Free SPLE mock test — 200 questions in two timed parts
One Saudi Pharmacist Licence (SPLE) paper in the real exam format: 200 questions across 2 timed sections, 4 hr on a server-controlled clock.
About the real exam The Saudi Commission for Health Specialties runs a single pharmacist licensing examination, the SPLE, taken at Prometric test centres in the Kingdom and abroad.
2 timed blocks totalling 4 hr of scored testing, plus 1 scheduled break - 4 hr 30 min from first block to last.
Free, reversible until you begin · one attempt per account · no retake, no card.
The paper, section by section
Navigation: sections run strictly in order and a completed section cannot be reopened.
Sample questions with worked answers
8 original practice questions written by Myndaq in the Saudi Pharmacist Licence (SPLE) style. They are not taken from this mock paper or from official past papers. Try each one, then open the answer.
- Question 1Pharmaceutical SciencesOne correct answer
A weakly acidic drug has a pKa of 3.4. What is the approximate ratio of ionized to unionized drug in plasma at pH 7.4?
- 1 : 10000
- 1 : 4
- 4 : 1
- 10000 : 1
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D
For a weak acid, the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation gives log(ionized/unionized) = pH - pKa = 7.4 - 3.4 = 4, so ionized/unionized = 10^4, about 10000 : 1. At a pH well above its pKa, an acid is almost entirely ionized.
1 : 10000 is the result for a weak base (or the acid equation used the wrong way round). 4 : 1 and 1 : 4 treat the pH-pKa difference of 4 as a plain ratio instead of a power of ten.
- Question 2Pharmaceutical SciencesOne correct answer
Which antiplatelet drug acts through an active metabolite that binds irreversibly to the platelet P2Y12 receptor?
- Aspirin
- Clopidogrel
- Ticagrelor
- Dipyridamole
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B
Clopidogrel is a prodrug. It is activated in the liver in two steps, mainly by CYP2C19. Its active thiol metabolite forms a disulfide bond with the P2Y12 ADP receptor and blocks it for the rest of the platelet's life (about 7 to 10 days).
Aspirin also acts irreversibly, but by acetylating COX-1, not by blocking P2Y12. Ticagrelor does block P2Y12, but it is active without metabolic activation and binds reversibly. Dipyridamole inhibits phosphodiesterase and adenosine reuptake.
- Question 3Pharmaceutical SciencesType a numeric answer
A 70 kg adult who has not taken any theophylline product needs an intravenous loading dose of aminophylline to reach a plasma theophylline concentration of 10 mg/L. Assume a theophylline volume of distribution of 0.5 L/kg and a salt factor (S) of 0.8 for aminophylline. The loading dose of aminophylline, in mg, is ______.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: 437 to 438
Loading dose = (Vd × target concentration) / (S × F). For an intravenous dose, F = 1.
Vd = 0.5 L/kg × 70 kg = 35 L. The amount of theophylline needed is 35 L × 10 mg/L = 350 mg. Because aminophylline is only 80% theophylline, the aminophylline dose is 350 / 0.8 = 437.5 mg. In practice this would be rounded to a convenient dose and infused slowly.
A common error is to give 350 mg, which ignores the salt factor, or 280 mg, which multiplies by S when it should divide.
- Question 4Clinical SciencesOne correct answer
A 67-year-old man with type 2 diabetes has taken metformin 1000 mg twice daily for six years. His routine blood tests now show an eGFR of 24 mL/min/1.73 m², and a repeat test confirms this. His HbA1c is 7.1% and he has no symptoms.
What is the most appropriate recommendation about his metformin?
- Continue metformin 1000 mg twice daily and recheck renal function in 12 months
- Reduce metformin to 500 mg twice daily
- Stop metformin and consider a glucose-lowering alternative suitable for his renal function
- Switch to extended-release metformin 2000 mg once daily
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C
Metformin is cleared by the kidneys and builds up as renal function declines, which raises the risk of metformin-associated lactic acidosis. Current labelling and guidelines say metformin is contraindicated once eGFR is below 30 mL/min/1.73 m², so it should be stopped here. Alternatives include a DPP-4 inhibitor dosed for renal function, a GLP-1 receptor agonist or insulin, chosen for the individual patient.
Reducing the total dose to 1000 mg a day (option B) is appropriate when eGFR is 30 to 44, not below 30. The extended-release form is still cleared by the kidneys, so option D gives no renal protection. Continuing the full dose (option A) ignores the contraindication.
- Question 5Clinical SciencesType a numeric answer
A 70-year-old man weighing 68 kg (close to his ideal body weight) has a serum creatinine of 1.7 mg/dL and is about to start a renally cleared antibiotic. Using the Cockcroft-Gault equation, his estimated creatinine clearance, in mL/min to one decimal place, is ______.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: 38.8 to 39.0
Cockcroft-Gault for a male: CrCl = [(140 - age) × weight in kg] / (72 × serum creatinine in mg/dL).
Numerator = (140 - 70) × 68 = 70 × 68 = 4760. Denominator = 72 × 1.7 = 122.4. CrCl = 4760 / 122.4 = 38.9 mL/min.
No 0.85 factor applies because the patient is male. Using actual body weight is reasonable here because it is close to his ideal weight. The antibiotic dose would then be chosen from the band for a creatinine clearance of about 30 to 50 mL/min.
- Question 6Clinical SciencesOne correct answer
A 58-year-old woman takes long-term warfarin for atrial fibrillation, and her INR has been stable between 2.3 and 2.7 for a year. She is now started on oral fluconazole 200 mg daily for 14 days to treat oesophageal candidiasis. None of her other medicines have changed.
What is the most likely effect on her anticoagulation, and by what mechanism?
- INR falls, because fluconazole induces CYP2C9
- INR rises, because fluconazole inhibits CYP2C9 and slows the metabolism of S-warfarin
- INR rises, because fluconazole displaces warfarin from plasma albumin and causes a sustained increase in effect
- INR is unchanged, because fluconazole is renally eliminated and has no metabolic interactions
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B
S-warfarin is the more potent enantiomer and is cleared mainly by CYP2C9. Fluconazole is a clinically important CYP2C9 inhibitor, so S-warfarin builds up, the INR rises and the bleeding risk increases. The INR should be checked within a few days of starting fluconazole, and the warfarin dose may need to be reduced.
When one drug displaces another from albumin (option C), the free fraction rises only briefly before clearance catches up, so this is not the important mechanism here. Fluconazole is largely excreted unchanged in urine, but it still inhibits CYP enzymes, so option D is wrong. It is an enzyme inhibitor, not an inducer, so option A is wrong.
- Question 7Social and Administrative SciencesType a numeric answer
In a 3-year randomized trial in adults at high cardiovascular risk, major cardiovascular events occurred in 12% of patients given placebo and in 8% of patients given a new lipid-lowering drug. The number of patients who need to be treated for 3 years to prevent one major cardiovascular event is ______.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: 25
Absolute risk reduction (ARR) = control event rate - treatment event rate = 0.12 - 0.08 = 0.04.
Number needed to treat (NNT) = 1 / ARR = 1 / 0.04 = 25. So 25 patients must be treated for 3 years to prevent one event. When NNT is not a whole number, it is rounded up.
The relative risk reduction is 0.04 / 0.12 = 33%. That figure is often confused with the ARR, but NNT is always calculated from the absolute difference.
- Question 8Social and Administrative SciencesOne correct answer
An hour after a patient has left, a community pharmacist realizes that the patient was given warfarin 5 mg tablets instead of the prescribed warfarin 1 mg tablets.
What is the most appropriate first action?
- Wait until the patient returns for the next refill and exchange the tablets then
- Contact the patient immediately, advise them not to take the tablets supplied, and arrange to replace them with the correct strength
- Amend the dispensing record to match what was supplied and take no further action
- Telephone the prescriber to ask for a new prescription for the 5 mg strength
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B
The pharmacist's first duty is to prevent harm to the patient. A fivefold warfarin overdose can cause serious bleeding, so the patient must be contacted at once, told not to take the tablets and given the correct strength. If any dose has already been taken, the prescriber should be told so that the INR can be checked and the patient monitored. The pharmacist should then be open with the patient about the error, document it, report it through the organization's medication-error system and review why it happened (for example, look-alike strengths stored side by side).
Waiting (option A) leaves the patient at risk. Changing the record (option C) or asking for a prescription to cover the error (option D) hides the error, which breaches professional ethics and could still harm the patient.
Device and setup checklist
- A stable internet connection for the full duration.
- A laptop or desktop is recommended for the closest exam experience.
The Saudi Pharmacist Licence (SPLE) at a glance
About the real Saudi Pharmacist Licence (SPLE)
The Saudi Commission for Health Specialties runs a single pharmacist licensing examination, the SPLE, taken at Prometric test centres in the Kingdom and abroad. It is 200 four-option single-best-answer questions delivered in two parts of 100, each allotted 120 minutes, with a scheduled 30-minute break between them, and up to 10% of the questions are unscored pilot items. Results are reported on a scaled 200-800 range with 536 to pass, and arrive two to six weeks after the test window closes.
What it covers
Practice follows the official SPLE blueprint. Basic Biomedical Sciences covers physiology, biochemistry, microbiology and genetics. Pharmaceutical Sciences covers medicinal chemistry, drug mechanisms, adverse effects and interactions, toxicology, pharmacognosy, pharmacokinetics, dosage forms, stability, calculations and sterile compounding. Social, Behavioral and Administrative Sciences covers the Saudi health system, Saudi pharmacy law and regulation, professional ethics, pharmacoepidemiology and pharmacovigilance, pharmacoeconomics, biostatistics, counselling and dispensing practice. Clinical Sciences covers therapeutics by body system, drug information and evidence-based medicine, clinical pharmacokinetics and therapeutic drug monitoring, pharmacogenomics, immunisation and patient assessment.
Who sits it
- Internationally-educated pharmacists applying to practise in Saudi Arabia.
- Saudi pharmacy graduates and interns sitting the SPLE for professional classification.
- Final-year pharmacy students, who may sit the exam one year before graduation.
- Pharmacists seeking a higher SPLE score to improve their residency selection prospects.
How people prepare for it
- Start with Clinical Sciences and Pharmaceutical Sciences — together they are 70% of the exam.
- Drill high-yield drug classes, interactions and adverse effects until recall is automatic.
- Practise pharmaceutical calculations daily — dosing, dilutions, IV rates and compounding.
- Work through the Saudi law, health system, ethics and immunisation modules, which are grounded in verified primary sources.
- Take the full 200-question mock in two timed parts with the 30-minute break, exactly as the real exam runs.
What it opens up
- Professional classification and registration as a pharmacist with SCFHS.
- Confidence with the two-part, 200-question single-best-answer format and its timed break.
Figures about the real exam, as recorded in the Myndaq course. They describe the real sitting, not this free mock paper - check current details with the exam body before you book.
Figures above are as reported for the cycle named in each row and are refreshed each cycle. Sourced, dated facts for this exam (official links on every row) are on the Saudi Pharmacist Licence (SPLE) course page.
What you get back
You get your raw marks and per-section scores. No scaled score, band, rank or percentile is estimated for this paper.
- Scored out of 200 raw marks, with per-section totals.
- There is no negative marking anywhere in this paper.
How the real Saudi Pharmacist Licence (SPLE) bands are read
SCFHS reports the SPLE on a scaled 200-800 range with a pass mark of 536, and publishes no raw-to-scaled conversion. After a pass, candidates may sit the exam twice more to improve the mark for residency selection.
- 80%+Strong across the blueprint — comfortably ready.
- 70-79%On track; tighten the weakest domain before booking.
- 60-69%Borderline — target the two lowest domains.
Context only - this free mock returns: You get your raw marks and per-section scores. No scaled score, band, rank or percentile is estimated for this paper.
How this mirrors the real format
- The paper structure is the real format: 2 sections in exam order, 200 questions in total.
- Timing is server-controlled for the full 4 hr -- closing the tab does not pause the clock, exactly like our paid mock series.
- Marking follows the published paper: the per-section marks shown in the paper map are the marks the scorer applies.
- Sections run strictly in order and a completed section cannot be reopened.
- Break windows fall where the paper schedules them, and each one is shown in the paper map.
"Real format" means the paper shape, timing, marking and navigation above - not the official exam software, its visual identity, or any affiliation with the exam body.
What differs or is limited
- This free mock follows the same paper shape, timing, marking scheme and navigation as our paid Saudi Pharmacist Licensure Examination (SPLE) mock series. It is scored automatically. It does not include tutor explanations, analysis dashboards or practice content.
- The real exam includes unscored pilot questions; this mock scores every question.
- SCFHS publishes no raw-to-scaled conversion, so your result is reported as percentage correct by blueprint domain and a readiness band, never as a predicted scaled score.
One attempt, explicitly
Adding this mock to your account is free and reversible - you can change the exam any time before you begin. Only the confirmed Begin action uses your one attempt. No retake, no reset, no card.