An asymptomatic outpatient has potassium 8.9 mmol/L, calcium 0.6 mmol/L and normal creatinine. The ECG is normal and the sample is not hemolysed. What is the most likely cause?

Contamination of the sample with K2EDTA

Severe thrombocytosis releasing potassium

Rhabdomyolysis with acute muscle injury

A Klebsiella pneumoniae isolate is carbapenem resistant. The mCIM test is positive and the zone of inhibition is restored in the eCIM test with EDTA. Which enzyme class is most likely?

Metallo-beta-lactamase such as NDM

Serine carbapenemase such as KPC

A patient with three or more unformed stools in 24 hours has a positive glutamate dehydrogenase antigen and a negative toxin A/B immunoassay. What is the recommended next step?

Arbitrate with a toxin gene NAAT

Report as negative for C. difficile

Repeat the toxin immunoassay in 24 hours

Request stool culture for Salmonella

Free DHA Clinical Pathology mock test

12 original exam-style questions from our Clinical Pathology bank, timed at the exam’s own pace, scored against the 65% DHA pass mark. They span 7 of the 8 blueprint domains, so you will see exactly where you are weakest - free, no sign-up.

Free diagnosticNo sign-up · no email · results instantly

Sit 12 original exam-style questions at real exam pace

These are 12 original questions taken from our Clinical Pathology bank, spread across 7 of the 8 domains of the published blueprint. You get 72 seconds per question, which is exactly the pace of the real CPA5541 exam (14 minutes for 12). At the end you will see which domains you are weakest in, and the full worked reasoning for every question.

12: questions
14:24: time limit
65%: DHA pass mark

A short diagnostic cannot predict whether you will pass - only the real exam does that. It will show you, honestly, where you currently stand.

What the real Clinical Pathology licensing exam looks like

Candidates for a Clinical Pathology licence in the UAE sit a computer-based multiple-choice examination - DHA exam code CPA5541, delivered through Prometric for DHA, MOHAP and SHA, and through Pearson VUE for DOH Abu Dhabi. The DHA pass mark is 65% (DHA CBT Guideline, Sep 2026); other authorities set their own, so confirm yours before booking. The result is reported to you as pass or fail only - your score is never released.

Pass marks at a glance: DHA exam codes and pass marks for all written exams in one sourced table.

The paper is built to a published blueprint, which is why a domain-by-domain diagnostic is more useful than a raw percentage. Your questions above were drawn from across Clinical Chemistry, Hematology and Hematopathology, Hemostasis and Thrombosis, Immunology and Serology and 3 more - the same areas the real paper weights.

Before you can book the exam at all you need Dataflow primary source verification of your degree, licence and experience, which typically runs several weeks. Candidates routinely underestimate this and end up sitting the exam sooner after study than they planned. Check where you stand with our free eligibility checker or confirm whether your title even requires an exam using the Prometric exam checker.

You get three attempts in total across all UAE authorities - not three each - under the Unified Professional Qualification Requirements. At roughly AED 1,030 per attempt, plus the licensing delay each failure adds to your visa and start date, the cost of going in underprepared is not really the exam fee.

What is on the Clinical Pathology exam: the full blueprint

The published blueprint splits into 8 domains and 52 testable sub-topics. The diagnostic above samples across them, which is why its breakdown maps onto the structure the real paper is built from.

Clinical Chemistry~20%8 topics
Hematology and Hematopathology~20%9 topics
Transfusion Medicine~15%7 topics
Clinical Microbiology~12%6 topics
Immunology and Serology~8%5 topics
Hemostasis and Thrombosis~10%6 topics
Molecular Diagnostics and Cytogenetics~7%5 topics
Laboratory Management, Quality and Safety~8%6 topics

Questions: 150 multiple-choice (DHA CPA5541)
Duration: 3 hours, including registration
DHA pass mark: 65% - reported as pass or fail only

Figures for the DHA exam, from the DHA CBT Guideline, Sep 2026. DOH, MOHAP, SCFHS, QCHP, NHRA and OMSB set their own length, timing and pass mark. See the DHA exam guide and pass marks for every DHA exam.

A worked Clinical Pathology exam question

Every question in the diagnostic and in the paid bank is written to this standard: a clinical stem, four plausible options and the reasoning for the answer, with its source.

Clinical Chemistry

A 52-year-old man with diabetes has sodium 140 mmol/L, chloride 100 mmol/L and bicarbonate 10 mmol/L. What is the anion gap (without potassium)?

A20 mmol/L
B30 mmol/LCorrect
C40 mmol/L
D10 mmol/L

Why: Anion gap = Na - (Cl + HCO3) = 140 - (100 + 10) = 30 mmol/L, a raised gap consistent with ketoacidosis. 20 mmol/L would result from subtracting only chloride and halving errors; the full formula must include both measured anions.

Source: Tietz Textbook of Laboratory Medicine, 7th ed.

Clinical Pathology sample questions with answers

4 more original exam-style Clinical Pathology questions, worked in full. They are not real or recalled exam questions, and none of them is in the diagnostic above, so sit that first if you have not.

Question 1 · Clinical Chemistry
An asymptomatic outpatient has potassium 8.9 mmol/L, calcium 0.6 mmol/L and normal creatinine. The ECG is normal and the sample is not hemolysed. What is the most likely cause?
1. AHemolysis during venepuncture
2. BSevere thrombocytosis releasing potassium
3. CContamination of the sample with K2EDTA
4. DRhabdomyolysis with acute muscle injury
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: C. Contamination of the sample with K2EDTA
K2EDTA adds potassium and chelates calcium, giving the classic pairing of very high potassium with very low calcium in a well patient. Hemolysis raises potassium but does not lower calcium and was excluded by inspection.
Reference: Tietz Textbook of Laboratory Medicine, 7th ed.
Question 2 · Clinical Microbiology
A Klebsiella pneumoniae isolate is carbapenem resistant. The mCIM test is positive and the zone of inhibition is restored in the eCIM test with EDTA. Which enzyme class is most likely?
1. ASerine carbapenemase such as KPC
2. BOXA-48-like carbapenemase
3. CAmpC with porin loss
4. DMetallo-beta-lactamase such as NDM
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: D. Metallo-beta-lactamase such as NDM
EDTA chelates zinc and inhibits metallo-beta-lactamases, so restoration of activity in eCIM indicates an MBL. KPC and OXA-48 are serine enzymes that remain active with EDTA, giving a positive mCIM but negative eCIM.
Reference: CLSI M100 Performance Standards for Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing
Question 3 · Hematology and Hematopathology
Flow cytometry of a lymph node shows monoclonal B cells that are CD5 positive, CD23 negative and FMC7 positive with bright surface light chain. FISH shows t(11;14). What is the diagnosis?
1. AChronic lymphocytic leukemia
2. BMarginal zone lymphoma
3. CMantle cell lymphoma
4. DFollicular lymphoma
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: C. Mantle cell lymphoma
CD5 positive, CD23 negative B cells with t(11;14) CCND1 rearrangement (cyclin D1 overexpression) define mantle cell lymphoma. CLL is also CD5 positive but is typically CD23 positive with dim light chain and lacks t(11;14).
Reference: WHO Classification of Haematolymphoid Tumours, 5th ed.
Question 4 · Clinical Microbiology
A patient with three or more unformed stools in 24 hours has a positive glutamate dehydrogenase antigen and a negative toxin A/B immunoassay. What is the recommended next step?
1. AReport as negative for C. difficile
2. BArbitrate with a toxin gene NAAT
3. CRepeat the toxin immunoassay in 24 hours
4. DRequest stool culture for Salmonella
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. Arbitrate with a toxin gene NAAT
Discordant GDH and toxin results should be resolved with a nucleic acid amplification test or cytotoxicity assay in a multistep algorithm. Repeat toxin testing within 7 days has low yield and is discouraged.
Reference: IDSA/SHEA Clostridioides difficile Guideline 2017

Last reviewed September 2026. About these questions: every item is original, written to the published blueprint, with a rationale and a reference, and no recalled or leaked exam content is used. How we write our questions.

How to use this diagnostic properly

1Sit it cold, once. Do not look anything up. A diagnostic you help yourself through tells you nothing. The number you get is only useful if it is honest.
2Read every rationale - especially the ones you got right. Getting a question right by elimination is not the same as knowing it. The worked reasoning is free above, whether or not you buy anything.
3Work weakest domain first. The breakdown orders your domains worst-first for exactly this reason. Studying what you are already good at feels productive and moves nothing.
4Re-sit under full exam conditions later. The real paper is far longer than this and stamina matters. Full-length timed papers are what the paid bank is for.

Frequently asked questions

Is this Clinical Pathology mock exam really free?

Yes. All 12 questions, your score, the domain breakdown and the full worked answers are free, with no sign-up and no email required. The paid bank is a separate, much larger set of 450 questions.

Are these real Clinical Pathology exam questions?

No. They are original questions written to the official Clinical Pathology blueprint and drawn from our full bank - not leaked or recalled items, which would breach exam security and are frequently out of date. They follow the exam's format and domain weighting.

What is the pass mark for the Clinical Pathology exam?

65% for the DHA Clinical Pathology exam (CPA5541), as published in the DHA CBT Guideline, Sep 2026. Other authorities set their own pass marks, so confirm yours before booking. DHA reports only pass or fail - your actual score is never released to you, which is why a diagnostic like this is useful for seeing where you stand.

Does passing this mock mean I will pass the real exam?

No, and we will not claim otherwise. 12 questions cannot predict a full-length paper. What it does reliably show is which blueprint domains you are currently weakest in.

How many attempts do I get at the real exam?

Three in total across all UAE authorities under the Unified Professional Qualification Requirements - not three per authority. Each attempt costs roughly AED 1,030.

What topics does the Clinical Pathology exam cover?

The published blueprint splits into 8 domains covering 52 testable sub-topics: Clinical Chemistry, Hematology and Hematopathology, Transfusion Medicine, Clinical Microbiology, Immunology and Serology, Hemostasis and Thrombosis, Molecular Diagnostics and Cytogenetics, Laboratory Management, Quality and Safety. The full weighting table is on this page.

How long is the Clinical Pathology exam and how many questions?

The DHA Clinical Pathology exam (CPA5541) is 150 multiple-choice questions in 3 hours, including registration and the introduction, as published in the DHA CBT Guideline, Sep 2026. Other authorities set their own length and timing, so confirm theirs in the current candidate bulletin.

Do I need to create an account to take this mock exam?

No. There is no sign-up, no email capture and no payment. The questions, your score, the domain breakdown and the full worked answers are all free, and nothing is held back behind a form.