Exams for work in the Gulf

The exams GCC jobs make you sit

Trade tests before a Saudi visa, the engineers' exam behind an iqama title, the UAE teacher licence, and the driving theory test everyone sits. What each one is, what it costs, who has to take it, and what nobody would confirm to us - sourced and dated.

Plus the Dubai and Abu Dhabi broker exams and Qatar's engineer accreditation. Find yours, try its questions free, and practise the rest in the exam's own format.

Find your exam Try a free question

exams in Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar: 6; exams in Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar
original practice questions in 5 banks: 882; original practice questions in 5 banks
free questions, no sign-up: 116; free questions, no sign-up
from, for a full bank. One payment: AED 149; from, for a full bank. One payment

Which GCC exam do I need?

There is no single GCC work exam. The exam follows your job and the country, sometimes the emirate, where you will do it: tradespeople bound for Saudi Arabia sit the SVP trade test, engineers sit the Saudi Council of Engineers exam or Qatar's UPDA exam, UAE school teachers sit the Ministry of Education licence tests, and property brokers sit Dubai's RERA exam or Abu Dhabi's ADREC course. Each is run by its own authority, and a pass with one does not count with another.

Every guide lists what its authority would not confirm. Last reviewed October 2026.

Work and licensing exams

A free guide for each: who must sit it, the format, the fees, how to book and the traps. 5 of the 6 also have a free practice test and a full practice bank, priced in your currency.

Where

Your job

6 of 6 exams

Saudi ArabiaTradespeople
Saudi SVP
Takamol, for the Ministry of Human Resources (PACC / SVP portal)
Tradespeople recruited into Saudi Arabia in an occupation the portal shows as activated, before the visa is issued
Pass mark
50%official
Fee to sit
USD 85 outside Saudi Arabia; SAR 702.6 inside
Free tests by trade: Electrician, HVAC/AC technician, Plumber, Welder
200 question practice bankSAR 149
Try 39 free Guide and bank
Saudi ArabiaEngineers
Saudi SCE exam
Saudi Council of Engineers (SCE)
Engineers in Saudi Arabia whose degree is not accredited, or who want the Associate or Professional grade
Pass mark
PE: 60% in each part. FE: not published
Fee to sit
FE SAR 400 + SAR 400; PE SAR 2,000 in total, through Qiyas
180 question practice bankSAR 299
Try 15 free Guide and bank
United Arab EmiratesTeachers
UAE teacher licence
Ministry of Education (MoE), Professional Licensing Department
Teachers in UAE public and private schools, per the MoE manual. Who in Dubai and Abu Dhabi private schools must sit it is disputed.
Pass mark
Not published. Pass or Did not pass
Fee to sit
AED 250 test package; AED 100 per retake
160 question practice bankAED 249
Try 15 free Guide and bank
United Arab EmiratesReal estate brokers
Dubai RERA exam
Dubai Land Department (RERA)
Anyone applying for a Dubai real estate broker card, unless one of DLD's three exemptions applies
Pass mark
Not published. Providers say 70%, 75% or 85%
Fee to sit
AED 700 exam; AED 500 broker card
180 question practice bankAED 199
Try 15 free Guide and bank
United Arab EmiratesReal estate brokers
Abu Dhabi broker course
Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre (ADREC)
Brokers seeking an Abu Dhabi broker licence, and licensed brokers every year
Pass mark
70%, per a provider. Not published by ADREC
Fee to sit
Course priced by the provider; third attempt AED 500 + VAT
Free guide. Practice bank not yet written.
Read the guide
QatarEngineers
Qatar UPDA exam
Ministry of Municipality, Qatar (UPDA, formerly MMUP)
Engineers who need accreditation to practise or sign off work in Qatar
Pass mark
Not published. Sources give 50%, 52% or 60%
Fee to sit
Exam fee not published; QAR 300 licence fee after passing
Free tests by discipline: Architecture, Civil, Electrical, Mechanical
162 question practice bankQAR 199
Try 32 free Guide and bank

All six GCC countries · freeDriving theory tests3,016 practice questions, timed mocks at each authority's real length, and a printable pack per authority.Start practising →

Every exam side by side

Format, pass mark, fee and attempts, condensed from each guide's sourced tables. Where an authority publishes nothing, the cell says so and names who reported the figure instead.

GCC work exams compared: format, pass mark, fee, attempts and validity
Exam	Format	Pass mark	Fee to sit	Attempts	Valid for
Saudi SVPSaudi Arabia	Computer-based, plus a practical for some trades. Up to 120 minutes.	50%	USD 85 outside Saudi Arabia; SAR 702.6 inside	3, paying the full fee each time	2 years, or 5 with a practical
Saudi SCE examSaudi Arabia	FE: 90 general + 50 discipline questions, 3 hours each. PE: two parts, multiple choice and essays.	PE: 60% in each part. FE: not published	FE SAR 400 + SAR 400; PE SAR 2,000 in total, through Qiyas	Every attempt is paid again. FE limit not published.	Registration renewed with membership, from SAR 250 a year
UAE teacher licenceUnited Arab Emirates	Pedagogy: 80 multiple-choice questions in 2 hours (Grades 3-12), plus a subject test	Not published. Pass or Did not pass	AED 250 test package; AED 100 per retake	3 per exam, a 6-month wait, then 3 more	Certified licence lasts 4 years
Dubai RERA examUnited Arab Emirates	Computer-based multiple choice. Providers say about 50 questions in around 2 hours.	Not published. Providers say 70%, 75% or 85%	AED 700 exam; AED 500 broker card	No limit published	Tied to the brokerage's trade licence
Abu Dhabi broker courseUnited Arab Emirates	A taught course of about 40 hours, ending in a final assessment, per a provider	70%, per a provider. Not published by ADREC	Course priced by the provider; third attempt AED 500 + VAT	One free retake, then AED 500 + VAT	Renewed annually
Qatar UPDA examQatar	25-27 multiple-choice questions in 60 minutes, in your own discipline	Not published. Sources give 50%, 52% or 60%	Exam fee not published; QAR 300 licence fee after passing	No published limit; providers say fees apply again	Licence renewed every 3 years

Saudi SVPSaudi Arabia

Format: Computer-based, plus a practical for some trades. Up to 120 minutes.
Pass mark: 50%
Fee to sit: USD 85 outside Saudi Arabia; SAR 702.6 inside
Attempts: 3, paying the full fee each time
Valid for: 2 years, or 5 with a practical

Saudi SCE examSaudi Arabia

Format: FE: 90 general + 50 discipline questions, 3 hours each. PE: two parts, multiple choice and essays.
Pass mark: PE: 60% in each part. FE: not published
Fee to sit: FE SAR 400 + SAR 400; PE SAR 2,000 in total, through Qiyas
Attempts: Every attempt is paid again. FE limit not published.
Valid for: Registration renewed with membership, from SAR 250 a year

UAE teacher licenceUnited Arab Emirates

Format: Pedagogy: 80 multiple-choice questions in 2 hours (Grades 3-12), plus a subject test
Pass mark: Not published. Pass or Did not pass
Fee to sit: AED 250 test package; AED 100 per retake
Attempts: 3 per exam, a 6-month wait, then 3 more
Valid for: Certified licence lasts 4 years

Dubai RERA examUnited Arab Emirates

Format: Computer-based multiple choice. Providers say about 50 questions in around 2 hours.
Pass mark: Not published. Providers say 70%, 75% or 85%
Fee to sit: AED 700 exam; AED 500 broker card
Attempts: No limit published
Valid for: Tied to the brokerage's trade licence

Abu Dhabi broker courseUnited Arab Emirates

Format: A taught course of about 40 hours, ending in a final assessment, per a provider
Pass mark: 70%, per a provider. Not published by ADREC
Fee to sit: Course priced by the provider; third attempt AED 500 + VAT
Attempts: One free retake, then AED 500 + VAT
Valid for: Renewed annually

Qatar UPDA examQatar

Format: 25-27 multiple-choice questions in 60 minutes, in your own discipline
Pass mark: Not published. Sources give 50%, 52% or 60%
Fee to sit: Exam fee not published; QAR 300 licence fee after passing
Attempts: No published limit; providers say fees apply again
Valid for: Licence renewed every 3 years

Fees are the authorities' own, in the currency they charge in. Each guide gives the source and date for every figure in this table.

Try a question from each exam

Pick your exam and answer. You see straight away whether you were right, why, and where the rule comes from - the same as every question in the banks.

Safe isolation

An electrician has switched off and locked off the circuit breaker for a lighting circuit. What must be done next, before touching any conductor?

Pick an answer to see the reason.

The free practice test has 39 questions like this, no sign-up. The full bank holds 200, for SAR 149.

Sit the free test See the bank

What a failed attempt costs, and what practice costs

A retake is paid in full, and for most of these exams the job, visa or card waits until you pass. Here is that set beside the practice bank for the same exam. A bank cannot promise a pass, and nobody honest can.

Saudi SVP
Saudi Arabia
If you fail
The full fee again. Abroad, no certificate means no work visa for that trade.
The practice bank
200 original questions, timed mocks at 40 questions in 60 minutes, plus the printable PDF.
SAR 149Free test Get the bank
Saudi SCE exam
Saudi Arabia
If you fail
The test fee again, and no grade or registration change until you pass.
The practice bank
180 original questions, timed mocks at 90 questions in 180 minutes, plus the printable PDF.
SAR 299Free test Get the bank
UAE teacher licence
United Arab Emirates
If you fail
AED 100 per retake, results about a month later, and a 6-month wait after a third fail.
The practice bank
160 original questions, timed mocks at 80 questions in 120 minutes, plus the printable PDF.
AED 249Free test Get the bank
Dubai RERA exam
United Arab Emirates
If you fail
No broker card, so no brokering in Dubai, until you pass.
The practice bank
180 original questions, timed mocks at 50 questions in 120 minutes, plus the printable PDF.
AED 199Free test Get the bank
Qatar UPDA exam
Qatar
If you fail
No accreditation, so no engineering role in Qatar, until you pass.
The practice bank
162 original questions, timed mocks at 25 questions in 60 minutes, plus the printable PDF.
QAR 199Free test Get the bank

How the practice is built

Sit the free test first

116 free questions across the 5 exams, marked like the real one, with the answer and the reason after each. No sign-up, no email.

Pay once if it helps

One payment for timed online mocks, with no expiry, at the exam's own length, topic drills and a list of the questions you keep missing, with a printable PDF of every question to keep. No subscription.

Every answer is sourced

Each answer names the law, standard or principle behind it. Where an authority publishes no pass mark, the mocks mark against a target and say it is ours, not theirs.

Original questions, not the authority's. Every question is written by us to the published specification, or to the trade and legal knowledge the exam tests where no specification exists. None is recalled, leaked or copied from a real paper. Everything we sell. Training people for one of these exams? Seats for organisations.

GCC work exams: common questions

Saudi SVP: 50%. Saudi SCE exam: PE: 60% in each part. FE: not published. UAE teacher licence: Not published. Pass or Did not pass. Dubai RERA exam: Not published. Providers say 70%, 75% or 85%. Abu Dhabi broker course: 70%, per a provider. Not published by ADREC. Qatar UPDA exam: Not published. Sources give 50%, 52% or 60%. Where an authority publishes no pass mark we say so and name who reported the figure, rather than present a provider's number as official.

Saudi SVP: USD 85 outside Saudi Arabia; SAR 702.6 inside. Saudi SCE exam: FE SAR 400 + SAR 400; PE SAR 2,000 in total, through Qiyas. UAE teacher licence: AED 250 test package; AED 100 per retake. Dubai RERA exam: AED 700 exam; AED 500 broker card. Abu Dhabi broker course: Course priced by the provider; third attempt AED 500 + VAT. Qatar UPDA exam: Exam fee not published; QAR 300 licence fee after passing. These are the authorities' own fees in their own currencies, as each guide sources them; training courses and agents charge on top.

Saudi SVP: 3, paying the full fee each time. Saudi SCE exam: Every attempt is paid again. FE limit not published. UAE teacher licence: 3 per exam, a 6-month wait, then 3 more. Dubai RERA exam: No limit published. Abu Dhabi broker course: One free retake, then AED 500 + VAT. Qatar UPDA exam: No published limit; providers say fees apply again. In almost every case a retake is paid in full again.

No. Every question is original, written to the authority's published specification or, where none exists, to the trade or legal knowledge the exam tests, and each answer names the law, standard or principle it comes from. Nobody can legitimately sell an authority's real questions, and anyone offering recalled or leaked papers is selling you a risk to your licence.

Yes. Saudi SVP has 39 free questions, Saudi SCE exam has 15 free questions, UAE teacher licence has 15 free questions, Dubai RERA exam has 15 free questions, Qatar UPDA exam has 32 free questions, each with the answer explained. No sign-up.

One payment, no subscription: AED 149 to AED 299 depending on the exam, for timed online mocks with no expiry and a printable PDF of every question to keep.