DHA Acupuncture, Homeopathy and Unani Exams: PAC6092, PHO5832 and PUN6062 Compared (2026)

DHA runs three computer-based exams for these titles. All three have the same format in the DHA Healthcare Professional Licensing Assessment Guideline (updated September 2026): 100 questions, 2 hours, 60% pass mark, USD 180.

DHA's list of traditional, complementary and integrative medicine (TCIM) exams has five entries. These three are covered here. The other two are Ayurveda (PAY5852) and the new Hijama Therapist exam (HIJ5862), which have their own guides: Ayurveda and Hijama.

Each of our prep pages has an original question bank and a free mock exam: Acupuncture mock, Homeopathy mock and Unani mock. We do not sell recalled or leaked questions. DHA codes apply to DHA only. DOH and MOHAP license these titles but do not publish their exam formats.

All three exams are computer-based, so they are not orals. Titles outside DHA's CBT list, such as TCM Practitioner, are assessed orally instead. You can see all five TCIM exams next to every other DHA title in our pass mark table, and the official figures are on the DHA pass marks page and DHA fees page.

The Unified PQR (3rd edition, April 2025) shared by MOHAP, DOH, DHA and SHA sets the routes. All routes also need a valid home-country licence, transcripts showing hours, and valid BLS. Physicians get TCIM titles as a privilege on their physician licence.

Unani Practitioners may also practise Hijama within their own title. Read our BAMS, BHMS and BUMS guide for the full licensing path for Indian graduates and our DataFlow guide for verification.

Hours matter as much as years. For Acupuncture, a programme of at least 2 years must show 2,500 hours, or you need NCCAOM certification. For Unani, a physician route needs 1,500 hours plus 750 hours of training. Our chiropractor guide shows, for another TCIM title, how a transcript is compared with the PQR hour by hour. Ask your college for a letter that lists theory, practical and internship hours separately, and send your documents for an eligibility check if the totals are close to the limit.

If you have been out of practice for 3 to 4 years, the TCIM gap ladder asks for 20 CME credits and 6 months of training. For 4 to 5 years it asks for 30 CME credits and 8 months. See the gap-in-practice guide.

The topic lists below come from the DHA guideline. DHA does not publish weightings by topic.

Our notes on the reference lists are limited to what we could confirm. For Acupuncture and Unani, read the reference section of the current DHA guideline on the Sheryan portal before you buy books.

Before you read the exam notes, check your starting point with the free mock for your title: Acupuncture, Homeopathy or Unani. It scores you against the 60% pass mark and shows your weak domains. Then choose the full bank: Acupuncture, Homeopathy or Unani. You can read samples first on the Acupuncture, Homeopathy and Unani question pages. If you are not sure which title fits your degree, request an eligibility check.

The syllabus mixes Oriental medicine with biomedicine. Many candidates are strong on points and meridians but weaker on biomedicine, safety and ethics.

• Foundations of Oriental medicine: yin and yang, five phases, qi, blood and body fluids, zang-fu theory.
• Point location: the main points, their locations, actions and cautions. Practise with diagrams until you can place points without notes.
• Diagnosis: pulse, tongue, inquiry, observation and pattern differentiation.
• Biomedicine: anatomy of the areas where you needle, red flags, and basic pharmacology that affects treatment.
• Techniques and safety: needle handling, clean needle technique, contraindications, adverse events such as pneumothorax risk, and sharps disposal.
• Ethics and clinical practice: consent, records, referral.

If you hold a broader TCM degree, you may also look at the TCM Practitioner licence, which is assessed differently. Saudi Arabia licenses acupuncture through NCCAM, with a test or committee whose specifications are not published.

DHA publishes no weights. The table below shows Neelim's own blueprint estimate for Acupuncture. It is built from the DHA syllabus and is not an official figure.

Almost a quarter of this estimate is biomedicine and red flags, and another 17% is safety and infection control. A strong point-location score does not protect you if you cannot recognise a red flag. The bank references we use include Maciocia's Foundations of Chinese Medicine, Deadman's Manual of Acupuncture, the WHO guidelines on basic training and safety in acupuncture and the WHO standard point locations. These are Neelim's study sources, not a DHA list.

The code PHO5832 starts with "PHO", the same three letters as DHA's Pharmacist code. Use the full code when you book.

• Organon: the aphorisms, the principles of cure, case management and the concept of the vital force. Learn the key aphorism numbers and what they say.
• Materia Medica: major remedies with their key symptoms, modalities and relationships. Allen and Kent are named in the guideline.
• Repertory: how to use a repertory, rubric selection and repertorisation steps. Kent and Phatak are named.
• Pharmacy and posology: potencies, scales, preparation and dose.
• Case-taking: how to take a complete homeopathic case, and what to record.
• Therapeutics: the conditions in medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, ENT, eye and skin. Davidson is named for the modern medical view.

The therapeutics section is broad. Students who rely only on remedy names often struggle with the modern medicine side. Use Davidson to understand diagnosis, red flags and when a patient needs urgent referral.

The table shows Neelim's own blueprint estimate for Homeopathy, built from the DHA syllabus. DHA does not publish weights.

The reference sources in our bank include Hahnemann's Organon of Medicine (6th edition), Boericke's Pocket Manual, and clinical guidelines for conditions such as meningitis, hypertension and diabetes. The last group is the part that many BHMS graduates under-study. About a third of our estimate (red flags, basic medical sciences and safety) needs modern medicine.

The Unani exam covers the classical system together with modern anatomy, physiology and pathology.

• Fundamentals: the seven natural components (Umoor-e-Tabiya), temperament (Mizaj), humours (Akhlat), faculties and functions. Make clear summary tables.
• Anatomy and physiology, pathology: modern understanding of body systems, cell injury, inflammation, infection and common diseases.
• Pharmacology: single drugs (Advia Mufrada), compound drugs, temperaments of drugs, actions, doses and cautions.
• Regimental therapy (Ilaj bit Tadbeer): cupping, venesection, massage, Turkish bath, exercise, diet and other regimens, with indications and contraindications.
• Formulations: dosage forms and preparation methods.

The topic list is given in English by DHA. We use common Unani terms above only as a memory aid. If you also plan to practise cupping, remember that Unani Practitioners may do Hijama within their title. A separate Hijama Therapist title also exists, covered in our Hijama exam guide.

This table shows Neelim's own blueprint estimate for Unani, built from the DHA syllabus. DHA does not publish weights.

Our bank draws on Ibn Sina's Al-Qanun fi al-Tibb, the National Formulary of Unani Medicine, and the CCRUM Standard Unani Medical Terminology (2012). Because regimental therapy includes cupping, Unani candidates should also read the infection control notes in our Hijama exam guide.

This 8-week structure works for all three. Replace the topics with your own exam's list.

On exam day, answer easy questions first, mark the hard ones and return to them, and keep 10 to 15 minutes at the end for review. Do not spend more than two minutes on one item. At about 72 seconds per question, practise answering fast without rushing. Move to the question bank early: Acupuncture, Homeopathy or Unani.

Checkpoints for any of the three exams

The targets are 10 to 15 points above the pass mark because a practice test is only a sample. Do not book the exam until you reach the week 7 target twice.

Older press reports describe a written plus oral model at MOHAP for complementary medicine, but this is secondary information and MOHAP publishes no specification. See the DOH, MOHAP and DHA pages, and our GCC complementary medicine guide.

DHA does not publish its questions. These are Neelim practice examples, written by our team to show the single-best-answer style we use. They are not from any exam. The first three are short recall items, and the next six test safety and application.

Acupuncture. Which precaution is most important when needling over the upper back and chest wall?
A. Use the longest needle available B. Use a shallow, angled insertion because of the risk of pneumothorax C. Insert perpendicular and deep D. No precaution is needed
Answer: B.

Homeopathy. Which text sets out Hahnemann's principles of homeopathic practice in numbered aphorisms?
A. Organon of Medicine B. Repertory C. Materia Medica Pura only D. Davidson
Answer: A.

Unani. In Unani medicine, which of the following is one of the four humours (Akhlat)?
A. Damm (blood) B. Rasa C. Vata D. Qi
Answer: A.

Acupuncture 2. The back-shu points lie along which channel?
A. Governing vessel B. Bladder channel C. Stomach channel D. Gallbladder channel
Answer: B. The back-shu points of the organs lie on the Bladder channel of the back.

Acupuncture 3. During needling, a patient becomes pale and sweaty and feels faint. What is the first action?
A. Insert more needles B. Remove the needles, lay the patient flat, and monitor C. Ask the patient to sit up quickly D. Leave the room
Answer: B. Fainting is a common adverse event, and the response is simple and fast.

Homeopathy 2. According to Hering's law, cure proceeds in which direction?
A. From below upwards, outside inwards B. From above downwards, inside outwards, and in reverse order of the appearance of symptoms C. Randomly D. Only from the mind to the body
Answer: B.

Homeopathy 3. A mother reports that her baby has fever, a stiff neck and a rash that does not fade under a pressed glass. What do you do?
A. Give a remedy and review in 24 hours B. Advise rest and fluids C. Arrange emergency medical care at once D. Repeat the remedy hourly
Answer: C. These are red flags for meningitis or sepsis. A remedy must never delay emergency care.

Unani 2. In Unani medicine, "Fasd" refers to which regimental procedure?
A. Massage B. Venesection C. Leech therapy D. Exercise
Answer: B. Dalak is massage, Taleeq is leech therapy and Riyazat is exercise.

Unani 3. Which humour (Khilt) is described as hot and dry in quality?
A. Balgham B. Dam C. Safra D. Sauda
Answer: C. Safra (yellow bile) is hot and dry. Balgham is cold and moist, Dam is hot and moist, and Sauda is cold and dry.

Practise reading all options and removing wrong ones first. Many questions test safety and judgement as well as recall.

Your degree decides the title. Use this quick guide, then confirm with the PQR text and your authority.

• BHMS or equivalent homeopathy degree: Homeopathy Practitioner, exam PHO5832.
• BUMS, BEMS or DUMS: Unani Practitioner, exam PUN6062.
• Acupuncture degree or NCCAOM certification: Acupuncture Practitioner, exam PAC6092.
• BAMS: Ayurveda Practitioner, exam PAY5852. See the Ayurveda guide.
• Full TCM degree: TCM Practitioner, which goes to an oral at DHA. See the TCM Practitioner oral prep.

Applying under the wrong title can waste one of your three shared attempts. If your training is mixed, send us your documents and we will map them to the right route.

1. Studying only the classical system. All three exams include modern anatomy, physiology or pathology.
2. Using the wrong code. PAC6092, PHO5832 and PUN6062 are different exams. Check the code when you book.
3. Not practising under time. A pace of about 72 seconds per question must be practised.
4. Assuming DOH or MOHAP use the same exam. They do not publish their format. Ask them.
5. Using shared attempts carelessly. PQR clause 1.5.4 gives three attempts in total across DHA, DOH, MOHAP and SHA, and clause 1.5.5 gives one final attempt at a different authority.
6. Believing recalled-question offers. Exam content is not published.

Two further habits cost marks: leaving red flags and safety to the last week, and skipping the questions that test modern medicine because they feel less familiar. Both are easy to fix with timed practice.

If you fail, our retake guide explains the next steps.

All three exams use the same process. They are computer-based tests at a Prometric centre, booked through two systems: Sheryan, DHA's portal, and Prometric.

1. Check your mode of exam on Sheryan and confirm your exact code.
2. Create a Sheryan account with your name exactly as in your passport.
3. Copy your DHA Unique ID and use it for DataFlow and Prometric.
4. Generate your Eligibility ID and pay the AED 200 credentialing fee.
5. Book a date with Prometric and pay the USD 180 fee (about AED 661 at the AED 3.6725 peg).
6. Arrive 30 minutes early with your valid passport.

DataFlow verification and the exam can run in parallel, but your registration cannot be processed until both are complete. The 2 hours include registration and the process introduction, so your net time is a little under 120 minutes. DHA shows Pass or Fail in Sheryan, normally within 2 working days, and never shares your score. Prometric sends a Learning Outcome letter with general strengths and weaknesses. You can reschedule on Prometric up to 5 calendar days before the exam for a centre-specific charge, and DHA does not refund fees. Read our booking guide for screenshots.

You have three attempts in total across DHA, DOH, MOHAP and SHA (PQR clause 1.5.4), and you must declare earlier attempts (clause 1.5.6). DHA sets no waiting period between attempts, but you pay the fee again each time. After three failures DHA blocks reapplication for two years. Clause 1.5.5 then allows one final attempt at a different authority, or a fourth DHA attempt on a declaration that you did not fail elsewhere. Three new attempts follow a new recognised qualification or 2 years of licensed clinical experience (clause 1.5.8).

Because DHA gives no score, use a timed mock to rank your domains after a fail, and rework the bottom three. See the retake guide.

After a pass, DHA issues a registration valid for one year, and a licensed facility must activate it into a licence. DHA publishes no time for activation, so ask your employer. Read what happens next in our after-the-exam guide.

• Free mocks: Acupuncture, Homeopathy and Unani, each scored against the 60% pass mark.
• Question banks: original questions written to the published syllabus, with a rationale for each answer, on the Acupuncture, Homeopathy and Unani pages. We do not sell recalled or leaked questions, and we cannot promise a pass.
• Eligibility check: send us your transcripts and we map your hours to the PQR routes.

For the whole DHA process, see the DHA exam overview. Rules change, so confirm final requirements with DHA before you pay.