Checked 25 September 2026. From DHA's computer-based test guideline, updated September 2026. DHA reserves the right to change an exam's content, format or pass score without updating the guideline, so check it before you book.
For the nursing and midwifery titles its guideline lists, Dubai Health Authority (DHA) assesses candidates through a computer-based test run by Prometric (titles it does not list are assessed orally). There is not one "DHA nursing exam" but four, one per title, each with its own code. This guide sets out what DHA itself publishes about them in its computer-based test guideline — updated in September 2026 — and corrects the figures most often copied wrongly.
Where other pages get this wrong
The DHA Registered Nurse pass mark is 50%, not 60%.
Commonly published instead: "DHA nursing passing score: 60%" or "60–70% for nurses".
DHA's computer-based test guideline (September 2026) lists Registered Nurse (RNT0312), Assistant Nurse (ARN5061) and Registered Midwife (MID5104) each at a pass score of 50%. The 45% figure some pages give for Assistant Nurse belongs to Assistant Midwife (MID5101), which the guideline marks inactive. 60% is the General Practitioner pass mark in the same document.
DHA computer-based test guideline, September 2026.
The four nursing and midwifery exams
| Title | Code | Questions | Duration | Fee | Pass | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nurse | RNT0312 | 150 | 3 hours | USD 240 | 50% | Active |
| Assistant Nurse | ARN5061 | 150 | 3 hours | USD 240 | 50% | Active |
| Registered Midwife | MID5104 | 150 | 3 hours | USD 240 | 50% | Active |
| Assistant Midwife | MID5101 | 150 | 3 hours | USD 240 | 45% | Inactive |
Three rules printed at the front of the guideline apply to all of them. The duration "is including the registration, process introduction and exam content" — so you have less than three hours to answer. The result is pass or fail only; DHA does not share your score. And DHA may change an exam's content, format or pass score without updating the document.
DHA computer-based test guideline, September 2026.
What the Registered Nurse and Assistant Nurse exams cover
The guideline lists four areas for both RNT0312 and ARN5061 — the same four for both exams:
| Area (DHA guideline) | What falls under it |
|---|---|
| Unit Management and Leadership | Delegation, prioritisation, team and unit organisation, quality and safety |
| Fundamentals | Nursing process, clinical skills, health assessment, pharmacology, nutrition, ethics |
| Maternal – Child Nursing | Maternity, newborn and paediatric care |
| Adult Nursing | Medical-surgical, critical care, mental health and community nursing |
The four area names are DHA's; the second column is our reading of them against the reference list below, which is much broader than four headings suggest. DHA publishes no weight for any area and no question count per area.
The official reference list
| Subject | Reference (DHA guideline) |
|---|---|
| Pharmacology | McKenry, Tessier & Hogan, Mosby's Pharmacology in Nursing |
| Nutrition | Dudek, Nutrition Essentials for Nursing Practice |
| Ethics | ANA Code of Ethics |
| Fundamentals | Berman & Snyder, Kozier and Erb's Fundamentals of Nursing |
| Clinical skills | Lynn & LeBon, Skill Checklists for Taylor's Clinical Nursing Skills |
| Health assessment | Jarvis, Physical Examination and Health Assessment |
| Medical-surgical; maternal-newborn | Day, Paul, Williams, Smeltzer & Bare, Brunner and Suddarth's Canadian Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing; Murray & McKinney, Foundation of Maternal-Newborn Nursing (printed as one entry) |
| Paediatrics | Wong's Nursing Care of Infants and Children |
| Critical care | Sole, Klein & Moseley, Introduction to Critical Care Nursing |
| Blueprint | "Nursing Technician Blueprint" (no author or publisher given) |
| Mental health | Townsend, Essentials of Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing |
| Community health | Allender & Rector, Community Health Nursing |
Twelve numbered entries: one combines two books, the ANA Code of Ethics is not a textbook, and the "Nursing Technician Blueprint" is given without author or edition; the named books are listed as "latest edition". You do not need to read all of them cover to cover; they tell you the scope — pharmacology, nutrition, ethics, psychiatric and community nursing are all in it even though they are not named among the four areas.
The Registered Midwife exam
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Coverage (DHA guideline) | Antenatal care; intrapartum care; antepartum care; postpartum care; newborn care; gynaecological care; pharmacology in midwifery; ethics and legal issues; counselling and education |
| References | Fetal Heart Monitoring; AWHONN's Perinatal Nursing; Master the NCLEX-PN Maternal/Newborn Nursing; Mayes' Midwifery; Olds' Maternal-Newborn Nursing and Women's Health; NCLEX-RN Maternal-Neonatal Nursing Made Incredibly Easy |
| Title requirement (PQR §16) | A midwifery bachelor's or equivalent of at least 3 years, or a B.Sc. Nursing of at least 3 years plus a midwifery certificate of at least one year — and two years' post-qualification experience as a midwife in a maternity hospital or related setting |
What 50% means in practice
| Item | Figure | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Correct answers needed | About 75 of 150 on simple equal-weight arithmetic — not an official figure | DHA's assessment manual says results also reflect domain weighting, which it does not publish |
| Time per question | Under 72 seconds | The 3 hours include registration and the introduction |
| Score shown to you | None — pass or fail only | DHA guideline and assessment manual 4.6 |
| Unscored or pilot items | Not stated | DHA does not say whether any are included |
A 50% pass mark sounds forgiving, and it is lower than the General Practitioner exam in the same DHA guideline (60%) and than the 60% published for Kuwait's nursing exam. But the exam draws on twelve textbooks across four broad areas, and with no score on a fail there is nothing to tell you how close you came. Prepare to pass comfortably, not narrowly.
Figures that circulate, and what DHA actually says
| Circulating claim | DHA's guideline |
|---|---|
| Pass mark 60%, or "60–70% for nurses" | 50% for RN, Assistant Nurse and Registered Midwife |
| Assistant Nurse pass mark 45% | 50%; 45% is the inactive Assistant Midwife exam |
| Exam time 165 minutes | "3 Hrs", including registration and introduction; no net figure is published |
| Eligibility letter valid for one year | The one-year figure is the registration's validity; no Eligibility ID validity is published |
| A DHA percentage blueprint per topic | Four areas, no weights |
Titles with no written exam listed
The guideline lists no computer-based test for Nurse Practitioner, Midwife Practitioner or any of the nineteen specialty nurse titles (Critical Care Nurse, Pediatric Nurse and so on). Its general rule is that specialties not listed "will be assessed through an oral assessment"; DHA does not say in the guideline how that applies to each nursing specialty, so ask through Sheryan if you are applying for one.
Turning the four areas into a plan
| DHA area | Start with | Practise |
|---|---|---|
| Fundamentals | Kozier and Erb; Mosby's Pharmacology; Jarvis | Dosage calculations until each takes under a minute |
| Adult Nursing | Brunner and Suddarth; Sole (critical care); Townsend | First-action and priority questions by body system |
| Maternal – Child Nursing | Murray & McKinney; Wong's | Danger signs in labour, the newborn and the sick child |
| Unit Management and Leadership | Leadership chapters of your fundamentals text | Delegation and "which patient first" questions |
Our study plan for this exam turns the table into ten weeks, with hours weighted by a published split for the same four domains (Kuwait's).
On the day
What DHA's assessment manual says
- Book at prometric.com/DHA with the Eligibility ID Sheryan gives you; pay by card.
- Arrive 30 minutes early with a valid passport whose name matches your Sheryan record; security includes a metal detector and image capture.
- Reschedule or cancel at least five calendar days before on the Prometric site; a change carries a Prometric fee, and the manual (4.24) says exam fees are non-refundable, including for rescheduling, cancellation and no-show.
- After the test Prometric gives a "learning outcome" letter showing general strengths and weaknesses — not the result. DHA posts pass or fail to Sheryan within two working days.
DHA Manual for Professional Assessment v1.1 (May 2025), chapter 4.
Practise it, don't just read it
The four areas are broad; topic quizzes show quickly which of them you are weakest in.
The ProSyllabus DHA nursing library has topic quizzes for Fundamentals of Nursing, Medical-Surgical Nursing, Pharmacology for Nurses, Maternal and Newborn Nursing, Pediatric Nursing, Infection Prevention and Control, Mental Health Nursing and Professional Practice and UAE Health Regulations. Each question comes with an explanation.
What is the passing score for the DHA nursing exam?
50% for Registered Nurse (RNT0312), Assistant Nurse (ARN5061) and Registered Midwife (MID5104), in DHA's computer-based test guideline updated September 2026. The inactive Assistant Midwife exam lists 45%.
How many questions are in the DHA nursing exam?
150 multiple-choice questions, with a duration of 3 hours that includes registration and the introduction.
What is the DHA nursing exam fee?
USD 240 per exam, according to DHA's guideline. Registration and licence fees are separate.
What topics are in the DHA Registered Nurse exam?
DHA lists four areas: Unit Management and Leadership, Fundamentals, Maternal–Child Nursing and Adult Nursing. Its reference list also covers pharmacology, nutrition, ethics, health assessment, critical care, mental health and community nursing.
Does DHA give the score after the nursing exam?
No. The result is pass or fail, posted to Sheryan within two working days; Prometric's learning-outcome letter shows only general strengths and weaknesses.
Is the DHA nursing exam the same for Registered and Assistant Nurse?
The two exams have different codes (RNT0312 and ARN5061) but the guideline lists the same four areas and the same twelve references for both, and the same 50% pass mark.
Which books should I read for the DHA nursing exam?
DHA lists twelve, including Kozier and Erb's Fundamentals, Brunner and Suddarth's Medical-Surgical Nursing, Wong's Nursing Care of Infants and Children, Mosby's Pharmacology in Nursing, Jarvis's Physical Examination and Health Assessment, and Townsend's Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing.
How long is a DHA registration valid after passing?
One year, to be activated into a licence by a DHA-licensed employer (licensing manual 10.12; assessment manual 4.7).
Can an earlier DHA pass exempt me from sitting again?
Yes, for the same title, within five years from the date you obtained the registration, provided there is no gap in practice (licensing manual 7.8).
Can I reschedule the DHA nursing exam?
Yes, at least five calendar days before the date on the Prometric website; Prometric charges a fee for changes and exam fees are not refunded.
Is the DHA nursing exam held in India?
It is delivered by Prometric, which DHA says runs about 8,000 test centres in more than 160 countries; check seat availability in your city when you book with your Eligibility ID.
What is the code for the DHA Registered Nurse exam?
RNT0312. The Assistant Nurse exam is ARN5061 and the Registered Midwife exam MID5104.
Is there negative marking in the DHA nursing exam?
DHA's guideline does not mention negative marking, and its assessment manual describes results as based on the number of correct answers and the weighting of each domain.
More in this series
- Eligibility: GNM, B.Sc, Post-Basic, M.Sc — which DHA title
- From Sheryan to licence: the DHA process and every fee
- Attempts, gaps in practice and exemptions
- DHA vs Kuwait vs Abu Dhabi and the Northern Emirates
- A 10-week study plan for the DHA nursing exam
- DHA nursing notice board — official updates
- Gulf nursing licences compared
Sources
- official — DHA computer-based test guideline (updated Sep 2026)
- official — Unified Healthcare Professional Qualification Requirements (PQR), April 2025
- official — DHA Manual for Professional Assessment v1.1 (May 2025)
- official — DHA Manual for Licensing Healthcare Professionals v1.1 (Nov 2024)
- official — Prometric — Kuwait MOH licensing exam references (PDF)
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.
