Checked 25 September 2026. Topics and references from the DHA CBT guideline (Sep 2026). DHA publishes no topic weights; the hour split and the week plan are our suggestion.
DHA gives pharmacists a topic list and a shelf of books, but no weights, no sample paper and — after the exam — no score. A good plan has to work with that. This one groups DHA's 14 official topics into eight weeks, leans towards the clinical topics where a pharmacist's decisions are tested, and keeps two full-length timed mocks, because 150 questions in three hours is a pace most candidates underestimate.
DHA CBT guideline (Sep 2026); our plan.
How the hours are split
Our split — DHA publishes no weights. Clinical topics get the most time because they draw on every other topic; law and ethics the least because it is shortest to learn.
DHA pharmacist hours planner
Choose your likely exam day and how many hours a week you can study. The planner counts the weeks left from today and splits your total hours across the paper.
The DHA exam is booked on demand at Prometric, so these dates are only examples; choose the one nearest your booking. The planner counts days from today and splits your hours in the same proportions as the chart.
The eight weeks
| Week | Focus | Topics covered |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | One timed 50-question block cold; then pharmaceutical care and disease-state management (cardiovascular, diabetes, respiratory) | Pharmaceutical Care and Disease State Management |
| 2 | Clinical pharmacology and therapeutic decision-making: infections, renal and hepatic dosing, special populations | Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutic Decision Making; Infection Control |
| 3 | Pharmacokinetics and biopharmaceutics: clearance, half-life, loading and maintenance doses, bioavailability | Pharmacokinetics; Pharmaceutics/Biopharmaceutics |
| 4 | Calculations every day; sterile and nonsterile compounding; first full 150-question mock at the weekend | Pharmacy Calculation and Compounding; Sterile and Nonsterile Compounding |
| 5 | Medication safety, OTC medication and self-care counselling | Medication Safety; Over the Counter Medication |
| 6 | Medicinal chemistry, pharmacognosy, dietary supplements, pharmacogenomics | Medicinal Chemistry; Pharmacognosy and Dietary Supplements; Clinical pharmacogenomics |
| 7 | Toxicology and antidotes; pharmacy law and ethics | Toxicology; Pharmacy Law and Ethics |
| 8 | Second full mock; revise the weakest topics from both mocks; logistics | All 14 |
Our plan. For Clinical Pharmacy (70%), keep the same order and add a week to weeks 1–2: the pass bar is higher on the same syllabus, so depth in the clinical topics matters most. Pharmacy Technician (PHT5451) has its own nine-topic list and four references — including pregnancy and lactation, and without medicinal chemistry, pharmacognosy, toxicology, pharmaceutics, pharmacogenomics or clinical pharmacology — so technicians should build their plan from that list (see our exam-pattern guide).
Track the 14 topics
DHA pharmacist topic tracker
Tick a topic when you can answer a timed set on it at your target score. Progress is kept on this device only.
0 of 14 done
Ticks are saved only in this browser on this device.
Calculation types to drill
| Type | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Dilution and concentration (C1V1 = C2V2, % w/v, ratio strength) | Basic to compounding |
| Alligation | Mixing two strengths to make a third |
| Doses by weight and body surface area | Paediatric and oncology dosing |
| Infusion rates (mL/h, drops/min) | Hospital practice and IV preparation |
| Creatinine clearance (Cockcroft–Gault) and renal dose adjustment | Links calculations to therapeutic decisions |
| Milliequivalents and millimoles | Electrolyte replacement |
| Pharmacokinetic doses (loading, maintenance, half-life) | Overlaps with the pharmacokinetics topic |
Standard pharmacy calculation types, which DHA's reference Pharmaceutical Calculations (Ansel) covers; DHA does not publish which types appear. Ten a day through weeks 3–8 is enough to keep them quick.
Which book for which topic
| Topic | DHA reference |
|---|---|
| Whole syllabus review | The APhA Complete Review for Pharmacy; Comprehensive Pharmacy Review (Shargel et al.) |
| Pharmacology and therapeutics | Goodman & Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics |
| Pharmacokinetics, biopharmaceutics | Applied Biopharmaceutics & Pharmacokinetics (Shargel) |
| Calculations | Pharmaceutical Calculations (Ansel, Stoklosa) |
| Pharmaceutics, compounding | Pharmaceutics: The Science of Dosage Form Design (Aulton) |
| Toxicology | Principles of Toxicology (Stine, Brown) |
| Background | Lippincott's Illustrated Reviews: Biochemistry; Fundamental Immunology; Essentials of Pharmacoeconomics |
The references are DHA's; matching them to topics is our note. The two review books cover the whole syllabus in compact form and are the practical core; the others are for looking things up. DHA lists no UAE law text, so for pharmacy law and ethics use the UAE authorities' own published rules and standards.
Getting the most from the two mocks
The mocks in weeks 4 and 8 are where the plan earns its keep. Sit each one as the real thing — 150 questions, three hours, no phone — and then spend at least as long reviewing it, sorting every wrong answer by cause.
| Why you got it wrong | What to do |
|---|---|
| Did not know it | Add it to next week's reading from the review books |
| Calculation slip | Redo the question from scratch; practise ten similar ones |
| Two options both looked right | Write down what separates them; this is where clinical depth shows |
| Ran out of time | Practise the pacing checkpoints below with 50-question blocks |
Our method. Because DHA reports only Pass or Fail, your own mock scores are the only numbers you will ever see — keep them, and aim clearly above the pass mark rather than at it.
If you are working full-time
Most candidates prepare while working in a pharmacy. Twenty hours a week is about two hours on weekdays and five on each weekend day; fewer hours simply stretch the same eight blocks over more weeks. Use the working day: counselling a patient on an OTC product or checking a renal dose is exactly what the clinical topics test, so note the questions you had to look up and add them to your list. Keep calculations to short daily sets, since they reward frequency more than long sessions.
For pharmacy law and ethics, DHA lists no UAE law text, so the reference books will not cover it. Read the UAE authorities' own published rules and standards for pharmacists, and practise with questions on dispensing rules, controlled medicines and professional conduct.
Pacing on the day
| Checkpoint | Target time | If you are behind |
|---|---|---|
| Question 50 | About 55 minutes | Flag long calculation questions and come back |
| Question 100 | About 1 h 50 min | Stop reworking calculations you have already checked once |
| Question 150 | About 2 h 45 min | Answer everything first; review flagged questions last |
Our pacing. DHA's three hours include registration and the introduction, so we plan on about 2 hours 45 minutes of answering time — roughly 66 seconds a question — which is an assumption, not a DHA figure. Calculation questions take longest; bank time on the recall questions.
Mistakes that cost marks
- Treating 60% as 90 correct answers. DHA weights domains, so aim clearly above 60% in mocks rather than at a count.
- Skipping calculations. They appear under two topic headings and are the easiest marks to lose to haste.
- Learning Indian brand names instead of generic names. The exam is in English (PQR §1.5.3.1) and the reference books use generic names; study the same way.
- Studying one book cover to cover. With 14 topics and no weights, breadth first, then depth where your mocks show gaps.
- Booking the next attempt immediately after a fail. There is no waiting period, but the PQR grants three attempts across the UAE authorities, and a third DHA fail blocks DHA for two years.
In the last week, add nothing new. Re-read your mock errors, do one or two timed 50-question blocks to keep the pace, and check the practical rules: rescheduling on Prometric closes five calendar days before the exam (with a centre-specific charge), and your passport must match your Sheryan details exactly.
Practise it, don't just read it
Weeks 3–4 are the calculation-heavy weeks. The Pharmaceutical Calculations quiz is the quickest check.
The ProSyllabus DHA pharmacist library has topic quizzes for Pharmacology and Mechanisms of Action, Pharmaceutics and Dosage Forms, Pharmacy Practice and Dispensing, Clinical Therapeutics, Pharmaceutical Calculations, Drug Interactions and Pharmacovigilance, Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy Basics and UAE Pharmacy Law and Ethics. Each question comes with an explanation.
How should I prepare for the DHA pharmacist exam?
Work through DHA's 14 official topics with its two review books (the APhA Complete Review and Comprehensive Pharmacy Review), practise calculations daily, and sit at least two timed 150-question mocks.
How many months are needed to prepare for the DHA pharmacist exam?
DHA gives no figure. A working pharmacist can cover the 14 topics in about eight weeks at 20 hours a week; allow longer if you have been away from study or are aiming for Clinical Pharmacy at 70%.
Which books are recommended for the DHA pharmacist exam?
DHA lists the APhA Complete Review for Pharmacy, Comprehensive Pharmacy Review, Goodman & Gilman's, Shargel's Applied Biopharmaceutics & Pharmacokinetics, Ansel's Pharmaceutical Calculations, Aulton's Pharmaceutics, Principles of Toxicology and others.
Which topics carry the most marks in the DHA pharmacist exam?
DHA does not publish weights. Plan broadly across all 14 topics, with extra time for clinical topics and calculations.
Is the DHA pharmacist exam hard?
DHA publishes no pass rates. The difficulty comes from breadth — 14 topics with no weights — and pace: 150 questions in three hours including check-in. Candidates who practise timed mocks and calculations daily are better placed.
Are there official DHA sample questions?
DHA's guideline publishes topics and references but no sample paper. Practise with questions from the two review books DHA lists and with topic quizzes, and measure yourself with timed full-length mocks.
How much time do I get per question?
Three hours for 150 questions, a duration that includes registration and the introduction — so under 72 seconds a question. We plan on about 66 seconds, assuming 15 minutes for check-in; DHA does not publish the split.
More in this series
- The DHA pharmacist exam: codes, format, pass mark, syllabus
- Which DHA title your pharmacy degree leads to
- DHA Clinical Pharmacist: routes, 70% pass mark, fallback
- DHA pharmacist licence: Sheryan, PSV, exam, registration
- DHA pharmacist attempts, career gaps and exemptions
- DHA vs Saudi SPLE vs Qatar pharmacist exam
- DHA pharmacist notice board — official updates
Sources
- official — DHA computer-based test guideline (updated Sep 2026)
- official — DHA Manual for Professional Assessment v1.1 (May 2025)
- official — Unified Healthcare Professional Qualification Requirements (PQR), April 2025
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.
