QCHP exam (Prometric exam Qatar) for nurses
The QCHP exam is the Qualifying Examination for Qatar, delivered by Prometric. The regulator is now called the Department of Healthcare Professions (DHP) at the Ministry of Public Health, so you will see both QCHP and DHP names. For nurses it has 150 multiple-choice questions, the pass mark is 50%, and the fee is USD 244 from 1 January 2026.
- Regulator
- Department of Healthcare Professions (DHP), Ministry of Public Health Qatar, formerly QCHP: Qualifying Examination page
- Delivered by
- Prometric, program SCHQ2, in Doha
- Questions
- 150 multiple-choice questions
- Pass mark for nurses
- 50% of the 150 items
- Fee
- USD 244 from 1 January 2026
- Questions
- 150
- Time
- 3 hours (one Qatar document says 3.5 hours)
- Pass mark
- 50%
- Format
- Single best answer, 4 options
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Original questions across the QCHP Qatar 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.
QCHP is now DHP: what changed
QCHP stood for Qatar Council for Healthcare Practitioners. Qatar's regulator pages and documents now sit on a dhp.moph.gov.qa address under the name Department of Healthcare Professions. Older circulars, and most prep websites, still say QCHP, and people still search for "qchp exam". It is the same Qualifying Examination. We do not have a source giving the date of the rename.
Format, with the conflicts spelled out
The exam is electronic. The nurse paper has 150 multiple-choice questions and the pass mark is a percentage of those 150 items. Scores are not rounded up under the current published rules.
| Item | Published fact |
|---|---|
| Questions | 150 MCQs |
| Pass mark, registered nurse | 50% |
| Duration | 3 hours on the DHP page; 3.5 hours in the DHP blueprint document. The two disagree. |
| Attempts | Unlimited on the current DHP page; a 2018 policy says a maximum of five, plus one more with justification. The two disagree. |
| Validity of the result | 3 years in the 2018 policy; not repeated on the current page |
| Fee | USD 244 from 1 January 2026 (USD 238 in 2024 and 2025) |
For duration, plan for 3 hours but check your Prometric confirmation, which shows your real appointment time. For attempts, the DHP page is newer than the 2018 circular, and we found no later circular replacing it. Treat unlimited as the current rule, and confirm it with DHP before you rely on it.
The published Qatar nurse blueprint
DHP publishes how many of the 150 questions come from each area. These are item counts, not percentages.
| Area | Questions out of 150 |
|---|---|
| Nursing Fundamentals | 30 |
| Adult Nursing | 61 |
| Maternal-Child Nursing | 44 |
| Unit Management and Leadership | 15 |
That is about 20%, 41%, 29% and 10%. Adult Nursing is the largest block, and Maternal-Child is the one nurses from adult wards most often under-prepare. The blueprint is dated March 2023.
Fee, cancelling and rescheduling
The exam fee is USD 244 from 1 January 2026, set by DHP Circular DHP-2024-10. Changes cost less if you give notice:
- 30 days or more before: USD 25 to cancel or reschedule.
- 5 to 29 days before: USD 40.
- Under 5 days, a no-show, or more than 30 minutes late: the full fee.
Read the circular before you book.
Eligibility and exemptions
DHP's nurse guideline asks for a four-year bachelor's degree, or a three-year diploma, or an associate degree if you are licensed as a registered general nurse. It also asks for two years of post-registration experience for bachelor's and diploma holders, and three years for associate degree holders. Online or distance programmes are not accepted. Nurses with an NCLEX pass in the previous five years may be exempt from the Qatar exam. Check the current circular for who else is exempt.
Booking and preparing
You book at Prometric once DHP has processed your application. The test centre is in Doha. Start with the free 20-question check, which needs no sign-up, to see which of the four areas needs work. Then use adaptive practice on those areas and a timed mock of 150 questions before test day. See the nurse guide to the Qatar exam.
We are independent of DHP and Prometric. Our questions are original, written to the published blueprint, and we never use recalled 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
What is the QCHP exam?
It is Qatar's Qualifying Examination for health professionals, delivered by Prometric. QCHP is the old name of the regulator, now DHP, at the Ministry of Public Health.
Is the Prometric exam in Qatar the same as QCHP?
Yes. Prometric delivers the test, and DHP, formerly QCHP, sets the rules and the pass mark.
What is the pass mark for the QCHP exam for nurses?
50% of the 150 questions for registered general nurses. Pharmacists, GPs and general dentists need 60%.
How much is the QCHP exam fee?
USD 244 from 1 January 2026, according to DHP Circular DHP-2024-10.
How long is the QCHP exam?
DHP gives two answers: 3 hours on its exam page and 3.5 hours in its blueprint document. Confirm the time on your Prometric booking.
How many times can I take the QCHP exam?
The current DHP page says unlimited. A 2018 circular says five attempts. We found no replacement circular, so confirm with DHP.
Related guides
Sources
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