What is the DHA exam for nurses?
The DHA Registered Nurse exam (code RNT0312) is the computer-based, multiple-choice test Dubai Health Authority uses to assess nurses applying for a Dubai licence under the unified Professional Qualification Requirements (PQR). Prometric delivers it, and DHA reports the result in your Sheryan account as Pass or Fail only.
The exam format
| Exam code | RNT0312 (Registered Nurse) |
|---|---|
| Questions | 150 multiple-choice questions |
| Time | 3 hours. DHA says this includes registration and the introduction, not only the questions. |
| Pass score | 50%, as published in the DHA CBT guideline (updated Sep 2026). DHA states it can change the format or pass score without updating the guideline. |
| Fee | USD 240, paid to Prometric by card when you book |
| Result | Pass or Fail in Sheryan, usually within 2 working days. Your score is not shared. |
| Attempts | Up to three under the unified PQR. Failing the third attempt blocks a new DHA application for two years, with limited exceptions. |
To book, you open a Sheryan account, copy your DHA unique ID, generate an eligibility ID and schedule with Prometric. Rescheduling or cancelling must be done at least five calendar days before the exam, and the passport you bring must match your Sheryan details.
What the exam covers
DHA lists four coverage areas for the Registered Nurse exam:
- Unit management and leadership
- Fundamentals
- Maternal and child nursing
- Adult nursing
The DHA reference list also includes texts on pharmacology, nutrition, the ANA Code of Ethics, health assessment, medical-surgical, paediatric, critical care, psychiatric and community nursing. Our 113 questions are split into 9 topic areas that follow this list, with an emphasis on prioritisation and patient safety scenarios.
Nurses applying to DOH in Abu Dhabi or to MOHAP are licensed under the same unified PQR, but those regulators run their own exams and the DHA guideline does not cover their format. The clinical content overlaps heavily, so check the format with your own regulator.
Free official resources, and what we add
DHA publishes the CBT guideline (format, coverage and reference books) and the Manual for Professional Assessment (attempts, results and test-day rules). It does not publish practice questions. We add original exam-style questions, an explanation for every answer that names its source, and timed mock exams. Our mock is 50 questions in 60 minutes, the same pace as the real exam (150 questions in 3 hours).
How to prepare
- Read the RNT0312 entry in the DHA CBT guideline and note the coverage areas.
- Take the 5 free questions to find your weak topics.
- Practise one topic at a time, starting with adult medical-surgical and fundamentals, the largest areas.
- Learn to prioritise: airway, breathing and circulation first, then safety, then comfort.
- Check your dosage calculations by converting units first and showing each step.
- Sit timed mocks at the real pace of just over a minute per question.
- Book through Sheryan and Prometric once you are scoring well above the pass mark across every topic.
Practice questions with answers
Tap a question to see the correct answer and explanation.
A patient's Braden Scale score falls from 19 to 11 over three days. What does this mean?
- Pressure injury risk has risen, so prevention measures should increase
- Pressure injury risk has fallen, so turning can be reduced to twice a day
- The patient's risk of falls has increased
- The patient now has a stage 2 pressure injury needing a specialist dressing
Answer: A, Pressure injury risk has risen, so prevention measures should increase. The Braden Scale runs from 6 to 23 and lower scores mean higher risk; 11 sits in the high-risk band (10 to 12). It predicts risk only: it does not stage an existing wound or measure falls risk. Source: Kozier and Erb's Fundamentals of Nursing (DHA RNT0312 reference list), Skin integrity and wound care.
Which finding is expected in diabetic ketoacidosis?
- Deep, rapid (Kussmaul) breathing with a fruity breath odour
- Slow, shallow breathing with a normal arterial blood gas pH value
- Cold, clammy skin with a capillary glucose of 2.8 mmol/L (50 mg/dL)
- Weight gain with marked ankle oedema
Answer: A, Deep, rapid (Kussmaul) breathing with a fruity breath odour. DKA causes metabolic acidosis; the body blows off carbon dioxide through deep, rapid breathing, and ketones give a fruity smell. Cold, clammy skin with a low glucose describes hypoglycaemia, and DKA causes dehydration rather than oedema. Source: Brunner and Suddarth's Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing (DHA RNT0312 reference list), Diabetes mellitus.
The fetal heart trace shows late decelerations during an oxytocin infusion. What should the nurse do first?
- Stop the oxytocin and turn the woman onto her left side
- Increase the oxytocin rate to speed up the second stage of labour
- Lie the woman flat on her back
- Keep observing for another 30 minutes
Answer: A, Stop the oxytocin and turn the woman onto her left side. Late decelerations suggest uteroplacental insufficiency. Stop the oxytocin, reposition to the left side to improve placental blood flow, give IV fluids and inform the obstetrician. Lying supine compresses the vena cava. Source: Fetal Heart Monitoring and Murray and McKinney, Foundations of Maternal-Newborn Nursing (DHA RNT0312 reference list) (both on the DHA reference list).