The OMSB Selection Exam, explained

What is the OMSB Selection Exam?

It is the Oman Medical Residency Selection Examination (OMRSE), the entry exam for OMSB's postgraduate residency programmes. OMSB's guide describes it as a prerequisite for entry into those programmes, focused on critical thinking and decision-making in diagnosing and managing medical conditions. [OMSB guide, §I]

It is a local examination, sat by graduates of private and governmental medical colleges in Oman and by those who graduated abroad. [OMSB guide, §I]

Who sits it?

Doctors with a bachelor's degree in medicine from a recognised local or international medical college, applying to an OMSB residency programme. [OMSB guide, §III]

What is the exam format?

150 single-best-answer multiple-choice questions in 2 hours 45 minutes, across six domains. [OMSB guide, §V]

What does the blueprint cover?

Six domains with fixed weights: Medicine 39%, Surgery 18%, Women's Health 13%, Emergency Medicine 12%, Public/Community Health 11%, Child Health 7%. Each can differ by up to 5% either way. [OMSB guide, §VI]

What does each question test?

The guide names five angles a question can take: [OMSB guide, §VII]

• Basic knowledge and diagnosis: the anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology behind an illness, and identifying the condition from its symptoms and signs.
• Investigation: the tests that confirm a diagnosis or rule out other causes.
• Pharmacological management: managing the condition with medication.
• Non-pharmacological management: interventions without medication.
• Prevention: primary, secondary and tertiary.

How OmanDoc's 20 categories map to the blueprint

OmanDoc organises its notes into its own categories. This is how they sit on the six official domains:

Which references does OMSB suggest?

The guide lists general-practice references, among them the Oxford Handbook of General Practice, Current Diagnosis and Treatment in Family Medicine, Practical General Practice, John Murtagh's General Practice, the Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy, the British National Formulary and the Ministry of Health manuals. [OMSB guide, §VIII] OmanDoc does not replace them.

When is the exam, and how do you register?

For the 2026 sitting, registration ran from 1 July to 25 August 2026, and the exam was delivered on 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 15 and 16 September 2026. [OMSB guide, §IV] OMSB has not announced the next sitting yet; we update this page when it does.

How do you register and book?

1. Go to omsb.gov.om, then Professional Competence Affairs, then the Occupational Classification Testing Section, then Online Services (OMSB page).
2. Schedule, reschedule or cancel on Pearson VUE (home.pearsonvue.com/omsb).
3. Pay the examination fee: USD 130 for 2026.
4. On the day, bring your original valid national ID or passport (Omani candidates), or your original valid passport (non-Omani candidates).

[OMSB guide, §IV]

Are there official past papers?

We could not find published past papers on OMSB's website (checked 8 October 2026). OMSB's exam guide includes a short practice test of 12 questions with an answer key. [OMSB guide, §XII]

How can I prepare?

Find your weakest areas first, read those topics from a source you can cite, keep a list of what you miss, and finish with timed papers. The method, step by step, is on how to prepare for the OMSB Selection Exam. And you can try free sample questions.

Where OmanDoc fits

OmanDoc is a revision platform for this exam: 1,413 questions and 1,324 written topic notes in 20 categories mapped to the OMSB blueprint. Every question carries its source file, page, and a verbatim quote.

1,307 topic previews are open to everyone at /topics. All 1,324 full summaries will be free with an account when registration opens.

Independent. Not affiliated with OMSB.

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