical | General Surgery · Orthopedic Surgery · Urology · Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery | 5 years |
| Extended Surgical | Neurosurgery · Pediatric Surgery | 6 years |
| Subspecialties & Imaging | Neurology | 5 years |
| Subspecialties & Imaging | Radiology & Medical Imaging | 4 to 5 years |
| Subspecialties & Imaging | Gastroenterology (subspecialty, after an Internal Medicine certificate) | 3 years |
The Scientific Councils page lists 20 councils. Durations for Community Medicine, Pathology (Anatomic and Clinical), Nursing & Midwifery and Oncology are not published.
Content Blueprint
No content blueprint or domain weighting is published for any Arab Board specialty. Arab Board question banks are built to the specialty's recognised scope, not to a regulator's weighting.
Family Medicine — Specialty Training & Certification
A 4-year, 48-month programme including 44 months of active training.
| Rotation | Duration | Contact Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction to Family & Community Medicine | 2 months | 250 |
| Family Medicine (in the training centre) | 12 months | 1,500 |
| Internal Medicine & Geriatrics | 4 months | 500 |
| Paediatrics & Adolescent Health | 2 months | 250 |
| Obstetrics & Gynaecology | 2 months | 250 |
| Surgery (including specialised surgeries) | 2 months | 250 |
| Ophthalmology | 1 month | 120 |
| ENT | 1 month | 120 |
| Dermatology | 1 month | 120 |
| Psychiatry | 2 months | 250 |
| Emergency Medicine | 2 months | 250 |
| Diagnostic Methods (Radiology, Labs, ECG) | 1 month | 120 |
| Research Methodology & Project | 2 months | 250 |
| Electives | 10 months | — |
| Annual Vacation | 4 months (1 per year) | — |
| Total | 48 months | — |
Logbook and portfolio: a personal learning plan, workplace-based assessments (Mini-CEX, DOPS, case-based discussion and reflective evidence-based medicine), critical appraisal of a research paper, documented scientific presentations, at least 30 different health problems consulted per semester, a documented clinical and procedural skills list, CPD and quality-assurance activity, and recorded health-education activities.
Training centre accreditation: trainer-to-trainee ratio 1:6 · training health centre ≥5,000 registered individuals, with ≥1 family physician or GP with at least 2 years' experience per 3,000 registered · affiliated hospital ≥120 beds including Internal Medicine, Surgery, Paediatrics and Obstetrics & Gynaecology.
Exact blueprints and station counts for Family Medicine are not published.
Gastroenterology — Subspecialty Training & Certification
Gastroenterology (أمراض الجهاز الهضمي والكبد) is an Arab Board subspecialty under the Scientific Council of Internal Medicine. Entry requires completion of an Internal Medicine residency recognised by the Arab Board, with an Arab Board, local or equivalent Internal Medicine certificate. Training is three continuous years in gastroenterology and hepatology.
| Exam | Format |
|---|---|
| Initial Examination | None — entry follows the Internal Medicine certificate |
| Final Knowledge Examination | One paper of 100 MCQs, three hours, in English, delivered electronically |
| Final Practical Examination | Not published |
The 60% pass mark and the attempt limits above apply. A specialty guidebook is published. No blueprint is published. No transplant hepatology programme is published; the Board’s Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition programme for children is a separate, paediatric programme.
Pediatric Surgery — Specialty Training & Certification
Pediatric Surgery (جراحة الأطفال) sits under the Scientific Council of Surgery. Training is six years — two in General Surgery and four in Pediatric Surgery.
| Exam | Format |
|---|---|
| Initial Examination | The shared General Surgery Preliminary Examination — two papers of 100 MCQs, two and a half hours each, after one academic year of training |
| Final Knowledge Examination | Two papers of 100 MCQs, two and a half hours each, after six years of training, a Preliminary pass and an accepted logbook |
| Final Practical Examination | Two oral sessions (principles and pathology; operative surgery and emergencies), one long case of 30 minutes, and two short cases or OSCE stations of 30 minutes, as set out in the specialty guidebook (2018 update). The English and Arabic texts give different oral timings |
The 60% pass mark and the attempt limits above apply. The specialty guidebook is published but carries no blueprint.
Examination Centres
Eighteen locations: Sana'a · Aden · Ramallah · Gaza · Damascus · Tripoli · Misrata · Benghazi · Muscat · Beirut · Manama · Amman · Baghdad · Doha · Cairo · United Arab Emirates (multiple) · Atbara · Tunis
Practical examination locations may vary by specialty and sitting.
Country Routes
Egypt. Cairo hosts a coordination office at New Cairo, Ahmad Wasfi Street — 00201118084980, cairo.office@arab-board.org. Cairo is one of the 18 centres; Radiology sits at the Princess Fatima Academy, Nasr City. An Arab Board certificate in the same specialty may support Egyptian Board Part 1 exemption, applied for within 5 years of obtaining it.
Jordan. Amman is one of the 18 centres, with sittings at the Jordan Medical Council and the University of Jordan Faculty of Medicine. Arab Board Part 1 may exempt Jordanian Board Part 1, and an Arab Board trainee may apply for Jordanian Board Part 2, subject to Jordan Medical Council requirements.
Bahrain. Arab Board training is the main residency pathway, coordinated by the Supreme Council of Health and the Bahrain Council for Health Studies and Specialties (Royal Decree 13 of 2022). Manama is one of the 18 centres. In Bahrain the Arab Board sits at Tier 2, and one year of structured sub-specialty fellowship lifts it to Tier 1. Arab Board specialties other than Family Medicine must be evaluated and approved by the Supreme Council of Health.
UAE. Residents can hold both the Emirati Board and the Arab Board. The UAE hosts multiple examination locations.
Syria. Damascus is both an examination centre and the Board's permanent headquarters, with 2026 examinations scheduled there. The Syrian Board / Syrian Commission for Medical Specialties framework is under update, and is a separate system from the Arab Board.
Recognition & Equivalence
The Arab Board certificate is widely recognised across Arab countries. Recognition is not automatic licensing or automatic exam exemption. No official source grants automatic exemption.
- Egypt — recognised within the external-qualification framework; may allow Egyptian Board Part 1 exemption within 5 years. Automatic classification not guaranteed.
- Jordan — recognised; Arab Board Part 1 may exempt Jordanian Board Part 1. Automatic licensing not guaranteed.
- Saudi Arabia — recognised by SCFHS as a regional specialist qualification. No automatic exam exemption. Classification case by case.
- Bahrain — placed in the tier system at Tier 2, or Tier 1 with a sub-specialty fellowship year. That is recognition, not an exam exemption. Non-Family-Medicine specialties need Supreme Council of Health evaluation.
- UAE, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait — recognised regionally. No confirmed automatic exemption or classification.
Syllabus Overlap with National Boards
Substantial overlap exists with the national board syllabi of Saudi Arabia (SCFHS), Qatar (the Qatar Medical Specialties Certification), Oman (OMSB), Kuwait (KIMS), Jordan (JMC) and Egypt (Egyptian Board). Supplement with country-specific public health guidelines and local protocols.
Fees
These rates took effect on 1 September 2024.
| Fee | Category A | Category B |
|---|---|---|
| Registration application (one-time) | $300 | $500 |
| Annual registration | $500 | $500 |
| Initial Examination | $300 | $1,000 |
| Final Knowledge Examination | $300 | $1,000 |
| Final Practical Examination | $500 | $1,000 |
| Scientific research evaluation | $250 | $250 |
| Community Medicine thesis evaluation | $1,000 | $1,000 |
| Exceptional Final Knowledge opportunity | $50 | $50 |
| Re-marking request | $60 | $60 |
| Initial-exam pass certificate | $50 | $50 |
| Wall certificate and graduation documents | $500 | $500 |
| Certification/authentication of documents | $100 | $100 |
| Additional document copy | $75 | $75 |
Internal Medicine, General Surgery, Pediatrics and Obstetrics & Gynaecology are Category A.
50% fee reduction applies to trainees who are nationals of the following countries and affiliated with training centres in those countries: Djibouti · Somalia · Palestine · Sudan · Syria · Comoros · Lebanon · Egypt · Mauritania · Yemen
Deferring an exam at least 15 days in advance with a valid excuse carries 50% of the fee to the next sitting.
Recent Developments
- 15–17 October 2025 — digital transformation forum, Oman
- 29 December 2025 — partnership with the Egyptian Knowledge Bank
- 6 February 2026 — first Damascus meeting in 13 years
- April 2026 — cooperation agreement with the Omani Medical Specialties Council
- April 2026 — partnership with an Ophthalmology Foundation
- 21 July 2026 — meeting with the Secretary-General of the Arab League
Arab Board Internal Medicine Part 1 and Part 2 question banks, plus OSCE preparation.