If you are a nurse planning to work in Dubai, the DHA exam is the licensing test that decides whether you qualify as a Registered Nurse or an Assistant Nurse, and passing it is what unlocks your DHA nursing license. Your qualification determines which category you fall under: a Bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSc Nursing) qualifies you for the Registered Nurse exam, while a GNM diploma or an 18 month nursing diploma places you in the Assistant Nurse category. This guide covers eligibility for both categories, the exam format, sample question styles, and a 2026 policy change that has made qualifying considerably easier for fresh graduates.
DHA Exam for Nurses: The Two Categories You Need to Know
The DHA does not treat all nurses the same way. Your educational qualification places you into one of two distinct licensing categories, each with its own exam and its own passing threshold.
Registered Nurse (RN). This category is for nurses holding a Bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSc Nursing) from an institution recognized by the relevant nursing council in your home country. The passing score for the Registered Nurse exam is 50 percent, meaning you need at least 75 correct answers out of 150 questions.
Assistant Nurse (AN). This category is for nurses holding a Diploma in Nursing of at least 18 months duration, which includes most GNM (General Nursing and Midwifery) qualifications. The passing score for Assistant Nurses is slightly lower, at 45 percent, or roughly 68 correct answers out of 150.
Applying under the wrong category is one of the more common, entirely avoidable mistakes nurses make. A GNM diploma holder who applies as a Registered Nurse, or the reverse, risks having their eligibility letter denied outright, so confirming which category matches your actual qualification before you start your application matters more than almost any other step.
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DHA Exam for GNM Nurses: Where You Fit
If your qualification is a GNM (General Nursing and Midwifery) diploma rather than a BSc in Nursing, you generally fall under the Assistant Nurse category, not Registered Nurse.
This distinction catches a lot of Indian nursing graduates off guard, since GNM is a well respected and widely held qualification back home, but it does not carry the same classification weight under DHA’s Professional Qualification Requirements (PQR) as a four year Bachelor’s degree. The good news is that GNM holders working as Assistant Nurses in Dubai are not stuck in that category permanently. If you later complete a BSc Nursing degree, or if you are already a BSc holder working as an Assistant Nurse, you can apply for a title upgrade to Registered Nurse, provided your time as an Assistant Nurse has not exceeded five years.
DHA Nursing License: Qualifications and Requirements
To qualify for a DHA nursing license, you need a recognized nursing qualification from an INC-approved (or equivalent) institution, a valid nursing registration in your home country, a Good Standing Certificate, and completed DataFlow verification, alongside meeting the specific experience threshold for your category.
| Requirement | Registered Nurse | Assistant Nurse |
|---|---|---|
| Educational qualification | BSc Nursing (Bachelor’s degree) | Diploma in Nursing, minimum 18 months, including most GNM programs |
| Home country registration | Valid, active nursing council registration | Valid, active nursing council registration |
| Good Standing Certificate | Issued within the last 6 months | Issued within the last 6 months |
| Experience (standard track) | Generally 2 years post-qualification | Generally 2 years post-qualification |
| DataFlow verification | Required | Required |
A Good Standing Certificate needs to come from the health regulatory body governing your most recent country of employment, and it expires for licensing purposes after six months, so timing when you request it matters. If you have had a gap in clinical practice, the requirements get noticeably stricter. A gap of two to three years typically requires 20 hours of CME or CPD credits plus four months of supervised clinical training before you are considered eligible again. A gap of three to five years generally requires 40 to 60 CME credits and six to eight months of training. Beyond a five year gap, non-UAE nationals are generally no longer eligible to apply, which makes staying clinically active, even part time, a meaningful long term consideration for anyone planning a Dubai move down the line.
The 2026 Update: Fresh Graduates No Longer Need Two Years of Experience
Under the current Professional Qualification Requirements, known as PQR Version 3, nurses who graduated within the last 24 months are no longer required to meet the standard two year experience threshold to qualify for either the Registered Nurse or Assistant Nurse category.
This is a genuinely significant change, and one that a lot of older guides circulating online have not caught up with yet. Previously, even strong fresh graduates had to wait out a two year experience window before they could even begin their DHA application. Under the updated policy, a fresh graduate Registered Nurse with a Bachelor’s degree, or a fresh graduate Assistant Nurse with an 18 month diploma, can be assessed for licensing without that wait, provided four conditions are met: the qualification is recognized by the relevant nursing council in the country of origin, the home country license is active, a valid Good Standing Certificate is available, and DataFlow verification and the DHA Prometric exam are still completed in full. The experience requirement was relaxed. The verification and exam steps were not.
This shift appears to be tied directly to Dubai’s healthcare workforce growth, projected at roughly 8 to 10 percent annually through 2030, which has made attracting internationally trained nursing talent, including new graduates, more of a priority than it was a few years ago.
DHA Exam Format for Nurses
The DHA Registered Nurse exam is a computer based test consisting of 150 multiple choice questions, to be completed within 165 minutes, with no negative marking.
The exam covers a broad range of content domains rather than concentrating narrowly on one area of practice. Expect questions spanning medical-surgical nursing, pediatric nursing, obstetric and gynecological nursing, psychiatric nursing, community health nursing, infection control, patient safety, emergency nursing, and nursing jurisprudence. Every question is scenario based rather than direct recall, meaning the exam is testing whether you can apply nursing knowledge to a realistic clinical situation, not whether you can repeat a textbook definition. Results are reported as pass or fail only, generally released within a couple of working days through your Sheryan account, with no numerical score or item level feedback shared.
DHA Exam Sample Questions for Nurses
Since the exam relies heavily on scenario based clinical reasoning rather than direct recall, it helps to see the style of question you can expect, rather than a definition you could simply memorize. Below are three original example questions, written to illustrate the format and reasoning style the actual exam uses.
Example 1 A patient recovering from abdominal surgery reports sudden, sharp pain at the incision site, accompanied by a small amount of pink fluid on the dressing. What is the most appropriate immediate nursing action?
A. Reassure the patient that this is a normal part of healing and continue routine monitoring B. Assess the wound directly, check vital signs, and notify the physician promptly C. Apply a new dressing without further assessment and document the finding D. Administer the next scheduled dose of pain medication before reassessing
Correct answer: B. Sudden pain with new drainage can indicate a wound complication such as dehiscence, and the priority is direct assessment and prompt physician notification rather than routine reassurance or symptom masking.
Example 2 A nurse is preparing to administer an intravenous medication to a patient with a known penicillin allergy. The medication order does not specify the drug class. What should the nurse do first?
A. Administer the medication as ordered, since the order came from the physician B. Verify the medication’s drug class and cross check it against the patient’s documented allergy before administering C. Substitute a different medication without consulting the prescriber D. Administer half the dose to minimize potential allergic reaction risk
Correct answer: B. Medication safety protocol requires verifying a drug’s classification against documented allergies before administration, regardless of who wrote the original order.
Example 3 A postpartum patient’s fundus is noted to be soft and boggy on assessment, with heavier than expected vaginal bleeding. What is the nurse’s priority action?
A. Document the finding and reassess in one hour B. Massage the fundus and notify the physician if bleeding continues C. Encourage the patient to ambulate immediately D. Withhold further assessment until the next scheduled round
Correct answer: B. A soft, boggy fundus with increased bleeding suggests uterine atony, and fundal massage is the immediate nursing intervention, with physician notification if bleeding does not resolve.
Questions like these reward candidates who can connect a clinical presentation to the correct nursing priority, rather than those who have simply memorized isolated facts. Timed practice under realistic exam conditions, working through scenario based questions specific to your category, tends to make the biggest difference in exam readiness.
How to Apply for the DHA Nursing Exam
Applying follows the same core structure as other DHA categories, with a few nursing specific document requirements layered in.
Step 1: Confirm your category and run the self assessment. Determine whether you qualify as Registered Nurse or Assistant Nurse based on your degree, then use the Sheryan Self-Assessment Tool to confirm eligibility.
Step 2: Gather your documents. Alongside your degree or diploma certificate, DHA typically asks for your 10th and 12th grade mark sheets, nursing mark sheets for every semester, an experience certificate signed by an authorized person from HR or nursing administration (if applicable under your track), and your home country registration and Good Standing Certificate.
Step 3: Complete DataFlow verification. Your qualifications, license, and experience, where required, are verified directly with the issuing institutions.
Step 4: Book and sit your Prometric exam. Once verification is complete, schedule your exam through Prometric and prepare using your category’s specific content domains.
Step 5: Receive your eligibility letter and find an employer. A pass unlocks your eligibility letter through Sheryan, which you then use to apply for nursing roles at Dubai healthcare facilities. Your actual license activates once an employer submits your job offer and required documentation.
What Happens If You Fail the DHA Nursing Exam?
You are allowed up to three total attempts to pass the DHA nursing exam. If you fail all three, you generally need to provide evidence of additional nursing education, typically a minimum of 40 contact hours of continuing education across core nursing domains, before you become eligible for a fourth attempt.
This is a meaningful reason to treat your first attempt seriously rather than as a trial run. Preparation built around your specific category’s content domains, combined with realistic timed practice, gives you a considerably better shot at passing on the first try than generic study material not matched to the DHA’s actual blueprint.
Documents Checklist for the DHA Nursing Application
Beyond your degree or diploma certificate, DHA typically expects a fairly complete academic and professional paper trail, not just your final qualification document.
This generally includes your 10th and 12th grade mark sheets (or their equivalent), mark sheets for every semester of your nursing program, your final degree or diploma certificate, your valid nursing council registration from your home country, a Good Standing Certificate issued within the last six months, and, where the experience requirement still applies to your case, an experience certificate signed by an authorized person from your employer’s HR, nursing, or medical administration department. Missing even one of these, particularly older academic mark sheets that graduates sometimes misplace years after finishing school, is a common and avoidable reason applications stall partway through DataFlow verification.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between the DHA Registered Nurse and Assistant Nurse exams?
Registered Nurse status requires a BSc Nursing degree and a passing score of 50 percent (75 out of 150 questions). Assistant Nurse status applies to diploma holders, including most GNM graduates, with a passing score of 45 percent (roughly 68 out of 150).
Can GNM nurses apply for the DHA Registered Nurse exam?
Generally no. GNM qualifications typically fall under the Assistant Nurse category rather than Registered Nurse, since Registered Nurse status requires a Bachelor’s degree in nursing. GNM holders can pursue a title upgrade later if they complete a BSc Nursing degree.
Do fresh graduate nurses still need two years of experience for a DHA license?
Not necessarily. Under the current PQR Version 3 policy, nurses who graduated within the last 24 months can be assessed for licensing without the standard two year experience requirement, provided their qualification is properly recognized and they still complete DataFlow verification and the Prometric exam.
How many questions are on the DHA nursing exam, and how long do I have?
The Registered Nurse exam consists of 150 multiple choice questions to be completed in 165 minutes, with no negative marking.
How many attempts do I get for the DHA nursing exam?
Three attempts. After three failed attempts, you generally need to complete additional continuing education, typically 40 contact hours, before a fourth attempt is permitted
What happens if I have a gap in my nursing practice?
Gaps of two to three years typically require 20 CME credits plus four months of supervised clinical training. Gaps of three to five years require 40 to 60 CME credits and six to eight months of training. Beyond five years, non-UAE nationals are generally no longer eligible to apply.
Can an Assistant Nurse upgrade to Registered Nurse status later?
Yes, provided the nurse holds a BSc Nursing degree and their time working as an Assistant Nurse has not exceeded five years.
Final Thoughts
The DHA nursing exam process rewards nurses who confirm their correct category early, gather the right documents the first time, and prepare against the exam’s actual scenario based format rather than generic study material. With the 2026 experience requirement relaxed for fresh graduates, more nurses than ever qualify to start this process sooner than they might expect. For a full walkthrough of DataFlow verification and the broader DHA licensing process, see our DHA DataFlow guide and our complete DHA exam guide. If you would like an account manager to review your specific category and documents before you apply, get in touch with our team, or explore our nursing exam preparation courses.
For the DHA’s official Professional Qualification Requirements and Self-Assessment Tool, visit the Sheryan portal directly.
About the Author
This guide was written by the team at Rahat Health Care Professionals Consultancy & Training Center, led by founder Rahat Zaman, a medical licensing consultant since 2018 with hands-on experience guiding healthcare professionals through DHA, MOH, DOH, and wider Gulf licensing processes. Our team has supported over 21,000 healthcare professionals through DataFlow verification, exam registration, and license activation across the UAE and internationally.
Last updated: July 2026