Checked 25 September 2026. From DHA's computer-based test guideline, updated September 2026 — DHA says it may change the pass score without updating the guideline — and the UAE Unified PQR (April 2025).
The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) licenses laboratory professionals through a computer-based test delivered by Prometric. Each laboratory title has its own exam code, and the pass mark depends on the title. The rules behind the titles — which qualification leads where, how much experience is needed, how many attempts you get — come from the Unified PQR that DHA shares with Abu Dhabi (DOH) and the Northern Emirates (MOHAP).
Where other pages get this wrong
The DHA MLT Technician exam (LAB5601) passes at 50%, not 45%.
Commonly published instead: "LAB5601 — pass mark 45%", repeated on agency pages and forums.
DHA's own computer-based test guideline (updated September 2026) lists LAB5601 MLT Technician and LAB5631 MLT Technologist at 50%, hematology and microbiology technologists at 55%, and the clinical-scientist exams at 65%. We found no official source for 45%. DHA also notes it may change a pass score without updating the guideline — so treat any single number as the one in force on the date you check.
Every DHA laboratory exam
| Code | Title | Pass mark |
|---|---|---|
| LAB5601 | Medical Laboratory Technician | 50% |
| LAB5631 | Medical Laboratory Technologist | 50% |
| BIC5661 | Biochemistry Technologist | 50% |
| MTH4612 | Hematology Technologist | 55% |
| MIC5691 | Microbiology Technologist | 55% |
| BIC5662 | Biochemistry Clinical Scientist | 65% |
| MTH4611 | Hematology Clinical Scientist | 65% |
| MIC5692 | Microbiology Clinical Scientist | 65% |
All eight are 150 multiple-choice questions in 3 hours, delivered by Prometric, with a fee of USD 240 per title (DHA guideline). Results are shown as pass or fail only — DHA does not share scores.
DHA CBT guideline, updated September 2026.
Which exam is yours: the Unified PQR
| Title | Qualification (PQR) | Experience |
|---|---|---|
| Medical Laboratory Technician | Diploma of at least 2 years, or a bachelor's in biotechnology covering MLT subjects with clinical training | None required |
| Medical Laboratory Technologist | B.Sc. in Medical Laboratory Technology/Science or Biomedical Science | None required |
| Specialty Technologist (biochemistry, hematology, microbiology) | Bachelor's in the specialty; or B.Sc. MLT with a 1-year specialty emphasis; or B.Sc. MLT + ASCP certification | 2 years (4 on a plain B.Sc. MLT) |
| Clinical Scientist | B.Sc. MLT/MLS (or equivalent) plus an M.Sc. or PhD in a relevant specialty | 3 years with an M.Sc.; 2 with a PhD |
"No experience required" is subject to the PQR's rule on gaps from practice: a gap of more than 3 years adds continuing education and supervised training, and non-UAE nationals with a gap of more than 5 years cannot apply. Qualifications the PQR does not list — for example an M.Sc. in microbiology without an MLT bachelor's — go to its evaluation committee.
From application to licence
| Step | What |
|---|---|
| 1 | Create an account on Sheryan (DHA's licensing portal) and apply for the title that matches your qualification |
| 2 | Primary-source verification of your qualification, experience and registration documents (the PQR requires it) |
| 3 | Eligibility confirmed; book the exam code for your title with Prometric |
| 4 | Pass the exam (result shown as pass or fail) |
| 5 | Eligibility / registration issued — check the validity date printed on it |
| 6 | Licence activated by a DHA-licensed facility that employs you |
The key practical point is step 5: DHA lets you pass the exam before you have a job, but a licence is activated only by a licensed facility that employs you, and what you receive after the exam carries a validity period. Read that date on your own document and time the exam so that a job search can follow within it.
Gaps in practice
| Gap since you last practised | What the Unified PQR requires |
|---|---|
| Up to 3 years | No additional requirement |
| More than 3 years | Continuing education plus a period of supervised training |
| More than 5 years (non-UAE nationals) | Not eligible to apply |
"No experience required" for technicians and technologists therefore applies to recent graduates and practising staff — not to someone who qualified years ago and has not worked in a laboratory since.
Attempts, fees and cost
The rules
- Attempts: three across the UAE authorities combined, plus a conditional fourth (Unified PQR 1.5.4–1.5.5). After three failures, a new qualification or two more years of experience allows three new attempts (1.5.8).
- Fee: USD 240 per exam title (DHA guideline).
- Transfers: under PQR §3, a valid licence from one UAE authority exempts you from the others' exams, if you have not exceeded the permitted attempts and have a valid good-standing certificate and full verification.
- Abu Dhabi (DOH): exams are delivered by Pearson VUE and booked through TAMM; DOH does not publish question counts or pass marks.
- Northern Emirates (MOHAP): Prometric; a cancellation or no-show is reported to count as an attempt. A 60% pass mark and USD 130 fee are reported but could not be verified on MOHAP's site.
Your DHA exam cost
DHA's exam fee is filled in. Add your verification (DataFlow) cost and any retake, then today's exchange rate.
| DHA exam fee, one title | 240 USD |
| Primary-source verification (as quoted to you) | USD |
| Retake fee, if needed | USD |
Primary-source verification is a separate cost from the exam fee; ask the verification agency whether a report already done for another UAE authority can be reused.
What DHA lists for its two main codes
| Code | Exam coverage (DHA guideline) | Listed references |
|---|---|---|
| LAB5601 — MLT Technician | Safety and quality control; blood bank; bacteriology; biochemistry; virology; hormones; immunology; urinalysis; parasitology; mycology; hematology; immunology/serology | Cheesbrough; Gunatillaka; Stevens; Henry's; Harmening; Fischbach |
| LAB5631 — MLT Technologist | Blood bank; histo- and cyto-techniques; urinalysis and other body fluids; microbiology; clinical chemistry; laboratory operations; hematology; patient safety and professionalism; immunology and serology | Harmening; Brunzel (urine and body fluids); Marshall (clinical chemistry); Rodak's Hematology; Todd (immunology); Bancroft (histology); Bailey & Scott (microbiology) |
The technologist list is organised by discipline rather than by organism: bacteriology, virology, parasitology and mycology fold into microbiology, hormones into clinical chemistry, and it adds laboratory operations, patient safety and professionalism, and histology and cytology techniques. Its references are discipline textbooks rather than the general manuals on the technician list. If you hold a B.Sc. MLT and are sitting LAB5631, study from the discipline texts.
Check three things on the day you book
- The exam code on your eligibility. It follows the title DHA assigned from your documents under the PQR (a B.Sc. MLT/MLS matches Medical Laboratory Technologist, LAB5631), so prepare for the code on your eligibility, not the one an agency mentioned.
- The pass mark in the current guideline. DHA says it may change pass scores without updating the document; the figures here are from the September 2026 version.
- Your attempts across the UAE. The cap of three (plus a conditional fourth) is shared by DHA, DOH and MOHAP, so an earlier failed attempt in Abu Dhabi or the Northern Emirates counts here too.
What the exams cover
DHA publishes a topic list for each code but no percentage weights. For the MLT Technician and Technologist exams the topics span the same disciplines as the Saudi and Qatari blueprints — clinical chemistry, hematology, microbiology, blood bank, immunology and serology, and histology — and the reading list overlaps heavily with SCFHS's: Cheesbrough, Gunatillaka, Stevens, Henry's, Harmening and Fischbach appear on both.
| If you are sitting | Prepare |
|---|---|
| LAB5601 / LAB5631 | All core disciplines; DHA gives no weights, so the published SCFHS and Qatar blueprints (see our blueprint comparison) are the nearest guide |
| A specialty technologist exam | Your specialty in depth, plus the lab operations and quality basics every blueprint includes |
| A Clinical Scientist exam | Your specialty in depth, with its references; 65% leaves little room for a weak area |
DHA lab licensing checklist
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Practise it, don't just read it
The core disciplines are identical across DHA, SCFHS and Qatar — the library quizzes cover all of them.
The ProSyllabus lab-technician library has eight topic quizzes that line up with the Gulf blueprints: Clinical Chemistry, Hematology, Clinical Microbiology, Blood Banking and Immunohematology, Immunology and Serology, Clinical Parasitology and Urinalysis, Histopathology and Cytology, and Laboratory Safety, Quality Control and Ethics. Each explains every option.
What is the passing score for the DHA lab technician exam?
According to DHA's computer-based test guideline updated in September 2026, 50% for LAB5601 Medical Laboratory Technician and LAB5631 Medical Laboratory Technologist, 55% for the hematology and microbiology technologist exams, and 65% for the clinical-scientist exams. DHA may change pass scores without updating the guideline.
How many questions are in the DHA lab exam?
150 multiple-choice questions in 3 hours for every DHA laboratory exam, delivered by Prometric; DHA notes that the duration includes registration and the introduction. Results are shown as pass or fail.
What is the DHA lab exam fee?
USD 240 per exam title, according to DHA's computer-based test guideline.
Is experience required for the DHA lab technician licence?
Not for the Medical Laboratory Technician or Technologist titles under the UAE Unified PQR of April 2025, subject to its rule on gaps from practice. Specialty technologist and clinical-scientist titles need 2 to 4 years.
How many attempts are allowed for the DHA lab exam?
Three attempts across all UAE health regulators combined, plus a conditional fourth, under the Unified PQR.
How many attempts do I get at the DHA lab exam?
Three across the UAE authorities combined, plus a conditional fourth (Unified PQR 1.5.4–1.5.5). A new recognised qualification, or two more years of clinical experience after the last attempt, allows three new attempts (1.5.8).
Is LAB5601 the DHA lab technologist exam?
No. LAB5601 is the Medical Laboratory Technician exam; LAB5631 is Medical Laboratory Technologist. Both pass at 50% in DHA's guideline.
What topics are in the DHA LAB5601 exam?
DHA's guideline lists safety and quality control, blood bank, bacteriology, biochemistry, virology, hormones, immunology, urinalysis, parasitology, mycology, hematology and immunology/serology, with references including Cheesbrough, Gunatillaka, Stevens, Henry's, Harmening and Fischbach.
Can I take the DHA lab exam from India?
DHA exams are delivered by Prometric, which has test centres outside the UAE; check seat availability for your city when you book with your eligibility.
What if I have not worked in a lab for several years?
Under the Unified PQR, a gap from practice of more than three years requires continuing education and supervised training, and non-UAE nationals with a gap of more than five years cannot apply.
More in this series
- DMLT, B.Sc. MLT or M.Sc.: which Gulf lab title you get
- The Saudi (SCFHS) lab exam blueprints, section by section
- Eight Gulf lab licences compared
- What every Gulf lab exam tests — blueprints compared
- A 10-week lab exam study plan, with worked calculations
- Lab technician exam notice board — official updates
- Gulf nursing licences compared (for comparison)
Sources
- official — DHA computer-based test guideline (updated Sep 2026)
- official — UAE Unified PQR, April 2025
- official — Pearson VUE — DOH Abu Dhabi
- official — Prometric — UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention
official = a document published by the conducting body. reported = a news or coaching site we could not check against an original. Where sources disagree this page says so rather than picking one.
