A patient who recently returned from a long flight has a painful, swollen, warm left calf. She asks for cupping and acupuncture to the calf. What is the most appropriate response?

Refer urgently and do not treat the leg

Apply gentle cupping to the calf only

Needle distal points and avoid the calf

Massage the calf to improve circulation

A patient with a cardiac pacemaker asks for electroacupuncture for knee pain. What is the most appropriate approach?

Avoid electroacupuncture and use manual needling

Use electroacupuncture only on the opposite knee

Use electroacupuncture at a low frequency

Place electrodes across the chest instead

GB-21 (Jianjing) is needled for shoulder tension. What is the main anatomical risk of deep perpendicular needling at this point?

Puncture of the apex of the lung

Perforation of the subclavian vein

Puncture of the common carotid artery

Free DHA Acupuncture Practitioner mock test

12 original exam-style questions from our Acupuncture Practitioner bank, timed at the exam’s own pace, scored against the 60% DHA pass mark. They span 7 of the 9 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 Acupuncture Practitioner bank, spread across 7 of the 9 domains of the published blueprint. You get 72 seconds per question, which is exactly the pace of the real PAC6092 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
60%: 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 Acupuncture Practitioner licensing exam looks like

Candidates for a Acupuncture Practitioner licence in the UAE sit a computer-based multiple-choice examination - DHA exam code PAC6092, delivered through Prometric for DHA, MOHAP and SHA, and through Pearson VUE for DOH Abu Dhabi. The DHA pass mark is 60% (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 Biomedical Knowledge, Red Flags and Referral, Needling Techniques and Related Therapies, Point Location and Function, Safety, Contraindications and Adverse Events 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 660 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 Acupuncture Practitioner exam: the full blueprint

The published blueprint splits into 9 domains and 59 testable sub-topics. The diagnostic above samples across them, which is why its breakdown maps onto the structure the real paper is built from.

Foundations of Traditional Chinese Medicine~12%6 topics
Zang-Fu and Channel Theory~14%7 topics
Point Location and Function~18%8 topics
TCM Diagnosis and Pattern Differentiation~12%6 topics
Needling Techniques and Related Therapies~12%7 topics
Biomedical Knowledge, Red Flags and Referral~12%7 topics
Safety, Contraindications and Adverse Events~12%7 topics
Infection Control and Clean Needle Technique~5%6 topics
Ethics and Professional Practice~3%5 topics

Questions: 100 multiple-choice (DHA PAC6092)
Duration: 2 hours, including registration
DHA pass mark: 60% - 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 Acupuncture Practitioner 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.

Biomedical Knowledge, Red Flags and Referral

A patient attending for low back pain reports new numbness around the buttocks and genitals and difficulty passing urine since yesterday. What is the most appropriate action?

ANeedle local back points and review in a week
BApply cupping and advise rest
CAdvise heat packs and gentle stretching
DArrange emergency medical assessment at onceCorrect

Why: Saddle numbness and new urinary disturbance with back pain suggest cauda equina syndrome, a surgical emergency. The patient must be sent for emergency medical assessment immediately, as delay can cause permanent bladder, bowel and sexual dysfunction. Acupuncture treatment should not be given.

Source: NICE Clinical Knowledge Summary: Sciatica (lumbar radiculopathy)

Acupuncture Practitioner sample questions with answers

4 more original exam-style Acupuncture Practitioner 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 · Biomedical Knowledge, Red Flags and Referral
A patient who recently returned from a long flight has a painful, swollen, warm left calf. She asks for cupping and acupuncture to the calf. What is the most appropriate response?
1. AApply gentle cupping to the calf only
2. BNeedle distal points and avoid the calf
3. CRefer urgently and do not treat the leg
4. DMassage the calf to improve circulation
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: C. Refer urgently and do not treat the leg
A painful, swollen, warm calf after a long flight suggests deep vein thrombosis, which can lead to pulmonary embolism. The patient needs urgent medical assessment, and the leg must not be cupped, needled or massaged. Local treatment could dislodge a clot.
Reference: NICE Guideline NG158: Venous thromboembolic diseases, 2020
Question 2 · Needling Techniques and Related Therapies
A patient with a cardiac pacemaker asks for electroacupuncture for knee pain. What is the most appropriate approach?
1. AUse electroacupuncture only on the opposite knee
2. BUse electroacupuncture at a low frequency
3. CAvoid electroacupuncture and use manual needling
4. DPlace electrodes across the chest instead
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: C. Avoid electroacupuncture and use manual needling
Electrical stimulation can interfere with pacemakers and implanted defibrillators, so electroacupuncture is contraindicated in these patients, and current should never pass across the chest in anyone. Manual needling without electrical stimulation can be used instead. Lowering the frequency does not remove the risk.
Reference: WHO Guidelines on Basic Training and Safety in Acupuncture, 1999
Question 3 · Point Location and Function
GB-21 (Jianjing) is needled for shoulder tension. What is the main anatomical risk of deep perpendicular needling at this point?
1. AInjury to the radial nerve
2. BPerforation of the subclavian vein
3. CPuncture of the common carotid artery
4. DPuncture of the apex of the lung
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: D. Puncture of the apex of the lung
GB-21 lies on the top of the shoulder, midway between GV-14 and the acromion, directly above the apex of the lung. Deep perpendicular needling can cause pneumothorax, especially in thin patients. It is also traditionally avoided in pregnancy.
Reference: Deadman, Al-Khafaji and Baker, A Manual of Acupuncture, 2nd ed.
Question 4 · Foundations of Traditional Chinese Medicine
A practitioner describes a patient's digestive symptoms that worsen with stress as Liver overacting on the Spleen. Which Five Element relationship does this represent?
1. AWood overacting on Earth
2. BFire overacting on Metal
3. CEarth overacting on Water
4. DWater overacting on Fire
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A. Wood overacting on Earth
The Liver belongs to Wood and the Spleen to Earth, and in the controlling (Ke) cycle Wood controls Earth. When this control becomes excessive it is called overacting, a common explanation for stress-related digestive upset. Fire controlling Metal corresponds to Heart and Lung.
Reference: Maciocia, The Foundations of Chinese Medicine, 3rd ed.

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 Acupuncture Practitioner 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 Acupuncture Practitioner exam questions?

No. They are original questions written to the official Acupuncture Practitioner 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 Acupuncture Practitioner exam?

60% for the DHA Acupuncture Practitioner exam (PAC6092), 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 660.

What topics does the Acupuncture Practitioner exam cover?

The published blueprint splits into 9 domains covering 59 testable sub-topics: Foundations of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zang-Fu and Channel Theory, Point Location and Function, TCM Diagnosis and Pattern Differentiation, Needling Techniques and Related Therapies, Biomedical Knowledge, Red Flags and Referral, Safety, Contraindications and Adverse Events, Infection Control and Clean Needle Technique, Ethics and Professional Practice. The full weighting table is on this page.

How long is the Acupuncture Practitioner exam and how many questions?

The DHA Acupuncture Practitioner exam (PAC6092) is 100 multiple-choice questions in 2 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.