DHA License Exam: Fees, Eligibility, Syllabus, and How to Qualify (2026 Guide)

What Is the DHA License Exam?

The DHA license exam is the computer-based assessment (CBT) that most healthcare professionals must pass before the Dubai Health Authority will issue them a license to practice in Dubai. It is delivered through Prometric, DHA’s testing partner, at centres in more than 160 countries, including several in India.

The exam sits near the end of the licensing process, after document verification, not before it. You cannot book it until DHA has reviewed your credentials and issued an Eligibility Letter. A small number of specialties, mainly certain Consultant titles for physicians and dentists, are assessed through a virtual oral assessment instead of a CBT. Which mode applies to your title is published on DHA’s Mode of Exam per Specialty service.

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Exam results are reported only as Pass or Fail in your Sheryan account. DHA does not share your numeric score.

Source: DHA Healthcare Professional Licensing Assessment Guideline (CBT), updated Sep 2026

DHA License Exam Eligibility and Experience Requirements

You cannot book the DHA license exam directly. DHA license exam eligibility is confirmed only after:

• Your qualification and registration have cleared DataFlow Primary Source Verification (PSV)
• DHA has reviewed your profile against the Professional Qualification Requirements (PQR) for your specific title
• Sheryan has issued you an Eligibility ID

DHA exam experience requirements vary by title and are set out in the PQR, not in the CBT guideline itself. As a general pattern: General Practice physicians and General Dentists typically need a few years of post-qualification clinical experience, while Registered Nurses with a Bachelor's degree can now qualify as fresh graduates under PQR Version 3. Confirm your exact experience requirement for your title using DHA's free Self-Assessment Tool on Sheryan before assuming you qualify.

Counselor insight: A common mistake among Indian applicants is booking Prometric before DataFlow has actually cleared. The Eligibility ID only generates after DHA confirms eligibility, so there is no way to jump ahead, but double-check your Sheryan status before you plan a Prometric date around it.

Source: DHA Sheryan FAQ, Professional Qualification Requirements section

What Are the Documents Required for the DHA Exam

By the time you reach the exam stage, most of your documents are already filed with DataFlow and DHA. What you need on exam day itself is simpler:

• A valid passport, matching the name and details registered in Sheryan exactly
• Your Eligibility ID, generated by Sheryan once DHA confirms you can sit the exam
• Confirmation of your Prometric appointment (date, time, test centre)

If your passport name does not match your Sheryan registration, contact DHA at least 5 days before your exam date. DHA is not responsible for extra charges from a mismatch discovered later.

For the documents needed earlier, at the credentialing and DataFlow stage (degree certificates, registration certificates, experience letters, attestation and MEA apostille), see the documents section of our DHA licensing guide.

DHA License Exam Format, Syllabus and Pass Score by Profession

Every DHA license exam is a multiple-choice CBT delivered through Prometric, but the exam code, question count, duration, fee and pass score are set individually per title in DHA's own CBT Guideline. There is no single pass score for "the DHA exam": it ranges from 45% to 70% depending on profession and title level. Every title below sits 150 questions over 3 hours.

Conversion rate used: AED converted at the UAE's fixed peg of 1 USD = AED 3.6725; INR converted at 1 USD = ₹96.24, as of October, 2026.

Doctors, dentists, and physiotherapists each have enough title-specific detail, from prep approach to syllabus emphasis to common pitfalls, to warrant their own breakdown: see our dedicated guides to the DHA exam for doctors, DHA exam for dentists, and DHA exam for physiotherapists. 

Specialist physician and dentist titles (Cardiology, Pediatrics, Orthopedic Surgery, and others) sit a separate 150-question exam with its own code and a pass score between 55% and 70%; Consultant titles sit a 100-question exam, uniformly passed at 70%. Allied health titles not covered in the table above, including lab technicians, radiographers and optometrists, follow the same per-title structure: their own exam code, question count and pass score set independently in DHA's CBT Guideline. 

See our dedicated guides for the DHA exam for lab technicians, DHA exam for radiographers, and DHA exam for optometrists for exact fees and pass marks. DHA publishes the complete list, with exam coverage areas (its version of a syllabus) and reference textbooks, for every title. 

The DHA license exam syllabus is organized as content domains rather than a percentage-weighted blueprint for most titles. For example, the General Practice syllabus covers chronic diseases, common pediatric and surgical problems, women's health, emergency medicine, and family medicine concepts, among others, without a published weight per topic.

Counselor insight: Don't assume your pass score matches a colleague's in a different title. A Registered Nurse passes at 50%, but a Pharmacist on the same Prometric network needs 60%. Always check your own exam code against the live guideline before you start preparing.

Source: DHA Healthcare Professional Licensing Assessment Guideline (CBT)

How to Register and Book the DHA Prometric Exam

1. Check your Mode of Exam per Specialty on Sheryan to confirm your title sits a CBT rather than an oral assessment.
2. Create or log into your Sheryan account and ensure your profile is complete.
3. Complete DataFlow PSV and credential review. This happens before exam eligibility, not after.
4. Receive your Eligibility ID once DHA confirms you meet the PQR requirements for your title.
5. Schedule your exam at prometric.com/DHA using your Eligibility ID, choosing a test centre, date and time.
6. Pay the exam fee electronically (American Express, MasterCard or Visa accepted by Prometric).
7. Arrive 30 minutes early on exam day with your passport for identity verification.

Rescheduling or cancelling is possible through the Prometric website, but must be done at least 5 calendar days before your exam date; a change inside that window counts as a no-show, and you'll need to pay the fee again for a new slot.

DHA License Exam Fees and the DHA Prometric Exam Fee

The DHA Prometric exam fee is set per title in the official CBT Guideline and paid directly to Prometric at the time of booking. It is separate from the DataFlow PSV fee and the license activation fee.

Note: If you're paying from India, your card issuer's own conversion rate and any foreign-transaction markup apply on top of the USD and INR figures above. Budget a buffer of 2 to 3% for this, and use a card without a foreign-transaction fee where possible.

The fee is non-refundable, including for a reschedule, cancellation, or no-show. If you fail and need to retake, you pay the full fee again for every attempt; DHA publishes no discount for repeat sittings.

Source: DHA Healthcare Professional Licensing Assessment Guideline (CBT)

How to Qualify the DHA Exam: Retake Policy and Attempt Limits

To qualify for the DHA exam, you need to score at or above your title's published pass mark; there is no partial credit or rounding up. If you fail:

• You can reapply with no mandatory waiting period between attempts, subject to Prometric availability.
• You get a total of 3 attempts across all UAE licensing authorities combined (DHA, DOH, MOHAP, SHA), per the Unified PQR.
• DHA can reduce your permitted attempts to 1 or 2 if your panel identifies a major competency gap that could put patients at risk.
• Failing all 3 attempts blocks you from reapplying for a DHA license for 2 years.
• After 3 DHA fails, you may get one final attempt with a different UAE authority, and in some cases a 4th DHA attempt, if you submit a declaration that you have not failed with any other authority (this exception does not apply to Tier 3 consultant-title upgrades).
• You can also reset to 3 new attempts if you gain an additional recognized qualification, or 2 years of clinical licensed experience, after your last attempt.

A missed or cancelled exam is not counted as a failed attempt, but you forfeit the fee.

Counselor insight: The 2-year lockout is the single highest-stakes rule in this process. If you've failed twice, treat your third attempt as non-negotiable preparation time rather than rushing to rebook.

What to Expect on DHA Exam Day

• Arrive at the Prometric centre 30 minutes before your scheduled time for check-in.
• Bring the same valid passport used to register in Sheryan; a mismatch can delay or block your entry.
• Expect standard security checks: showing arms and ankles, emptying pockets, and a handheld metal-detector scan before entering the testing room.
• Electronic devices, smartwatches, notes, or written materials are not permitted in the testing room.
• The exam is Multiple Choice Questions only, delivered in English, with no negative marking for a wrong or unanswered question.
• After the exam, Prometric issues a Learning Outcome letter showing general strengths and weaknesses, but this is not your result. Only DHA, through Sheryan, issues the official Pass or Fail decision.

Source: DHA Manual for Professional Assessment (Oral/CBT), Version 1.1, May 2025

DHA Exam Result Timeline

Once you pass, your Registration Certificate is valid for one year from the result date. This registration is not a permit to practice on its own; a DHA-licensed facility must activate it into a full license once you have a job offer.

DHA License Exam Preparation Tips

• Confirm your exact exam code and pass score before you start studying; preparing against the wrong title's pass mark wastes real time.
• Use the reference textbooks DHA itself lists for your title in the CBT Guideline rather than generic question banks, since DHA questions are drawn from clinical scenarios aligned to those references.
• Since there's no negative marking for any DHA title, answer every question; an educated guess costs nothing.
• Practice under timed conditions close to your real exam length (commonly 3 hours for 150 questions) so pacing isn't a surprise on the day.
• Treat the published content domains (not a percentage weighting, for most titles) as your checklist, and make sure no domain is left untouched rather than over-indexing on one area.

Counselor insight: Indian applicants who've already cleared equivalent exams at home (NEET-PG, state nursing board finals) sometimes under-prepare for the DHA exam's clinical-scenario style, which tests applied judgment more than recall. Spend time on case-based practice questions specifically, not just textbook review.

See what our counselors say about exam preparation for Dubai healthcare licensing on LeapScholar's Questions Hub.

3 Takeaways on the DHA License Exam

• The DHA license exam's format, fee, and pass score (45% to 70%) are set per title in DHA's own CBT Guideline; never assume your title matches a colleague's numbers.
• You get 3 attempts across all UAE licensing authorities combined, and failing all 3 with DHA means a 2-year block, so treat a second failure as a signal to slow down and prepare properly before a third attempt.
• Exam fees (USD 180 to USD 280, roughly ₹17,323 to ₹26,947) are non-refundable and separate from DataFlow and license activation costs.

Verified by: LeapScholar's UAE Healthcare Licensing counseling team, with hands-on experience guiding Indian doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals through the DHA license exam.

Have a specific question about the DHA license exam? Book a free session with a LeapScholar counselor.

Frequently Asked Questions About the DHA License Exam