What is a good SMLE score?
A good SMLE score is 610 or above on the 200–800 scale. The official passing score is 560, but most Saudi Board specialties require 610+, moderately competitive specialties 640–680+, and scores of 700+ open the most competitive programmes such as Dermatology and Ophthalmology.
| Band | Score range | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Elite | 700+ | Competitive for all specialties, including the most competitive programmes. |
| Strong | 650 – 699 | Competitive for most specialties, including General Surgery and Radiology. |
| Competitive | 610 – 649 | Competitive for Family Medicine, Community Medicine, and Internal Medicine. |
| Passing | 560 – 609 | Eligible for residency matching — focus on less competitive specialties. |
| Below Passing | < 560 | Not currently eligible for residency matching. |
How Your SCFHS Residency Matching Score Is Calculated
The Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS) uses an aggregated scoring formula out of 100 points for residency matching. Your final score is derived from three components:
GPA Formula: (Your GPA ÷ Max GPA) × 30
Saudi Board Specialty Competitiveness Rankings (2025)
The chart below shows the most competitive Saudi Board specialties based on 2025 SCFHS matching data. Specialties like Ophthalmology and Dermatology require the highest aggregate scores, while Family Medicine and Community Medicine are more accessible.
Saudi Board Specialty Competitiveness (2025)
Minimum SMLE scores required for major Saudi Board specialties
Whiskers show city-adjusted range (Riyadh highest, smaller cities lowest). Use the city selector above to see your specific matches.
SMLE score is one of the factors contributing towards residency matching — your GPA (30 points) and CV score (15 points) also play an important role in determining your final aggregate score.
SMLE score to percentage conversion
Convert your scaled SMLE score (200–800) to a percentage with the formula: (score − 200) ÷ 600 × 100. For example, the 560 passing score equals 60% of the scale. This is a linear reference estimate — the official SMLE score is scaled using Item Response Theory (IRT), so raw percentages do not directly predict it.
| SMLE scaled score | Percentage | Estimated raw score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200 | 0% | 0 | Fail |
| 220 | 3% | 10 | Fail |
| 240 | 7% | 20 | Fail |
| 260 | 10% | 30 | Fail |
| 280 | 13% | 40 | Fail |
| 300 | 17% | 50 | Fail |
| 320 | 20% | 60 | Fail |
| 340 | 23% | 70 | Fail |
| 360 | 27% | 80 | Fail |
| 380 | 30% | 90 | Fail |
| 400 | 33% | 100 | Fail |
| 420 | 37% | 110 | Fail |
| 440 | 40% | 120 | Fail |
| 460 | 43% | 130 | Fail |
| 480 | 47% | 140 | Fail |
| 500 | 50% | 150 | Fail |
| 520 | 53% | 160 | Fail |
| 540 | 57% | 170 | Fail |
| 560 (passing score) | 60% | 180 | Pass |
| 580 | 63% | 190 | Pass |
| 600 | 67% | 200 | Pass |
| 620 | 70% | 210 | Pass |
| 640 | 73% | 220 | Pass |
| 660 | 77% | 230 | Pass |
| 680 | 80% | 240 | Pass |
| 700 | 83% | 250 | Pass |
| 720 | 87% | 260 | Pass |
| 740 | 90% | 270 | Pass |
| 760 | 93% | 280 | Pass |
| 780 | 97% | 290 | Pass |
| 800 | 100% | 300 | Pass |
Percentages and raw scores are linear estimates across the 200–800 reporting scale, not official SCFHS figures. The passing score (560) is highlighted.
SMLE score to percentage: what the conversion means
A score conversion places your scaled SMLE result on a reference percentage scale. It does not reveal the percentage of questions you answered correctly. Keep this separate from the weighted residency matching score, which also uses GPA and CV inputs.
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