1. What is the DHA Nursing Exam?

The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) Prometric Nursing Exam is a computer-based assessment (CBT) that evaluates whether a nurse has the clinical knowledge, safety awareness, and decision-making skills required to practice safely in Dubai.

DHA uses the exam to ensure that all nurses — regardless of country of training — meet the same baseline professional standard.
The exam is part of Dubai’s healthcare quality system, which emphasizes patient safety, standardized professional competency, and regulatory accountability.

The exam is mandatory for most international nurses applying for registration in Dubai unless they fall under an official exemption category listed in DHA’s Professional Qualification Requirements (PQR).

2. Why does DHA require an exam for nurses?

The purpose of the exam is simple but critical:

To protect patient safety through standardized professional assessment

Because Dubai hires nurses from dozens of countries, training systems and clinical standards vary. The DHA exam removes uncertainty by confirming:

• Your ability to make safe clinical decisions
  
• Your understanding of core nursing fundamentals
  
• Your knowledge of medication safety
  
• Your competence in specialty-specific scenarios
  
• Your readiness to work in Dubai’s fast-paced healthcare environment
  

The exam ensures that every practicing nurse — whether from the Philippines, India, South Africa, UK, Jordan, Egypt, or elsewhere — has passed the same, regulated competency check.

3. Who needs to take the DHA prometric exam? (For nurses)

You must take the DHA Nursing Exam if you want to work as a nurse in any DHA-regulated healthcare facility in Dubai under titles such as:

• Registered Nurse (RN)
  
• Clinical Nurse
  
• General Nurse
  
• Specialized Nurse (ER, ICU, NICU, OR, Dialysis, Oncology, etc.)
  
• Midwife (if required under your category)
  
• Practical Nurse (depending on qualification and PQR route)
  

Almost all internationally trained nurses fall into the “exam required” category after DHA reviews their documents in Sheryan.

4. Where does the exam fit in the licensing process?

The exam is not the first step — and not the last.
It sits in the middle of the broader DHA licensing pathway:

1. Document collection (degree, license, experience letters, Good Standing Certificate)
   
2. Primary Source Verification (DataFlow)
   
3. DHA application through Sheryan
   
4. DHA review → exam required
   
5. DHA generates a CBT Eligibility ID
   
6. Nurse schedules the DHA exam
   
7. Pass exam → obtain Eligibility Letter
   
8. Wait for an employer in Dubai to activate the final license

The DHA exam is the competency checkpoint between document verification and licensing.

5. Eligibility criteria for nurses (before DHA allows exam booking)

DHA does not permit every applicant to book the exam immediately. Nurses must meet eligibility criteria under the Professional Qualification Requirements (PQR).

The general eligibility conditions include:

1. Nursing qualification

• A BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) from an accredited institution
  
• Or a recognized diploma in nursing (for Assistant Nurse track)
  

2. Active nursing license

You must hold a current, valid nursing license from your home country’s nursing council/regulatory authority.

3. Clinical experience

DHA usually expects:

• 2 years of clinical experience after obtaining your RN license
  (Exceptions may exist for UAE-trained nurses or assistant categories.)
  

4. Good Standing Certificate (GSC)

Must be issued by your licensing authority and typically not older than 6 months.

5. Primary Source Verification (PSV)

DHA requires credentials to be verified by DataFlow before the nurse is cleared for the exam.

6. No major disciplinary actions

Your GSC and experience certificates must demonstrate professional integrity.

Only when these conditions are met will DHA generate the CBT Eligibility ID, allowing you to proceed to the testing stage.

6. Can a nurse take the DHA exam without experience?

Generally no, not for Registered Nurse classification. DHA PQR requires verified post-registration clinical experience.

However, Assistant Nurse or some entry-level categories may have different experience requirements.
Nurses should always check the DHA PQR for exact rules based on their degree and registration history.

7. Who is exempt from the DHA prometric nursing exam?

DHA grants exam exemptions only in very specific cases. These are defined strictly in the PQR.

Typical exemption cases include (examples only — not all nurses qualify):

• Nurses who hold primary licensure from certain recognized countries (as listed in PQR)
  
• Nurses with recognized international board certification (specialties only)
  
• Certain UAE-trained nurses under DHA-approved institutions
  

Exemption is not common for international nurses and should never be assumed — it must appear explicitly in the DHA decision issued through Sheryan.

8. What the DHA exam is NOT

Understanding this helps avoid confusion:

• It is not a personality test
  
• It is not an interview
  
• It is not the final DHA license
  
• It is not a practical/hands-on clinical exam
  
• It is not dependent on your employer
  
• It is not optional unless PQR exempts you
  
• It is not the same as DataFlow or evaluation
  

The DHA exam is a pure knowledge and competency test, separate from DataFlow and separate from final license activation.

9. Why the DHA exam matters so much for nurses

For nurses, the DHA exam is more than a formality — it directly impacts:

1. Your ability to get hired in Dubai

Employers usually shortlist only nurses who already passed the DHA exam and possess an Eligibility Letter.

2. Your salary potential

Nurses who pass the exam and meet DHA classification may negotiate better salary packages depending on title (RN, Senior RN, Specialist Nurse, etc.).

3. Mobility within the UAE

A DHA exam pass strengthens your profile for future cross-authority applications (MOHAP or DOH), since DataFlow and exam history speed up processing.

4. Professional credibility

It signals that your knowledge meets Dubai’s regulatory clinical standards.

10. FAQs related to exam purpose and eligibility

Is the DHA Prometric nursing exam difficult?

It is challenging for nurses who rely on memory rather than clinical reasoning. Nurses who practice exam-style questions and master medication safety typically perform better.

Can a nurse work in Dubai without passing DHA?

No. A DHA license (activated under an employer) is legally required to practice nursing in Dubai.

What is DHA “good for”?

It authorizes legal nursing practice in Dubai and is recognized by employers as proof of competency.

What jobs can I get after passing the DHA exam?

Any nursing role in DHA-regulated facilities that matches your classification (General Nurse, RN, Specialist Nurse, Midwife, etc.).

Who is eligible for DHA licensing as a nurse?

Nurses with verified education, valid license, required experience, and cleared DataFlow verification.

Conclusion

Understanding the DHA Nursing Exam at this foundational level is the first step toward becoming a licensed nurse in Dubai. Once you know what the exam is, why DHA requires it, and where it fits in the larger licensing process, the rest of the journey becomes far clearer. With this knowledge, you can move confidently toward preparation, scheduling, and meeting all regulatory requirements. The next step is to understand the exam’s mechanics — its format, scoring system, syllabus, and difficulty — which we cover in depth in Article 2 about "DHA Nursing Exam: Format, Duration, Passing Score, Attempts, and Syllabus".