30-Day Prometric Exam Study Plan for Nurses & Doctors: A Week-by-Week Schedule for DHA, MOHAP, SCFHS, QCHP & NHRA Exams (2026)
A realistic four-week timetable for working professionals — two to three hours a day, weighted to the exam blueprint, with daily MCQ targets, a mock-exam schedule, a final-week revision plan and separate tracks for nurses and doctors. Includes what to do if you only have 15 days.
Most candidates fail the Prometric exam not because they lack knowledge but because they prepare without a plan: three weeks of random reading, then panic. This 30-day schedule assumes you are working full-time and can give two to three hours on weekdays and five on weekends. It is built around the blueprint weights in our syllabus guide and the practice banks on this site.
Before day one: set up
- Book your exam date — a fixed date is the strongest motivator. Check centres in your city in the test-centre guide.
- Choose one primary reference (see recommended books) and one question bank — the Registered Nurse bank or General Practice bank, or your specialty's equivalent from the catalogue.
- Take a 50-question diagnostic test untimed. Note your score by domain; that is your baseline.
Week 1 — Foundations and the heaviest domain (days 1–7)
Nurses: medical-surgical nursing is 35–40% of the paper. Cover cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, GI, endocrine and neuro nursing, one system per day, then fundamentals and infection control on day 7.
Doctors: internal medicine is the largest block. Cover cardiology, respiratory, GI/hepatology, endocrine, renal and infectious disease, one per day; day 7 for emergency presentations.
Daily routine: 60–90 minutes of reading, then 40 MCQs from that day's system. Review every explanation — including for the questions you got right. Keep an error log: topic, why you were wrong, the rule to remember.
Weekend: 100-question mixed timed set. Target 55%.
Week 2 — Pharmacology, maternal-child and the second tier (days 8–14)
Nurses: pharmacology and drug calculations (days 8–9), maternal and newborn (10–11), paediatrics (12), mental health (13), leadership, ethics and delegation (14). Our high-yield topics guide lists what to prioritise inside each.
Doctors: obstetrics and gynaecology (8–9), paediatrics (10–11), surgery essentials (12), psychiatry (13), pharmacology and prescribing safety (14).
Daily: 40–50 MCQs. Weekend: 100-question timed mock. Target 62%.
Week 3 — Weak domains and full mocks (days 15–21)
Re-sort your error log by topic. Spend days 15–18 on your three weakest domains, alternating one hour of reading with 50 questions. Days 19–20: two full-length timed mocks (150 questions in 3 hours for nurses; 100–150 for doctors). Day 21: review both mocks in detail. Target 68–70%.
From this week, practise in exam conditions — no notes, no pausing, 70–90 seconds per question. Strategy for reading stems and eliminating distractors is in the MCQ strategy guide.
Week 4 — Consolidation and taper (days 22–30)
- Days 22–25: rapid revision of high-yield lists — normal lab values, drug antidotes, isolation precautions, vaccination schedules, emergency algorithms (ACLS/BLS, sepsis, stroke, anaphylaxis). 60 MCQs a day, mixed.
- Days 26–27: final two full mocks. You want to be at or above 75% consistently — the real pass mark sits around 60% for most regulators (pass scores), and a 15-point cushion absorbs exam-day nerves.
- Day 28: error log only — read every rule you wrote down.
- Day 29: light review, 30 easy questions to keep momentum, prepare documents (see the exam-day checklist).
- Day 30: exam. No new material.
The numbers behind the plan
| Week | MCQs completed | Mock target |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ~350 | 55% |
| 2 | ~400 | 62% |
| 3 | ~500 | 68–70% |
| 4 | ~450 | 75%+ |
| Total | ~1,700 |
Candidates who complete 1,500+ reviewed questions before the exam pass at markedly higher rates in our cohorts than those who mainly read.
Only have 15 days?
Skip the reading phase. Do 80–100 questions a day from the bank, read only the explanations, and take a full mock every third day. Focus on the top-weighted domain for your profession plus pharmacology. It is not ideal, but it is how many working candidates have passed.
Frequently asked questions
Is 30 days enough to pass the Prometric exam?
For a practising nurse or doctor with recent clinical exposure, yes — provided the month is structured and includes at least 1,500 reviewed practice questions and four timed mocks.
How many hours a day should I study for the Prometric exam?
Two to three focused hours on weekdays and four to five at weekends is sufficient for this plan. Consistency matters more than marathon sessions.
How many practice questions should I do before the Prometric exam?
Aim for 1,500 to 2,000 questions with explanations reviewed. Volume without review does not improve scores.
What mock score predicts a pass?
Consistent scores of 70–75% on unseen full-length mocks in the final week predict a comfortable pass against a 60% pass mark.
Practice banks for this exam
Chapter-wise MCQs with written reasoning on every question, and timed mocks at the real pass mark.