If you want to work as a healthcare professional in Dubai, understanding the DHA Prometric exam and licensing process is essential. For many internationally qualified doctors, dentists, nurses, pharmacists and allied health professionals, the journey involves Sheryan self-assessment, DataFlow verification, a computer-based assessment, professional registration and final licence activation by an employer.
The exam itself is only one part of the process. Many avoidable delays happen earlier because candidates select the wrong professional title, begin verification before confirming eligibility, upload inconsistent documents, or use different reference numbers across portals.
This 2026 DHA Prometric exam guide explains the process from eligibility to licence activation, including the exam format, passing score, booking steps, DataFlow verification, preparation strategy and common questions.
Prometric Guide is part of Alzantra International, a UAE healthcare licensing support organisation that assists professionals across multiple health-authority licensing pathways.
DHA Licensing Process at a Glance
Create a Sheryan account and complete the DHA self-assessment.
Confirm the professional title you are eligible to apply for.
Complete Primary Source Verification through DataFlow.
Receive CBT eligibility where an assessment is required.
Book and sit the DHA Prometric exam.
Complete professional registration after meeting the assessment and verification requirements.
Secure employment with a DHA-licensed facility and complete licence activation.
What Is the DHA Prometric Exam?
The DHA Prometric exam is the computer-based assessment, formally the CBT assessment, used by the Dubai Health Authority for many internationally qualified healthcare professionals seeking professional registration in Dubai.
The DHA determines the assessment content, eligibility rules, professional category, pass requirement and registration decision. Prometric is the testing provider that delivers the assessment through its test-centre network and computer-based platform.
DHA Prometric Exam Format and Passing Score
The exact assessment format can vary by professional title, but the guide provided for this blog describes the following common features:
Computer-based multiple-choice questions with a single best answer
150 questions for most professional categories
Approximately 170 minutes of testing time
A strong emphasis on scenario-based clinical questions
Pass marks that vary by professional category and are commonly around 60%
No negative marking
Results generally reported as Pass or Fail rather than as a numerical score
Results are typically uploaded to Sheryan within about two working days under Verifications and CBT Assessments. Because there is no negative marking, candidates should answer every question rather than leave items blank.
Who Needs the DHA Exam?
Most internationally qualified healthcare professionals applying for first-time registration in Dubai may need an assessment. This includes physicians, general practitioners, specialists, consultants, dentists, dental specialists, registered nurses, assistant nurses, midwives, pharmacists, technicians, physiotherapists, laboratory technologists, radiographers, dialysis technologists, cardiac technologists, respiratory therapists, dietitians and other allied health professionals.
However, not every applicant follows the same route. Depending on the professional title, qualifications, recognised board certification, existing GCC registration and recent practice history, some candidates may qualify for an alternative assessment route, an oral assessment, assessment on file, or direct registration without a CBT.
Assessment exemption is not automatic. The DHA self-assessment and subsequent review determine the route applicable to an individual profile.
DHA Exam Eligibility Requirements
The DHA Professional Qualification Requirements (PQR) set out the education, internship, professional registration and experience criteria for each healthcare title. Candidates should confirm the correct title before paying for verification or assessment.
1. Qualification
Your qualification must come from a recognised institution and correspond to the professional title you are applying for. Physicians generally require an accepted primary medical qualification and internship; specialists require a recognised postgraduate qualification in the declared specialty; dentists require an accepted dental qualification and internship; nurses and allied health professionals must meet the education requirements attached to their specific title.
2. Clinical Experience
Recent post-internship clinical experience is commonly required. Around two years is a frequent baseline, while several specialist and allied health categories may require more. Internship time is usually treated separately from post-qualification professional experience, and extended gaps in practice may trigger additional requirements.
3. Required Documents
Typical documents include a valid passport, photograph, degree certificate, academic transcript, internship certificate, experience letters, home-country professional licence or registration, and a recent Good Standing Certificate where required.
How to Complete DHA Self-Assessment in Sheryan
The DHA self-assessment tool in Sheryan is the starting point. It helps determine the professional title you may qualify for and whether your route requires a CBT assessment.
Create your Sheryan account using your name exactly as it appears in your passport.
Complete the email and mobile verification steps.
Open the healthcare professional services section and complete the self-assessment.
Enter your qualification, experience and professional registration details accurately.
Review the outcome to determine whether you can proceed to registration or must first complete an assessment.
Save your DHA Unique ID and use the same identifier throughout the process.
Using the same DHA Unique ID across DataFlow, Prometric and Sheryan is important because it allows verification and assessment results to link back to the correct profile.
DHA DataFlow Verification: Documents and Timeline
DataFlow performs Primary Source Verification (PSV) for the DHA. It contacts issuing institutions, employers and regulators to verify the authenticity of submitted credentials.
Candidates generally complete the personal, education, licensing and employment sections, upload the required documents and Letter of Authorisation, and pay the verification fee through the relevant process.
A typical verification period may be around 30 to 40 working days, although cases can take longer where institutions are slow to respond or discrepancies must be resolved.
Common reasons for DataFlow delays
Name differences across passport, degree, licence and employment documents
Experience letters without complete dates, letterhead or verifiable contact details
Universities, employers or regulators that do not respond promptly
Poor-quality or incorrectly formatted document uploads
Incorrect or inconsistent reference numbers
DHA CBT Assessment: Attempts, Fees and Question Style
Once the required verification and eligibility steps are completed, CBT eligibility can appear in Sheryan and allow the candidate to proceed with exam booking.
Assessment attempts are limited under the applicable UAE licensing rules. The source guide states that three attempts are allowed across the UAE health authorities, with additional qualification or further licensed clinical experience required before a further set of attempts. Waiting periods may also apply between attempts.
Assessment and rescheduling fees are subject to the current booking terms and are generally non-refundable in the circumstances described by the testing provider. Candidates should therefore confirm the latest terms before payment.
Preparation should focus heavily on clinical application. DHA questions commonly use patient scenarios and ask for the single best diagnosis, investigation, management step or clinical decision rather than testing isolated definitions.
How to Book the DHA Prometric Exam
Once CBT eligibility is active, the booking process is relatively straightforward:
Confirm that your assessment eligibility is active in Sheryan.
Open the relevant Prometric booking route for the DHA.
Enter the same DHA Unique ID linked to your Sheryan profile.
Select the professional category and title that exactly match your DHA registration route.
Choose an available test centre, date and time.
Complete payment and save the appointment confirmation.
On exam day, carry the appointment confirmation and the original photo identification required by the testing centre. Booking several weeks in advance can provide a better choice of dates at high-demand centres.
How to Prepare for the DHA Prometric Exam
Effective DHA exam preparation should be based on the blueprint for your exact professional title rather than on a generic healthcare question bank.
Start with the official or applicable exam blueprint and allocate study time according to domain weight.
Use practice questions early to identify weak areas before spending time on broad reading.
Prioritise scenario-based clinical MCQs because application questions require different reasoning from simple recall.
Practise under timed conditions and develop a consistent pacing strategy.
Answer every question when there is no negative marking.
Track errors by domain so revision becomes progressively more targeted.
Allow sufficient preparation time if you are studying alongside clinical work.
High-quality, specialty-specific practice matters. Question banks should reflect the clinical scope, difficulty and single-best-answer style of the assessment rather than simply provide large volumes of unrelated recall questions.
What Happens After You Pass the DHA Exam?
Passing the CBT does not by itself mean that you already hold an active DHA licence. The remaining process generally includes registration, employment and licence activation.
Step 1: Assessment result
The result appears in Sheryan, typically as Pass or Fail.
Step 2: Professional registration
The DHA reviews the registration application together with the assessment result and PSV outcome. Approval leads to professional registration or eligibility according to the applicable process.
Step 3: Employment
The professional must secure an appropriate position with a DHA-licensed healthcare facility.
Step 4: Licence activation
The employing facility initiates activation. The process can involve the active facility licence, professional registration, candidate consent, malpractice insurance, labour documentation for non-UAE nationals and settlement of any outstanding requirements.
Step 5: Active DHA licence
Clinical practice can begin only after the professional licence has been activated and issued.
DHA Prometric Exam FAQs
Is the DHA exam the same as the MOHAP or DOH exam?
No. DHA, MOHAP and DOH are separate health authorities with their own licensing processes, assessment requirements and professional criteria. The source guide states that DHA and MOHAP use Prometric while DOH Abu Dhabi uses Pearson VUE.
Can I take the DHA Prometric exam outside Dubai?
Yes. Prometric operates test centres in many countries, so eligible candidates can usually sit the exam before relocating to Dubai.
How many DHA exam attempts are allowed?
The source guide states that candidates have three attempts across the UAE health authorities before additional qualification or further licensed clinical experience is required for another set of attempts.
How long does the DHA licensing process take?
A complete pathway can take several months. The source guide gives approximately four to six months as a realistic overall planning range, with DataFlow verification often being the longest single stage.
Do I need a job offer before taking the DHA exam?
No. The assessment and registration stages can be completed before employment. A job with an appropriately licensed facility becomes necessary later for licence activation.
What is the DHA Prometric exam passing score?
The required pass mark varies by professional category. The source guide describes around 60% as common for many categories and notes that the final result is generally displayed as Pass or Fail.
Can a DataFlow report be reused for another health authority?
A previous PSV report can sometimes be reused or transferred, subject to the receiving authority accepting the report and requesting any additional verification it considers necessary.
Next Steps for DHA Licensing in Dubai
The most efficient DHA pathway begins with correct title selection and consistent documentation. Complete the Sheryan self-assessment first, confirm your professional category against the DHA PQR, keep the same DHA Unique ID across the relevant portals, prepare a verification-ready document set, and study from the blueprint for your specific healthcare profession.
Prometric Guide is supported by its parent organisation, Alzantra International, which assists healthcare professionals with complete UAE licensing processing across the relevant health authorities, including DHA, MOHAP and DOH. Support includes profile review, self-assessment guidance, DataFlow preparation, licensing processing and specialty-specific Prometric exam preparation.