Which Titles Get a DHA Oral Assessment Instead of a CBT? Counts by Category (2026)

DHA runs a computer-based test (CBT) for 117 active titles. Every other title is assessed by oral assessment. DHA's CBT Guideline says specialties not listed in it "will be assessed through an oral assessment", and the CBT list applies to "certain Consultant titles for Physicians and Dentists" among others. In the Unified PQR title list (2025 edition, 702 titles), we count 578 titles that map to a DHA oral and about 115 that map to a CBT.

Three cautions. First, the PQR list shows a mode by title, and DHA publishes no positive list of oral titles, so the oral route is inferred from a title's absence from the CBT list. Check your own route in the Sheryan mode-of-exam check. Second, three titles that the PQR list shows as oral (Nephrology, Rheumatology and Hijama Therapist) now have CBT codes in the September 2026 guideline, so treat our counts as approximate and the CBT guideline as the winner. The section "When a CBT Code Exists, the Guideline Wins" below explains what that means for you. Third, 37 nursing and pharmacy entries are marked "confirm" in the source list, so they are the least certain of all.

DHA does not decide by profession. It decides by the title on your application. A Registered Nurse sits a CBT, but a Nurse Practitioner, whose title is not in the guideline, is assessed orally. A Pharmacist sits a CBT, but a Pharmacist - Oncology does not. Within physicians, six consultant titles sit a CBT and the other 68 consultant titles in the PQR list do not.

Sub-specialty titles make up most of the oral list. Of the 424 physician titles that map to an oral, 313 are sub-specialties (for example Tropical Medicine under Internal Medicine), 68 are consultant titles and 43 are specialist titles. Dentists follow the same logic: 7 consultant dental titles, 8 specialist titles, Implantology and General Dentist sit a CBT, while 8 specialist and 9 consultant titles, such as Oral Medicine, Dental Radiology and Special Care Dentistry, are oral.

Your title comes from the Unified PQR, not from your job advert. Use the professional title classifier first, then compare the result with our list of every DHA CBT title and pass mark .

If you are a consultant, you are probably oral-assessed. Only Dermatology, Endocrinology, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Ophthalmology and Pediatrics have a consultant CBT (100 questions, 70%). Cardiology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, General Surgery, Orthopedic Surgery, Psychiatry and many others do not.

Do not assume that every consultant takes an oral. A Tier 1 specialty certificate can exempt you from the exam, and DHA's published documents do not say whether an exempt consultant in an oral-only specialty must still sit the oral. Ask DHA before you plan. Our Tier 1 waiver guide covers the rules.

Neelim has 13 consultant oral packs. Each has 14 panel-style scenarios with model answers, built around the three graded areas of the DHA oral: knowledge and problem solving, clinical skills and best practice, and ethics, professionalism and communication. The specialties are Obstetrics and Gynecology, Orthopedic Surgery, Cardiology, General Surgery, Anesthesiology, Emergency Medicine, Radiology, Psychiatry, ENT, Urology, Gastroenterology, Pulmonology and Neurology. See all consultant oral packs .

Do two things before you plan any preparation. First, run your title through the professional title classifier and check the mode on Sheryan. Second, if you are still unsure which route your qualifications fit, request an eligibility check. If your title has a CBT code, start with the free mock for that exam on the mock exam page. If it is an oral, start with the consultant oral packs or the TCIM oral pages listed at the end of this guide.

Emergency titles are a separate case. In Dubai, paramedics and EMTs are licensed by DCAS, which uses a Prometric certificate for medics plus a DCAS practical test. For a phlebotomist, read our phlebotomist licence guide .

Some tracking sheets and older articles list three titles as oral: Hijama Therapist, Nephrology and Rheumatology. That is wrong now. The Unified PQR title list shows an oral mode for them, but DHA's own CBT guideline, updated in September 2026, gives each a computer-based exam. Where the two documents disagree, follow the DHA guideline, because it is the document DHA uses to schedule exams.

On this basis the oral count in our table falls by three, to roughly 575, and the CBT count rises. We do not rewrite the table, because the PQR list itself still shows the older mode and the numbers are approximate.

What changes for you if your title has a CBT code

The three-attempt rule is the same in both cases: 3 attempts in total across DHA, DOH, MOHAP and SHA (PQR clause 1.5.4). Before you choose a preparation method, check your title in the Sheryan mode-of-exam tool. Our table of every DHA CBT title and pass mark shows the full list, and the DHA pass marks page and DHA fees page give the official figures.

DHA publishes the format in its manual. These are the points you can rely on:

• Panel: at least two members, who must agree on one result. A disagreement is recorded as a fail.
• Scenarios: at least 5 different clinical scenarios in your specialty, covering knowledge and problem solving, clinical skills and best practice, and ethics, professionalism and communication. The PQR (clause 1.5.3) also requires at least 5 scenarios and English only, with no translator.
• Length: at least 20 to 30 minutes, which can be extended. Introductions and CV questions are capped at 5 minutes.
• Setting: virtual on a DHA-approved platform, although DHA can require you to attend in person.
• Result: Pass or Fail through Sheryan within 3 to 5 working days. There is no score and no feedback. A fail cannot move you down to a Specialist title.
• Rules on the day: join 15 minutes early, sit alone in a closed room, show the room with a 360-degree camera turn if asked, keep your face and hands visible, and use no phone, smart watch, notes or recording. Masks are not allowed.

DHA does not publish the oral fee, a numeric pass mark or a maximum panel size. You can reschedule once without charge if you ask more than 5 working days ahead. A later request counts as a no-show and you pay a new fee. If an oral application stays pending for more than 3 months, DHA may cancel it without a refund.

The PQR list also gives a mode for DOH, MOHAP and SHA. These columns are category-level guidance, and only about two dozen titles are marked "confirmed with DOH". Everything else should be read as "reported, confirm with the regulator".

Remember that all attempts count together. You have 3 attempts across DHA, DOH, MOHAP and SHA (PQR clause 1.5.4), and clause 1.5.5 can give one final attempt with a different authority. See our DOH oral assessment guide for the Abu Dhabi route.

One more rule differs by authority. DOH's Standard for Licensing Examinations allows a re-sit 3 months after a failed attempt and bars one for 12 months after a third failure, while DHA sets no waiting time. The DHA, DOH and MOHAP comparison shows the wider differences.

DHA says every oral covers three graded areas: knowledge and problem solving, clinical skills and best practice, and ethics, professionalism and communication. Panels cannot give you a score, but they can hear whether your answer is safe, complete and clear. A fixed structure keeps you calm and uses your time well.

A good answer to one scenario takes 4 to 5 minutes when there are five scenarios in a 20 to 30 minute oral. Say the step names aloud, because it helps the panel follow you. If the panel interrupts, answer the new question first and then return to your step. Do not argue. If you do not know, say what you would check and who you would ask. A safe "I would not proceed until..." is better than a confident wrong number.

Two habits lose marks. The first is listing tests without a reason. The second is ignoring the ethics layer inside a clinical case, for example the patient who refuses treatment or the family who asks you to hide a diagnosis.

These are Neelim practice examples. They are original and are not DHA questions. Each shows how the structure above sounds in a short answer. Your own title and your own guidelines should replace the details.

Scenario 1: Nurse Practitioner

Case. A 58-year-old man comes to your clinic with 30 minutes of chest pressure and sweating. He says he wants to go home because he has a meeting.

Outline. Safety first: treat this as a possible acute coronary syndrome, keep him in the clinic, check airway, breathing, circulation and vital signs, and call for help. Assess pain, risk factors and current medicines. Record a 12-lead ECG at once. Give aspirin only if there is no allergy or bleeding risk, and follow your protocol for oxygen only if he is hypoxic. Arrange emergency transfer. Escalate to the physician on call. On ethics: he has capacity and the right to decide, so explain the risk of leaving in plain words, offer time to call his employer, document the discussion, and do not hold him against his will.

Scenario 2: Pharmacist - Oncology

Case. A patient on capecitabine and warfarin has an INR of 7 and no bleeding.

Outline. Safety: ask about bleeding, falls and head injury. Assess recent dose changes, diet and other drugs, and recognise the known interaction between capecitabine and warfarin. Contact the prescriber the same day. Advise holding warfarin until the prescriber decides, and arrange an urgent repeat INR. Vitamin K and any dose change are the prescriber's decision under local protocol. Escalate to the oncology team. Report the event through your pharmacovigilance system. Communicate bleeding warning signs to the patient and document your advice.

Scenario 3: Chiropractor

Case. A 45-year-old woman has severe neck pain after a car accident. She also has a new headache, dizziness and blurred vision.

Outline. Safety: this combination can suggest a vascular injury to the neck. Do not perform manipulation or any cervical technique. Check vital signs and basic neurological signs, and note the time the symptoms began. Refer to emergency care by ambulance and do not let her drive. Escalate to the receiving doctor with a clear handover. Explain why you are not treating her, document the red flags and your referral, and respect her wish to ask questions. This shows the scope and referral duty that the Chiropractor oral pack trains.

Notice how each answer starts with safety and ends with communication. Notice also that none of them depends on a memorised number. They depend on correct reasoning and a clear limit to your own role.

• Write the structure first. For each scenario, practise this order: safety and stabilisation, history and examination, differential and investigations, management, escalation, then ethics and communication.
• Time yourself. A scenario in a 20 to 30 minute oral across 5 scenarios gives you about 4 to 5 minutes each. Practise stopping at 4 minutes.
• Prepare the ethics scenario separately. Consent, confidentiality, errors, capacity, end-of-life care and UAE legal duties are typical ethics topics, and DHA says every oral covers ethics, professionalism and communication.
• Use guidelines you know. Quote the guideline you have used in practice, and say when you would escalate. Panels reward safe reasoning over memorised numbers.
• Rehearse the room. Practise on video in English, alone in a closed room, with no notes. Check your camera, light and sound.
• Keep a log. After each practice scenario, write the one thing you missed. Repeat the weak scenarios after two days.

Our scenarios are original. We do not sell recalled or leaked oral questions, and we cannot promise a pass.

Four weeks is enough to build a routine if you already practise in your specialty. Adjust it to your own work pattern.

Common mistakes are easy to avoid. Candidates talk for too long on the first question and run out of time for the ethics scenario. They also give a list of tests without saying why, or they forget to say when they would call a senior or refer. Keep each answer short and structured, and say what you would do next.

One last point on cost and planning. The oral fee is not published, an application pending for more than 3 months may be cancelled, and attempts are shared across the UAE. Do not book until you are ready, but do not delay so long that your application expires.

If you have six weeks

Use the four-week plan, and add one week at the start for core topics in your title and one week before the end for mock panels. In the mock-panel week, practise with someone from outside your specialty, because a panel may include a person who does not share your daily vocabulary. Record yourself, and listen for filler words, long first sentences and missing escalation.

Choose the route that matches your title, and then use the matching resources.

• Consultant physicians: the consultant oral preparation packs have 14 scenarios each, with model answers built around the three graded areas. If your consultant specialty has a CBT, such as Internal Medicine, use the free Internal Medicine mock and the Internal Medicine bank.
• Traditional and complementary practitioners: use the oral pages for TCM Practitioner, Chiropractor, Osteopath, Naturopath, Ayurveda Massage Therapist and Chinese Massage Therapist. Titles with a CBT, such as Hijama, Ayurveda, Acupuncture, Homeopathy and Unani, have question banks instead: see the Hijama bank, with its free mock.
• Eligibility check: send us your qualifications and we map them to a PQR title and help you decide which route applies.

Our scenarios are original. We do not sell recalled or leaked oral questions, and we cannot promise a pass. For the DHA rules, see the DHA exam overview. Related reading: TCM Practitioner licence and oral and Osteopath licence guide.