DHA exam for nurses: format, fees, eligibility and practice
The DHA exam is the computer-based licensing assessment that the Dubai Health Authority requires from most nurses before they can work in Dubai. For a Registered Nurse it is 150 multiple choice questions in 3 hours, the pass mark is 50 percent and the fee is USD 240. It is delivered by Prometric.
- Exam delivered by
- Prometric, booked through your Sheryan account DHA guideline
- Fee (Registered Nurse)
- USD 240, paid to Prometric by card
- Attempts
- Three in total across all UAE health authorities
- Language
- English
- Result
- Pass or Fail only, shown in Sheryan within 2 working days
- Questions
- 150
- Time
- 3 hours
- Pass mark
- 50%
- Format
- Single best answer, 4 options
Free ยท no sign-up
Try 20 practice questions now
Original questions across the DHA exam for nurses topic areas, with an explanation after every answer and your estimated readiness at the end.
Start the free check90 free practice questions for nurses, with answers
Original questions for DHA, DOH, MOH, SCFHS, QCHP, OMSB, Kuwait and NHRA, each with a full explanation. Read them on one page or download the PDF. No sign-up.
What the DHA exam is
DHA stands for Dubai Health Authority. Nurses applying for a Dubai licence sit a computer-based assessment, called the DHA Healthcare Professional Licensing Assessment in DHA's own guideline. The Registered Nurse paper has the exam code RNT0312.
The paper tests four areas: Fundamentals of nursing, Adult Nursing, Maternal-Child Nursing and Unit Management and Leadership. DHA publishes the topic lists but not how much each area counts, so any website that quotes exact weights for DHA is guessing. See the syllabus page for what is listed.
| Item | Registered Nurse |
|---|---|
| Questions | 150 multiple choice |
| Time | 3 hours, which DHA says includes registration and the introduction |
| Pass mark | 50 percent |
| Fee | USD 240 |
| Language | English |
DHA reserves the right to change the format, content or pass score without notice, so check DHA's own guideline before you book. Some prep websites quote 100 questions, 165 minutes or 60 percent. Those do not match the current DHA guideline.
How to get from application to exam day
- Create a Sheryan account and apply for a DHA Unique ID.
- Once DHA accepts your documents you receive an Eligibility ID.
- Use the Eligibility ID to schedule your slot at a Prometric test centre and pay the fee by card.
- Arrive 30 minutes early with the passport that matches your Sheryan name.
- Your Pass or Fail appears in Sheryan within 2 working days. The score itself is not shared.
Attempts and what happens after a pass
You have three attempts, and they are counted across all UAE authorities, not only DHA. There is no fixed waiting time between attempts: it depends on slot availability. After three failed attempts you cannot reapply to DHA for two years. A new set of three attempts is possible after a further recognised qualification or two years of licensed clinical experience since your last attempt.
A pass gives you a Registration Certificate valid for one year from the result date. It is not yet a licence: a licensed facility must activate it.
Explore the DHA nurse guides
- DHA exam for nurses: what to expect and how to prepare
- DHA exam fees: USD fee, reschedule and refund rules
- DHA exam eligibility: degree, BLS and experience rules
- DHA exam syllabus: the four areas and reference books
- DHA exam questions: what question styles to expect
- DHA mock test for nurses: how to rehearse the real timing
- Malayalam guide and Hindi guide
Gulf Health Exam is independent and not affiliated with DHA or Prometric. If you are comparing regulators, read which Gulf nursing exam applies to you.
Practise the way the exam is built
Our questions are original, written to the published topic areas from standard nursing references and checked by a second reviewer. We never use recalled or real exam questions. Start with the free 20-question check, which needs no sign-up and explains every answer, then use adaptive practice to work on weak areas and a timed mock built to the published DHA format.
Sample questions with explanations
Community and public health
A community nurse runs a clinic for adults with type 2 diabetes and established peripheral neuropathy. The nurse teaches daily foot inspection, correct footwear and when to seek care for blisters. What is the main aim at this level of prevention?
- To detect diabetes early in people who have no symptoms
- To prevent ulceration and amputation in people who already have complications
- To prevent healthy adults from developing type 2 diabetes
- To reduce population sugar intake through public policy
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: B. These patients already have neuropathy, so the aim is to reduce disability and limb loss. This is tertiary prevention, which limits complications and supports rehabilitation in established disease.
- A. Detecting undiagnosed disease is secondary prevention; these patients are already diagnosed.
- C. Preventing onset in healthy adults is primary prevention.
- D. Policy change on sugar intake is a population-level primary or primordial measure.
Key point: Tertiary prevention reduces complications and disability in established disease.
Based on: IDF Clinical Practice Recommendations on the Diabetic Foot; Stanhope & Lancaster, Public Health Nursing, 10th ed.
Critical care and emergency
A nurse finds a 58-year-old man unresponsive in his hospital bed. He is not breathing normally. The scene is safe and there is no response to shouting or shaking his shoulders. Which action should the nurse take next?
- Shout for help, activate the emergency team and get the defibrillator, checking a pulse for no more than 10 seconds
- Give two rescue breaths with a pocket mask, then go to call the emergency team
- Insert an oropharyngeal airway and attach a pulse oximeter before calling for help
- Check the medical record for the resuscitation status before starting any action
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: A. After confirming unresponsiveness and absent or abnormal breathing, the rescuer shouts for help and activates the emergency response system so that a defibrillator and team arrive quickly. A pulse check of up to 10 seconds is done at the same time, and compressions start immediately if no definite pulse is felt.
- B. Starting with breaths delays recognition of arrest and activation of the team; compressions take priority in adults.
- C. Equipment and monitoring are secondary and delay help and compressions.
- D. Code status should be known by the team, but a delay to check the chart is not appropriate in an unresponsive, non-breathing patient unless a valid DNAR is already known.
Key point: Activate the emergency response and get the defibrillator early; start compressions without delay if there is no definite pulse.
Based on: AHA 2025 Guidelines for CPR and ECC
Fundamentals of nursing
A 46-year-old man is admitted with a 4-week cough with blood-streaked sputum, night sweats and weight loss. His chest X-ray shows an upper-lobe cavity and pulmonary tuberculosis is suspected. Which precaution is most appropriate while results are awaited?
- Single room with the door left open for observation, and staff wearing a surgical mask
- Positive-pressure single room with the door closed, and staff wearing a gown and gloves
- Standard precautions only, with the patient wearing a surgical mask in a shared bay
- Negative-pressure single room, door closed, staff in fit-tested N95 (FFP2) respirators
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: D. Tuberculosis is spread by small airborne droplet nuclei, so the patient needs an airborne infection isolation room (negative pressure, door closed) and staff need a fit-tested particulate respirator. Isolation starts on suspicion, before confirmation.
- A. Surgical masks do not filter airborne droplet nuclei and the door must stay closed.
- B. Positive pressure would push contaminated air out into the corridor; gown and gloves do not protect against inhalation.
- C. Standard precautions are not enough for suspected TB; a bay shares air with other patients.
Key point: Suspected TB, measles or varicella: airborne precautions, negative-pressure room and N95 respirator.
Based on: CDC Guideline for Isolation Precautions (2007, updated); WHO guidelines on TB infection prevention and control (2019)
Common questions
What is the DHA exam?
It is the computer-based licensing assessment of the Dubai Health Authority. Nurses sit it at a Prometric centre after DHA accepts their documents and issues an Eligibility ID.
How many questions are in the DHA exam for nurses?
The Registered Nurse paper has 150 multiple choice questions and lasts 3 hours.
What is the pass mark for the DHA exam for nurses?
The pass mark is 50 percent for Registered Nurses. DHA does not show your score, only Pass or Fail.
How many attempts do I get in the DHA exam?
Three attempts, counted across all UAE health authorities. There is no fixed waiting period between attempts.
Is the DHA exam the same as the Prometric exam?
DHA sets the assessment and Prometric delivers it at test centres. Prometric also delivers exams for other Gulf regulators, so check which regulator you are applying to.
Does DHA publish the topic weights?
No. DHA lists four areas and reference books but publishes no percentages.
Related guides
Sources
Practise every day until it feels routine
One pass opens every Gulf regulator and profession, from US$9 for 7 days, with no automatic renewal.
See passesNext step after the written exam? Practise clinical OSCE stations with an AI patient at oscetest.com.
Visit oscetest.com