Seven days after coiling of a ruptured anterior communicating artery aneurysm, a patient becomes drowsy with new left arm weakness. CT shows no new bleeding or hydrocephalus. What is the most likely cause?

Delayed cerebral ischaemia from vasospasm

Coil migration into the parent artery

Free DHA Neurosurgery mock test

12 original exam-style questions from our Neurosurgery bank, timed at the exam’s own pace, scored against the 70% DHA pass mark. They span 7 of the 8 blueprint domains, so you will see exactly where you are weakest - free, no sign-up.

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Sit 12 original exam-style questions at real exam pace

These are 12 original questions taken from our Neurosurgery bank, spread across 7 of the 8 domains of the published blueprint. You get 72 seconds per question, which is exactly the pace of the real NEU5311 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
70%: 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 Neurosurgery licensing exam looks like

Candidates for a Neurosurgery licence in the UAE sit a computer-based multiple-choice examination - DHA exam code NEU5311, delivered through Prometric for DHA, MOHAP and SHA, and through Pearson VUE for DOH Abu Dhabi. The DHA pass mark is 70% (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 Cerebrovascular Neurosurgery, Functional Neurosurgery and Epilepsy, Neurocritical Care, Perioperative Care and Safety, Neurotrauma 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 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 Neurosurgery exam: the full blueprint

The published blueprint splits into 8 domains and 54 testable sub-topics. The diagnostic above samples across them, which is why its breakdown maps onto the structure the real paper is built from.

Neurotrauma~18%7 topics
Cerebrovascular Neurosurgery~14%7 topics
Neuro-oncology~14%7 topics
Spine and Peripheral Nerve~18%8 topics
Paediatric Neurosurgery and CSF Disorders~10%7 topics
Functional Neurosurgery and Epilepsy~6%5 topics
Neuroanatomy, Neurophysiology and Neuroimaging~10%6 topics
Neurocritical Care, Perioperative Care and Safety~10%7 topics

Questions: 150 multiple-choice (DHA NEU5311)
Duration: 3 hours, including registration
DHA pass mark: 70% - 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 Neurosurgery 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.

Cerebrovascular Neurosurgery

A patient with aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage is admitted. Which regimen of nimodipine is recommended?

A30 mg orally every 8 hours for 7 days
B60 mg orally every 4 hours for 21 daysCorrect
C60 mg orally once daily for 21 days
D10 mg IV bolus once on admission

Why: Oral nimodipine 60 mg every 4 hours for 21 days improves outcome after aneurysmal SAH. Its benefit comes from reducing delayed cerebral ischaemia, so short or once-daily courses are not appropriate.

Source: AHA/ASA Guideline for Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Haemorrhage 2023

Neurosurgery sample questions with answers

4 more original exam-style Neurosurgery 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 · Cerebrovascular Neurosurgery
Seven days after coiling of a ruptured anterior communicating artery aneurysm, a patient becomes drowsy with new left arm weakness. CT shows no new bleeding or hydrocephalus. What is the most likely cause?
1. ADelayed cerebral ischaemia from vasospasm
2. BAneurysm rebleeding
3. CCoil migration into the parent artery
4. DPostictal Todd paresis
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A. Delayed cerebral ischaemia from vasospasm
New focal deficits between days 4 and 14 after SAH, with no rebleed or hydrocephalus on CT, suggest delayed cerebral ischaemia from vasospasm. Rebleeding would normally show new blood on CT.
Reference: AHA/ASA Guideline for Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Haemorrhage 2023
Question 2 · Neuro-oncology
A 30-year-old woman has a 2.5 cm pituitary macroadenoma, a bitemporal field defect and a serum prolactin of 9000 mU/L (over 400 micrograms/L). She has no apoplexy. What is the first-line treatment?
1. ATranssphenoidal resection
2. BStereotactic radiosurgery
3. CCabergoline
4. DHigh-dose dexamethasone
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: C. Cabergoline
A macroprolactinoma, even with visual compromise, is treated first with a dopamine agonist, which usually shrinks the tumour and improves vision quickly. Surgery is for resistance, intolerance or apoplexy, which is why urgent resection is the tempting but wrong choice.
Reference: Endocrine Society Guideline: Hyperprolactinemia 2011
Question 3 · Neuroanatomy, Neurophysiology and Neuroimaging
A ring-enhancing lesion in the frontal lobe shows marked central restricted diffusion (high DWI signal, low ADC). Which diagnosis does this most favour?
1. ANecrotic glioblastoma
2. BCystic metastasis
3. CPyogenic brain abscess
4. DTumefactive demyelination
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: C. Pyogenic brain abscess
Pus in an abscess cavity is highly viscous and restricts diffusion, whereas necrotic tumour centres usually show facilitated diffusion. This DWI pattern is a key discriminator between abscess and high-grade tumour.
Reference: Osborn's Brain: Imaging, Pathology and Anatomy, 2nd ed.
Question 4 · Neuro-oncology
Which molecular marker in glioblastoma best predicts benefit from temozolomide?
1. AMGMT promoter methylation
2. BEGFR amplification
3. CTERT promoter mutation
4. DLoss of chromosome 10
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A. MGMT promoter methylation
MGMT promoter methylation silences a DNA repair enzyme and predicts better response to alkylating agents such as temozolomide. EGFR amplification is a diagnostic feature of glioblastoma but does not predict temozolomide response.
Reference: Hegi ME, et al. NEJM 2005; WHO CNS5 Classification 2021

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 Neurosurgery 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 Neurosurgery exam questions?

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

70% for the DHA Neurosurgery exam (NEU5311), 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 1,030.

What topics does the Neurosurgery exam cover?

The published blueprint splits into 8 domains covering 54 testable sub-topics: Neurotrauma, Cerebrovascular Neurosurgery, Neuro-oncology, Spine and Peripheral Nerve, Paediatric Neurosurgery and CSF Disorders, Functional Neurosurgery and Epilepsy, Neuroanatomy, Neurophysiology and Neuroimaging, Neurocritical Care, Perioperative Care and Safety. The full weighting table is on this page.

How long is the Neurosurgery exam and how many questions?

The DHA Neurosurgery exam (NEU5311) is 150 multiple-choice questions in 3 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.