DHA Exam Questions and Answers PDF for Nurses 2026: Why the Free PDFs Are Outdated, What the Real RN Paper Looks Like, and 20 Free DHA-style Nursing Questions with Answers
Looking for DHA exam questions and answers PDF for nurses? This guide shows what the DHA registered nurse paper (RNT0312) actually tests in 2026, why the PDFs in Telegram and Facebook groups are years out of date, how the 150-question paper is structured and scored, and gives 20 free DHA-style nursing questions with answers and explanations across medical-surgical, pharmacology, maternal, paediatric, critical care and infection control.
Every week nurses ask us for the "DHA exam questions and answers PDF". We understand why: the Dubai Health Authority registered nurse exam (RNT0312) is the gateway to the best-paid nursing market in the Gulf, and a file that promised the real questions would be worth a lot. But the paper is drawn from a large item bank mapped to a published blueprint, and the PDFs in circulation are old recall lists with unreliable answers. This guide explains what the DHA nursing paper really looks like, how to prepare for it, and gives you 20 free DHA-style questions with answers to start with. The full route is in the DHA licence for nurses.
The DHA nursing exam at a glance (2026)
| Item | Registered Nurse (RNT0312) |
|---|---|
| Delivery | Computer-based at Prometric centres worldwide, booked after DHA issues eligibility |
| Questions | About 150 single-best-answer MCQs (including a small number of unscored pilot items) |
| Time | About 3 hours |
| Pass mark | About 60% (the eligibility letter and exam information page are the authoritative source) |
| Domains | Medical-surgical nursing (largest), fundamentals and professional practice, pharmacology and drug calculation, maternal and newborn, paediatric, mental health, critical care and emergency, infection control, community and ethics |
| Attempts | Usually three per eligibility with waiting periods; a fourth needs re-evaluation |
| Fee | About USD 220 to 300 per attempt (DHA fees) |
The domain weighting and the topics that repeat are in the DHA nursing exam syllabus; the preparation plan is in DHA nursing exam preparation online.
Why the PDFs fail nurses
- They are old. Most circulating "DHA nursing questions" files date from 2015 to 2020 and still teach 15:2 compression ratios, old sepsis definitions and discontinued drugs.
- The answers are unverified. Whoever typed the recall added the answers; our tutors find error rates of 20 to 30% in the common files.
- They are not DHA questions. DHA does not release its item bank; the same files are relabelled "MOH", "HAAD" and "Prometric nursing" and sold to candidates for every authority.
- They cannot be timed or explained. The exam rewards speed on a screen and understanding of why an answer is right.
20 free DHA-style nursing questions with answers
Medical-surgical
1. A patient after thyroidectomy reports tingling around the mouth and has carpal spasm when the blood pressure cuff inflates. The nurse prepares: (A) insulin (B) calcium gluconate (C) potassium chloride (D) magnesium sulfate. Answer: B. Hypocalcaemia from parathyroid injury; Trousseau sign.
2. Six days after a laparotomy, pink fluid leaks from the wound and a loop of bowel is visible. The nurse's first action is to: (A) push the bowel back (B) cover with sterile saline-soaked gauze, position with knees flexed and call the surgeon (C) apply a dry dressing (D) give oral fluids. Answer: B. Evisceration needs return to theatre.
3. A patient with COPD has saturations of 86%. The nurse starts oxygen targeting: (A) 100% (B) 94 to 98% (C) 88 to 92% (D) 80 to 85%. Answer: C. Controlled oxygen with blood gas monitoring.
4. The earliest sign of hypovolaemic shock in an adult is: (A) hypotension (B) tachycardia (C) oliguria (D) confusion. Answer: B. Blood pressure falls late.
Pharmacology and calculation
5. Heparin 25,000 units in 250 mL is prescribed at 1,000 units/h. The pump rate is: (A) 5 mL/h (B) 10 mL/h (C) 15 mL/h (D) 25 mL/h. Answer: B. 100 units/mL, so 1,000 units = 10 mL.
6. A patient on gentamicin should be monitored for: (A) hearing and renal function (B) liver enzymes (C) blood glucose (D) thyroid function. Answer: A. Ototoxicity and nephrotoxicity.
7. Which insulin must never be mixed with another insulin? (A) regular (B) NPH (C) glargine (D) aspart. Answer: C. Long-acting analogues are given separately.
8. The antidote for opioid-induced respiratory depression is: (A) flumazenil (B) naloxone (C) atropine (D) protamine. Answer: B. Titrated to restore breathing; repeat doses may be needed.
Maternal and newborn
9. One hour after delivery the fundus is boggy and above the umbilicus, deviated to the right. The nurse first: (A) massages the fundus and assists the woman to empty her bladder (B) gives oxytocin (C) applies a binder (D) encourages walking. Answer: A. Full bladder displaces the uterus; atony causes haemorrhage.
10. A woman on magnesium sulfate has absent patellar reflexes and a respiratory rate of 10. The nurse: (A) increases the infusion (B) stops the infusion and prepares calcium gluconate (C) gives a diuretic (D) continues and reassesses in an hour. Answer: B. Magnesium toxicity.
11. Jaundice in the first 24 hours of life is: (A) physiological (B) pathological until proven otherwise (C) caused by breastfeeding (D) treated with sunlight. Answer: B. Urgent bilirubin and haemolysis work-up.
Paediatric
12. A 15 kg child is prescribed paracetamol 15 mg/kg; the syrup is 250 mg/5 mL. The dose volume is: (A) 2.5 mL (B) 4.5 mL (C) 9 mL (D) 15 mL. Answer: B. 225 mg ÷ 250 × 5.
13. A 4-month-old with bronchiolitis most needs: (A) antibiotics (B) supportive care with oxygen if saturations are persistently below 90 to 92% and feeding support (C) oral steroids (D) chest physiotherapy. Answer: B. Bronchodilators and steroids are not routinely effective.
Critical care and emergency
14. An adult has no pulse and no normal breathing. Compressions are delivered at: (A) 60 to 80 per minute, 3 cm (B) 100 to 120 per minute, 5 to 6 cm (C) 140 per minute, 4 cm (D) 80 per minute, 6 cm. Answer: B. With 30:2 until an advanced airway.
15. A patient develops stridor and hypotension minutes after an intravenous antibiotic. The first drug is: (A) intravenous hydrocortisone (B) intramuscular adrenaline 0.5 mg (C) oral antihistamine (D) intravenous adrenaline bolus. Answer: B. Anterolateral thigh; repeat after 5 minutes if needed.
16. Signs of raised intracranial pressure include: (A) tachycardia and hypotension (B) bradycardia, widening pulse pressure and irregular respirations (C) hypothermia (D) pinpoint pupils and tachypnoea. Answer: B. Cushing's triad is a late sign.
Infection control and professional practice
17. A patient with suspected pulmonary tuberculosis requires: (A) droplet precautions (B) airborne precautions in a negative-pressure room with N95 respirators (C) contact precautions (D) standard precautions only. Answer: B. Measles and varicella are the other airborne diseases.
18. The single most effective measure to prevent healthcare-associated infection is: (A) prophylactic antibiotics (B) hand hygiene at the five moments (C) daily catheter changes (D) wearing gloves for every contact. Answer: B. Gloves do not replace hand hygiene.
19. Before administering any medication, the nurse identifies the patient using: (A) the bed number (B) two identifiers such as full name and medical record number against the wristband (C) asking "Are you Mr Ali?" (D) recognising the patient's face. Answer: B. First International Patient Safety Goal.
20. A competent adult refuses a prescribed medication. The nurse should: (A) hide it in food (B) respect the refusal, explore reasons, document and inform the prescriber (C) give it by injection (D) threaten to withhold visits. Answer: B. Covert administration without a lawful process is unethical.
How to prepare for the DHA nursing exam properly
- Read the syllabus and weighting so you know where the marks are.
- Work through the Registered Nurse bank chapter by chapter (chapter 1 is free with explanations), keeping an error log.
- Use the free 20-question sets for every domain: medical-surgical, pharmacology, drug calculations, maternal and newborn, paediatric, critical care, infection control and fundamentals.
- Sit three timed mocks in the last two weeks and review every wrong answer (how to pass the DHA exam first attempt).
Frequently asked questions
Is there a real DHA exam questions and answers PDF for nurses?
No. DHA does not release its item bank; the PDFs in circulation are old recalled questions with unverified answers, relabelled for every authority.
How many questions are in the DHA nursing exam and what is the pass mark?
About 150 MCQs in about 3 hours with a pass mark of about 60%; the eligibility letter is the authoritative source.
Are the DHA, MOH and DOH nursing exams the same?
They follow very similar blueprints; DHA and MOHAP use Prometric and DOH uses Pearson VUE. One preparation covers all three.
Where can I practise free DHA nursing questions?
The 20 questions above, the free domain sets linked in this article, and the free chapter 1 of the Registered Nurse bank.
How long does it take to prepare for the DHA nursing exam?
Four to eight weeks of daily practice for most nurses with two or more years of experience; the 30-day plan on this site is the minimum.
Practice banks for this exam
Chapter-wise MCQs with written reasoning on every question, and timed mocks at the real pass mark.