Free DHA Nephrology mock test
12 original exam-style questions from our Nephrology bank, timed at the exam’s own pace, scored against the 65% DHA pass mark. They span 6 of the 8 blueprint domains, so you will see exactly where you are weakest - free, no sign-up.
Sit 12 original exam-style questions at real exam pace
These are 12 original questions taken from our Nephrology bank, spread across 6 of the 8 domains of the published blueprint. You get 72 seconds per question, which is exactly the pace of the real NEP5991 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 Nephrology licensing exam looks like
Candidates for a Nephrology licence in the UAE sit a computer-based multiple-choice examination - DHA exam code NEP5991, 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 Acute Kidney Injury, Dialysis, Fluid, Electrolytes and Acid-Base, Hypertension and Renovascular Disease and 2 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 Nephrology exam: the full blueprint
The published blueprint splits into 8 domains and 51 testable sub-topics. The diagnostic above samples across them, which is why its breakdown maps onto the structure the real paper is built from.
- Acute Kidney Injury~15%7 topics
- Chronic Kidney Disease and Complications~15%7 topics
- Glomerular Diseases~15%7 topics
- Fluid, Electrolytes and Acid-Base~15%7 topics
- Dialysis~12%6 topics
- Kidney Transplantation~12%6 topics
- Hypertension and Renovascular Disease~8%5 topics
- Tubulointerstitial, Stones and Inherited Disease~8%6 topics
- Questions
- 150 multiple-choice (DHA NEP5991)
- 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 Nephrology 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.
Acute Kidney Injury
A man's baseline creatinine is 80 µmol/L. Four days after sepsis it is 190 µmol/L with urine output 0.6 mL/kg/h. What KDIGO AKI stage is this?
- AStage 1
- BStage 3
- CStage 2Correct
- DNo AKI
Why: A creatinine of 2.0-2.9 times baseline defines stage 2; 190/80 is about 2.4. Stage 3 requires 3 times baseline, creatinine of 354 µmol/L or more, or initiation of dialysis.
Source: KDIGO Clinical Practice Guideline for AKI 2012
Nephrology sample questions with answers
4 more original exam-style Nephrology 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 · Acute Kidney Injury
In a patient with AKI, which finding is an indication for urgent kidney replacement therapy?
- ACreatinine 450 µmol/L without symptoms
- BPericardial rub with uremic pericarditis
- CUrine output below 0.5 mL/kg/h for 6 hours
- DSerum urea 25 mmol/L alone
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. Pericardial rub with uremic pericarditis
Uremic pericarditis is a classic urgent indication, alongside refractory hyperkalemia, acidosis and fluid overload. A high creatinine or brief oliguria without complications does not by itself mandate dialysis.
Reference: KDIGO Clinical Practice Guideline for AKI 2012
Question 2 · Dialysis
A patient starting hemodialysis with urea 55 mmol/L develops headache, vomiting and a seizure near the end of a 4-hour first session. How could this have been prevented?
- AA higher blood flow to shorten time
- BA short, low-efficiency first session
- CA larger dialyzer surface area
- DA lower dialysate sodium concentration
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. A short, low-efficiency first session
Rapid urea removal creates an osmotic gradient that drives water into the brain; short, low-efficiency initial sessions reduce this risk. Higher blood flow and larger dialyzers increase urea clearance and the risk.
Reference: Handbook of Dialysis, Daugirdas, 5th ed.
Question 3 · Fluid, Electrolytes and Acid-Base
A patient in diabetic ketoacidosis has bicarbonate 12 mmol/L and PaCO2 40 mmHg. What is the acid-base interpretation?
- AMetabolic acidosis with appropriate compensation
- BMetabolic acidosis with respiratory alkalosis
- CMetabolic acidosis with metabolic alkalosis
- DMetabolic acidosis with respiratory acidosis
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: D. Metabolic acidosis with respiratory acidosis
Expected PaCO2 = 1.5 x 12 + 8 = 26 +/- 2 mmHg. A measured value of 40 mmHg is too high, indicating a concurrent respiratory acidosis such as fatigue or sedation.
Reference: Brenner and Rector's The Kidney, 11th ed.
Question 4 · Chronic Kidney Disease and Complications
A man with type 2 diabetes has eGFR 35 mL/min/1.73 m2 and ACR 60 mg/mmol on the maximum tolerated ACE inhibitor. Which addition best slows CKD progression?
- AAn angiotensin receptor blocker
- BAn SGLT2 inhibitor
- CA sulfonylurea
- DA thiazide diuretic
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. An SGLT2 inhibitor
SGLT2 inhibitors reduce kidney failure and cardiovascular events in CKD and are recommended down to eGFR 20. Dual ACE inhibitor plus ARB blockade increases hyperkalemia and AKI without benefit.
Reference: KDIGO 2024 Clinical Practice Guideline for CKD
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.