NHRA exam: the Bahrain Prometric exam for nurses
The NHRA exam is Bahrain's health licensure exam, delivered by Prometric, and nurses sit the Bahrain Nursing Licensure Examination (BNLE). NHRA gives a 50% pass mark for nursing, but Prometric lists 60% for all Bahrain exams. The number of questions is not published, so be wary of any site that quotes one. The nurse guide has more.
- Exam name for nurses
- Bahrain Nursing Licensure Examination (BNLE) NHRA licensure examination booklet
- Delivered by
- Prometric, NHRA programme Prometric NHRA
- Time
- Seating time 3 hours, examination time 2.5 hours (Prometric listing)
- Number of questions
- Not published by NHRA or Prometric
- Pass mark
- Conflict: 50% for nursing per NHRA, 60% per Prometric
- Attempts
- Four consecutive attempts within 3 years of the first
- Validity for nurses
- 5 years NHRA nursing requirements
Free ยท no sign-up
Try 20 practice questions now
Original questions across the NHRA Bahrain 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.
How the NHRA exam works
NHRA, the National Health Regulatory Authority, licenses health professionals in Bahrain. You apply to NHRA online, receive an eligibility code, and use it to register with Prometric. The eligibility number is valid for a maximum of 4 months, so book promptly. Exams taken without NHRA approval are not accepted.
Pass mark: two sources disagree
The NHRA licensure booklet says the pass mark for nursing, midwifery and allied professions is 50% and for all other professions 60%. A Prometric listing says the pass grade is 60% for all Bahrain licensure exams. The NHRA booklet is the more specific, but it dates from 2022. We cannot tell you which is applied today.
Aim for 60% in practice. If you pass at 60% the conflict does not matter, and if the 50% figure applies you have margin.
Question count and format
Neither NHRA nor Prometric publishes how many questions the BNLE has. Some coaching sites quote about 100 MCQs for nurses. That figure is unverified, and it sits awkwardly with a 2.5-hour exam time. NHRA also publishes no blueprint. Its page links study references taken from the Saudi SCFHS site and says questions may not come only from them.
Attempts and validity
Under Decision 29 of 2020 you get four consecutive attempts within a maximum of 3 years from the first attempt. An older nursing document cited six, so check the current rule with NHRA. For nurses, the validity of the licence examination is 5 years.
Exemptions to check first
NHRA accepts some other results for nurses, including UAE (DHA and HAAD), Qatar and Oman Prometric Registered Nurse results and the Saudi Nurse Specialist result. The Saudi Nurse Technician result is not accepted. Check this before paying to sit the exam.
How to practise
With no blueprint, the safest preparation is broad. The free 20-question check needs no sign-up, and the four-area structure used by Saudi, Qatar and Kuwait is a sensible guide: fundamentals, adult, maternal-child and management. Try adaptive practice and a timed mock to build stamina. Our questions are original, and we never use recalled or real exam questions.
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
Is the NHRA exam the same as the Bahrain Prometric exam?
Yes. NHRA sets the licensure exam and Prometric delivers it.
What is the BNLE?
The Bahrain Nursing Licensure Examination, the NHRA exam for nurses.
What is the NHRA exam pass mark for nurses?
Sources conflict. The NHRA booklet says 50% for nursing, while a Prometric listing says 60% for all Bahrain exams.
How many questions are in the NHRA exam?
The number is not published. Figures on coaching sites are unverified.
How many attempts do you get at the NHRA exam?
Four consecutive attempts within 3 years of the first, under Decision 29 of 2020.
How long is the NHRA exam valid for nurses?
5 years, according to NHRA's nursing requirements document.
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