DHA Exam Pass Marks for Every Title in 2026: Code, Questions, Time, Fee

DHA pass marks run from 50% to 70%, and the mark depends on your exact title, not only your profession. Registered Nurse is 50%, General Practitioner is 60%, Pharmacist is 60%, General Dentist is 60%, and most specialist physician exams are 60% or 65%. Sixteen exams are set at 70%. The list below uses DHA's own CBT Guideline (updated September 2026) and covers all 117 active computer-based titles.

Three things to know before you read the tables. First, DHA shows you Pass or Fail only, never your score, so a pass mark is a target for your practice papers, not a number you will see on result day. Second, the UAE allows 3 attempts in total across DHA, DOH, MOHAP and SHA (Unified PQR clause 1.5.4), so one weak first attempt costs more than it seems. Third, titles that are not in this list are not "exam-free". DHA assesses them by oral assessment - see our guide to the DHA titles that get an oral instead of a CBT .

For the official fee and pass mark pages, see DHA pass marks and DHA exam fees . For the full DHA rules, see the DHA exam overview .

Find your title in the tables, open its question bank from the same row, and test yourself with a free timed mock. You can browse every bank on the exam prep page and every free mock on the mock exam page. The sections after the tables explain how to read the numbers, so the pass mark becomes a study target and not only a figure.

DHA publishes the pass mark for each exam as a percentage on the exam's specification page in the CBT Guideline. DHA also says it calculates the result from the number of correct answers and the weighting of each domain. That means two things for you.

• The percentage is the standard to aim for, but DHA does not publish how each domain is weighted into the final decision, so a strong score in one domain may not rescue a very weak one.
• DHA can change an exam's format or pass mark without updating the guideline, so check your exam on Sheryan before you book.

Results are posted to your Sheryan account as Pass or Fail, normally within 2 working days. Prometric also sends a Learning Outcome letter that describes general strengths and weaknesses, but it does not state your result. You will not see a score, so the best way to find your gaps is to sit timed practice papers that report a score by domain.

Exam fees are paid to Prometric in US dollars, and DHA also charges a credentialing fee of AED 200 in Sheryan for every category. The exam fee is USD 280 for physicians and dentists, USD 240 for nursing and most allied titles, and USD 180 for TCIM, Laser Hair Reduction and a few shorter allied exams. Fees are not refunded if you reschedule, cancel late or do not attend.

A percentage is easy to read but hard to plan with. The table turns each pass mark into a number of correct answers, if every question counts equally. The real exam also uses domain weighting, so treat the number as a minimum, not a safe target.

DHA does not state its rounding rule for half questions, so plan for the next whole number. The table shows a point that surprises many candidates. A 100-question consultant exam at 70% lets you miss 30 questions. A 150-question Registered Nurse exam at 50% lets you miss 75. The consultant has fewer questions and less room for error, and each question counts for 1% of the paper.

Time matters in the same way. Both the 150-question exams in 3 hours and the 100-question exams in 2 hours give you 72 seconds per question. DHA says the time includes registration and the process introduction, so your net time is shorter. Your practice should therefore run a little faster than 72 seconds.

Pick your title from the tables and take its free timed mock. It scores you against the real pass mark and shows your result by domain, which the DHA exam never will. Then work through the bank in the same row of the table. If you are unsure which title applies to you, use the professional title classifier, or request an eligibility check and we will map your qualifications to the right title and exam.

DHA gives one pass mark for each exam, as a percentage, on that exam's specification page. DHA also says that its exams are developed and validated by subject matter experts and are updated often. It does not publish how it chooses a percentage for a title, so it is not possible to say from DHA's documents whether a method such as a standard-setting panel is used. Be careful with any website that explains "why" a title is 55% or 65%. The honest answer is that the reason is not published.

What DHA does publish is how the result is reported. There are three facts to remember.

• You see Pass or Fail only. DHA does not share your score in Sheryan. The result is normally uploaded within 2 working days.
• The result uses weighting. DHA says the result is calculated from the number of correct answers and the weighting of each domain. The weights are not published.
• DHA can change an exam. The guideline says DHA can change a format or a pass score without updating the document. Check Sheryan before you book.

Prometric also sends a Learning Outcome letter. It describes general strengths and weaknesses, but it does not state whether you passed. If you want to know where you lose marks, you need practice papers that report by domain, because the real exam will not. This is also why our free mocks report your result against the pass mark of your own exam.

The General Practitioner exam (GEN5331) is 150 questions in 3 hours at 60%. Specialist exams are 150 questions in 3 hours. Most are 65%, nine are 60%, Sports Medicine is 55%, and Neurosurgery and Pediatrics are 70%. Hematopathology (HEM4711) is the one specialist exam with 100 questions.

General practice and privilege

Specialist physicians

Consultant physicians (CBT titles only)

Only six consultant specialties sit a computer-based exam: Dermatology, Endocrinology, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Ophthalmology and Pediatrics. They have 100 questions in 3 hours and a 70% pass mark. Every other consultant title is assessed orally.

Reading notes for physicians. Of the 45 physician titles, 37 are 150 questions in 3 hours, 7 are 100 questions in 3 hours (6 consultant exams and Hematopathology) and one is the 70-question Laser Hair Reduction privilege. Within the specialist group the mark depends on the specialty, not on the length of training. Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Otolaryngology, Pulmonary Disease, Reproductive Medicine and Urology are 60%, most others are 65%, and Pediatrics and Neurosurgery are 70%. A candidate for Pediatrics therefore needs 105 correct answers out of 150 at equal weight, while a Family Medicine candidate needs 90.

The General Dentist exam (GEN5301) is 150 questions in 3 hours at 60%. Every specialist dental exam is also 60%, except Implantology at 65%. Consultant dental exams are 100 questions at 70%. For a full comparison across the Gulf, read our dentist exam preparation guide .

All three active nursing and midwifery exams are 150 questions in 3 hours at 50%, with a USD 240 fee. DHA also lists Assistant Midwife (MID5101), but it is marked inactive, so it is not included here. For more detail, see our Registered Nurse exam preparation guide .

Allied health is the widest group: 47 active titles with pass marks from 50% to 70%. Clinical Pharmacy (PHO5482) is the highest at 70%. The clinical scientist exams are 65%. If your title has a technician and a technologist grade, the technologist exam often has a pass mark 5 points higher (not always). Our guide to technician and technologist exams lists each pair.

Reading notes for allied health. Five allied exams are shorter: Aesthetician, Cast Technician and the two Operation Theatre exams are 100 questions in 2 hours at USD 180, Laser Hair Reduction Technician is 70 questions in 2 hours, and Speech Therapist is 100 questions in 3 hours at USD 240. If your title is one of these, the number of questions you can miss is smaller than in a 150-question paper at the same percentage, and the fee is lower.

The five coded TCIM exams are 100 questions in 2 hours at 60%, with a USD 180 fee. Other TCIM titles in the PQR, such as Chiropractor, Osteopathy, Naturopathy and Traditional Chinese Medicine, are not on this list. For those titles DHA applies its oral rule. Our complementary medicine licensing guide covers the country rules.

The 117 active titles use five pass marks. Here is how they are spread.

By category

What explains the pattern?

DHA does not explain it, so the following is our reading of the data, not an official reason. First, seniority pushes the mark up. Every consultant exam is 70%, and the highest allied exam is Clinical Pharmacy, 10 points above Pharmacist at 60%. Second, the consultant papers have only 100 questions, so there is little room to hide. Third, the lowest marks sit in the widest, entry-level groups. Registered Nurse, Assistant Nurse and Registered Midwife are all 50% on 150 questions, and the exams cover broad bedside knowledge.

A low mark does not mean a light exam. A candidate who fails a 50% paper has still missed 76 or more of 150 questions. Compare the blueprint, not only the mark. Our Registered Nurse exam guide and General Practitioner exam guide show how a domain blueprint looks.

Many allied titles have two or three grades. The higher grade often has a pass mark 5 points higher, but the pattern is not universal. This table uses DHA's own figures.

Three lessons follow. First, most pairs sit 5 points apart, so a technologist should plan for a slightly higher practice score than a technician. Second, the clinical scientist exams are the big jumps, up to 15 points above the matching technologist exam, and they are the same length (150 questions in 3 hours). Third, in some pairs the mark is equal, and the difference lies in the content level. The grade on your application decides the exam. Applying under a lower grade to get a lower mark can waste an attempt, because the PQR title must match your qualifications. Our technician and technologist guide lists each pair and the PQR requirements.

• Higher grade, higher mark. Pharmacy Technician is 55%, Pharmacist 60% and Clinical Pharmacy 70%. Anesthesia Technician is 55% and Anesthesia Technologist 60%. Respiratory Technician is 55% and Respiratory Therapist 60%.
• Fewer questions does not mean easier. Consultant exams have 100 questions but a 70% pass mark, so you can miss only 30 of them.
• Time per question. A 150-question exam in 3 hours gives 72 seconds a question, and DHA says the 3 hours include registration and the process introduction. The 100-question TCIM exams give 72 seconds too.
• The lowest mark is not always the easiest paper. A 50% mark applies to a very wide range of content for Registered Nurse and Physiotherapist, so the blueprint matters more than the mark.

A sensible target is to score 10 to 15 points above the published mark on full, timed practice papers. Any practice paper is only a sample, and you will never see your real score.

One more pattern to use: the TCIM, Aesthetician and Cast Technician exams are 100 questions in 2 hours with a USD 180 fee, so the cost of a failed attempt is lower, but the number of attempts is not. The three-attempt limit still applies.

Use the tables as a planning tool in five steps.

1. Find your exact title. The PQR title, not your job title, decides the exam. Use the professional title classifier.
2. Convert the mark to a target. Add 10 to 15 points to the pass mark. For a 60% exam, aim for 70% to 75% on timed papers. For a 70% exam, aim for 80% or more, which leaves less room, so allow more weeks.
3. Set your timing. Divide the exam time by the number of questions and practise at a slightly faster pace.
4. Estimate the cost of the worst case. The table below uses the exam fees only, before the AED 200 Sheryan credentialing fee, DataFlow and travel.
5. Book only when ready. Two timed papers above your target, a few days apart, are a better signal than one good day.

AED figures use the AED 3.6725 peg and are our conversion, because DHA sets its fees in USD. Fees are not refunded if you reschedule late, cancel late or do not attend. See the official DHA fees page and pass marks page, and confirm the latest figures on Sheryan before you pay.

• "A lower mark means an easier exam." Not necessarily. The mark is a share of a paper whose content level differs by title. The blueprint tells you more than the number.
• "The mark is the score I will see." You will see only Pass or Fail. Use timed practice papers to see a number.
• "The same title has the same mark at every authority." DOH, MOHAP and SHA publish no pass mark, and other GCC regulators use their own scales. Do not carry a DHA figure across.
• "The AED fee on a website is official." DHA sets exam fees in USD. Any AED figure is a conversion, and the credentialing fee is separate.
• "I can wait and see what the first attempt feels like." Every attempt counts towards the three allowed in the UAE.

Under Unified PQR clause 1.5.4 you have three attempts in total across DHA, DOH, MOHAP and SHA. After three failures, clause 1.5.5 can give one final attempt with a different authority, except for Tier 3 applicants upgrading to Consultant. DHA sets no waiting time between attempts, but you pay the exam fee again each time. You must declare earlier attempts (clause 1.5.6).

Our guides to retaking a failed exam and passing the DHA exam on the first attempt explain what to do after a fail and how to plan the first sitting. To compare DHA with Saudi and Qatar, read DHA vs SCFHS vs QCHP .

The three-attempt rule changes how you should read a pass mark. You have three attempts across the whole UAE, so a first attempt that is just "a try" uses a third of your allowance, wherever you made it. If you failed at DOH, MOHAP or SHA, you must declare it, and that attempt reduces what is left at DHA. After three failures DHA blocks reapplication for two years, and clause 1.5.5 can give one final attempt at a different authority, or a fourth DHA attempt on a declaration that you did not fail elsewhere. Clause 1.5.8 gives three new attempts after an additional recognised qualification or 2 years of licensed clinical experience. DHA sets no waiting time between attempts, so the practical limit is your readiness and seat availability, not a calendar.

The result is Pass or Fail only, so a failure gives you no number. Treat each fail as a request for a domain-by-domain plan, and read the comeback guide if you have used two attempts already.

DHA's percentage system is not the model everywhere. This table uses only what each regulator publishes in the documents we hold.

The SCFHS system needs one extra explanation. A scaled score is not a percentage. SCFHS sets the pass mark through a standard-setting panel and its Central Assessment Committee approves it, and up to 10% of the questions in a licensure exam are unscored pilot items. The flat 60% or 70% that you may read online does not apply to those exams. SCFHS classification exams, by contrast, use percentages: 65% at Registrar and 70% at Senior Registrar for physician and dental specialties, 60% for allied specialists, and usually 55% for technicians.

For MOHAP, third-party sites quote anything from 50% to 70%, and they contradict each other. None of those figures is official. Compare the DHA, SCFHS and QCHP systems in our three-way comparison, and read the DOH, MOHAP, SCFHS and QCHP pages for each regulator's own rules.

Every DHA title in the tables above links to its Neelim question bank. The banks are original questions written to the published blueprint, with a rationale for each answer. We do not sell recalled or leaked exam questions, and we cannot promise a pass. Each question bank has sample questions you can read first, and each has a free timed mock that scores you against the pass mark for your exam.

Start with the free mock for your title, for example Registered Nurse, Pharmacist, General Practitioner, General Dentist or Radiographer. Then choose the full bank, such as the Registered Nurse bank or the General Practitioner bank. For consultant oral titles, see consultant oral preparation. If you are not sure which title or route applies, request an eligibility check. Titles outside the CBT list are explained in our oral assessment guide.