How to Pass the DHA Nursing Licensing (2026): A Realistic Plan
In short
To pass the DHA nursing exam you clear 50% as a Registered Nurse (45% for Assistant Nurses) on about 150 multiple-choice questions in a single session. The result comes back only as "Pass" or "Fail" — no number. Adult Nursing is the largest domain, so weight your study toward it; plan around 200 study hours.
What the DHA exam tests
The Dubai Health Authority licenses nurses through a computer-based test delivered by Prometric, booked and tracked through the DHA's Sheryan portal. It's about 150 multiple-choice questions, sat in a single computer-based session of roughly 165 minutes.
The blueprint has four weighted domains, led clearly by Adult Nursing:
- Adult Nursing — 40%
- Maternal-Child Nursing — 30%
- Nursing Fundamentals — 20%
- Nursing Management and Leadership — 10%
The DHA doesn't publish fixed public percentages, so treat these weights as a working guide and confirm the current split in the official DHA CBT exam guideline. What's reliable is the shape: Adult Nursing dominates, and Management & Leadership is the smallest slice — so plan your hours in that order.
One thing to settle before you book: the DHA reports your outcome as Pass or Fail only — the numerical score is never shared. The reported cut is 50% for Registered Nurses and 45% for Assistant Nurses. Because licensure thresholds shift by nursing classification, verify your exact requirement on the Sheryan portal before you sit. With no score feedback, a borderline result is a coin toss.
The plan, section by section
The DHA blueprint carries the heaviest recommended prep of the Gulf exams — about 200 hours, or roughly seven months at a steady pace. Spend those hours by weight:
Begin with Adult Nursing (40%, ~80 hours) → then Maternal-Child Nursing (30%, ~60 hours) → then Nursing Fundamentals (20%, ~40 hours) → close with Management and Leadership (10%, ~20 hours).
Adult Nursing (40%)
The bulk of the paper — medical and surgical nursing, critical care, community, and mental health. Drill prioritization and escalation scenarios until your reasoning is quick; these judgment questions carry the 40%.
Maternal-Child Nursing (30%)
Spans the whole continuum from antenatal care to neonatal and pediatric practice. Lock down safe dosage calculations for children — they're fast marks if you've drilled them, dropped marks if you haven't.
Nursing Fundamentals (20%)
Covers physical assessment, pharmacology, and basic sciences. It's the reasoning bedrock for everything above it, so don't treat 20% as optional.
Management and Leadership (10%)
For the DHA this explicitly includes the Dubai scope of practice, licensing, and professional-conduct rules. Learn the local regulatory content — it's the one part of this domain that generic international study material won't cover.
Where people lose marks
The DHA's specific pitfalls:
- Candidates aim for exactly 50%. With Pass/Fail-only results and no numerical feedback, a borderline attempt is a gamble, so practice to a consistent 65%+ and a bad day still clears.
- The Dubai-specific scope content gets skipped. International textbooks won't teach the DHA's own conduct and licensing rules, yet they appear in the leadership domain.
- Time bleeds away on the continuous clock. The exam is a single session, and the timer keeps running through any unscheduled break. With about 150 questions in roughly 165 minutes you have a little over a minute each, so bank time on the questions you know and don't stall on the hard ones.
- ID doesn't match the permit. You're monitored by audio and video throughout, and your ID must match your scheduling permit exactly — a name mismatch can cost you the whole booking.
Common questions
What score do I need to pass the DHA nursing exam? 50% for Registered Nurses and 45% for Assistant Nurses, but confirm your exact threshold on Sheryan — it varies by classification.
Will I see my score? No. The DHA issues results as "Pass" or "Fail" without the numerical mark.
How many questions, and how long? About 150 multiple-choice questions in a single computer-based session of roughly 165 minutes. Confirm the current count in the official DHA CBT exam guideline on Sheryan.
How much does it cost? Budget roughly USD 250-350 in total — a DHA review fee plus the Prometric exam fee. The exact amount varies by nursing category, so confirm the current fee on Sheryan and at Prometric checkout.
Where is it held? Computer-based testing at Prometric centers, booked through the DHA Sheryan portal.
How long should I prepare? About 200 hours of structured study, concentrated on Adult and Maternal-Child Nursing.
Because the DHA never shows your score, the smartest preparation is honest self-testing under time, so you have real proof you're clearing the bar before you book. Only Ever breaks the DHA blueprint into short study topics and gives the practice questions away free. Try the free DHA practice questions and use your accuracy to know when you're ready.