DHA Nursing Exam Syllabus 2026: Topic Weightage for the RNT0312 Registered Nurse Paper, What Each Domain Covers, the Most Repeated Areas and a Study Order
The DHA nursing exam syllabus for 2026 explained domain by domain: how the RNT0312 Registered Nurse Prometric paper is weighted across medical-surgical nursing, fundamentals, pharmacology and calculations, maternal and child health, critical care, mental health, community health, infection control and ethics, what each domain actually asks, the most repeated areas, and the order to study in.
Candidates search for a "DHA nursing exam syllabus PDF" and find either nothing official or a list of a hundred topics with no sense of weight. This guide sets out the Registered Nurse paper (RNT0312) domain by domain, with the approximate share of the paper, what each domain really asks, and the areas that repeat. The same code and syllabus are used by MOHAP and SHA, and the blueprint matches SCFHS, QCHP, NHRA, OMSB and Kuwait MOH nursing papers.
The paper at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Exam code | RNT0312 Registered Nurse |
| Format | Usually 150 single-best-answer MCQs in 3 hours, computer-based at Prometric |
| Pass mark | About 60%, roughly 90 correct |
| Level | Entry-to-practice registered nurse, the level of a newly registered nurse with two years of ward experience |
| Style | Clinical vignettes asking for the priority action, the correct nursing intervention, the expected finding or the correct calculation |
DHA publishes a candidate guide for each exam; the weightings below are drawn from that blueprint and from the pattern across thousands of candidates our team has prepared. Treat them as approximate; the exact count varies slightly between forms.
Domain weightage
| Domain | Approximate share | Questions (of 150) |
|---|---|---|
| Adult medical-surgical nursing | 30 to 35% | 45 to 52 |
| Fundamentals of nursing and patient safety | 12 to 15% | 18 to 22 |
| Pharmacology and drug calculations | 10 to 15% | 15 to 22 |
| Maternal and newborn nursing | 8 to 10% | 12 to 15 |
| Paediatric nursing | 6 to 8% | 9 to 12 |
| Critical care and emergency nursing | 8 to 10% | 12 to 15 |
| Mental health nursing | 4 to 6% | 6 to 9 |
| Community health and health promotion | 3 to 5% | 5 to 8 |
| Infection control | 4 to 6% | 6 to 9 |
| Professional practice, ethics and legal | 3 to 5% | 5 to 8 |
What each domain asks
Adult medical-surgical nursing
The largest domain, organised by system: cardiovascular (MI, heart failure, arrhythmias, hypertension), respiratory (COPD, asthma, pneumonia, chest drains), gastrointestinal (GI bleeding, liver disease, ostomy care), renal (acute kidney injury, dialysis care), endocrine (diabetes and its emergencies, thyroid), neurological (stroke, seizures, raised intracranial pressure, GCS), musculoskeletal (fractures, traction, hip replacement precautions), oncology (chemotherapy safety, neutropenia), and perioperative care. Questions ask for the priority assessment, the expected finding, the nursing intervention and the complication to watch for.
Fundamentals and patient safety
Vital signs and their normal ranges, oxygen therapy devices, fluid balance, pressure injury prevention, falls, restraints, documentation, patient identification, hand-over, specimen collection, urinary catheterisation, wound care and the nursing process. Expect "what should the nurse do first" stems.
Pharmacology and calculations
Drug classes with their key side effects and nursing considerations (anticoagulants, insulin, digoxin, opioids, antibiotics, antihypertensives), the rights of medication administration, high-alert medicines, and eight to fifteen calculations: tablets, oral liquids, mg per kg, infusion rates and drops per minute (worked calculation problems).
Maternal and newborn nursing
Antenatal assessment, pre-eclampsia, labour stages and fetal monitoring, postpartum haemorrhage, breastfeeding, newborn assessment and Apgar, jaundice, newborn resuscitation basics.
Paediatric nursing
Growth and development milestones, immunisation schedule, fluid calculations by weight, dehydration assessment, common illnesses (bronchiolitis, croup, gastroenteritis, febrile seizures), and child protection.
Critical care and emergency
BLS and ACLS basics, shock, sepsis bundles, triage, ECG recognition of life-threatening rhythms, ventilated patient care, burns, trauma primary survey, anaphylaxis.
Mental health, community and ethics
Suicide risk assessment, therapeutic communication, delirium versus dementia, substance withdrawal, health promotion and screening, consent, confidentiality, scope of practice, and UAE-specific professional conduct.
Infection control
Hand hygiene moments, standard and transmission-based precautions, sharps safety, sterilisation and disinfection, isolation for MRSA, TB and COVID-era respiratory precautions, needle-stick management.
The most repeated areas
Across candidates the same areas recur: diabetic emergencies and insulin, heart failure and MI nursing, chest drain care, GCS and neurological observations, fluid and electrolyte imbalances (especially potassium), oxygen therapy, pre-eclampsia and PPH, paediatric dehydration, transmission-based precautions, drug calculations, and prioritisation using ABC. The full list is in high-yield nursing topics.
A study order that matches the weighting
- Weeks 1 to 2: medical-surgical by system, the largest domain, with 40 to 50 questions a day and an error log.
- Week 3: fundamentals, infection control and pharmacology, including ten calculations a day.
- Week 4: maternal, newborn and paediatric nursing; first timed mock.
- Week 5: critical care, mental health, community and ethics; second mock.
- Week 6: weakest domains from the mocks, high-yield lists, third mock, rest.
The Registered Nurse bank is chaptered to this syllabus with about 2,750 questions, explanations and three timed mocks; chapter 1 is free. The plan is laid out in detail in DHA nursing exam preparation online, and free sample questions are in nursing sample questions.
Assistant nurses and midwives
Assistant nurses sit a different, more practical paper (ARN5061) with a lower pass mark; midwives sit MID5104. Their syllabuses are in the assistant nurse guide and the midwives guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an official DHA nursing exam syllabus PDF?
DHA publishes a candidate guide with the blueprint for each exam code. The weightings above summarise it; check the current guide on the DHA website before you book.
How many questions are in the DHA nursing exam?
Usually 150 in 3 hours, with a pass mark of about 60%.
Which topic has the most questions in the DHA nursing exam?
Adult medical-surgical nursing, about a third of the paper.
Is the DHA nursing syllabus the same as MOHAP and SCFHS?
MOHAP and SHA use the same RNT0312 code; SCFHS, QCHP, NHRA, OMSB and Kuwait MOH follow the same broad blueprint, so one preparation covers all.
How long does it take to cover the DHA nursing syllabus?
Four to eight weeks of daily practice for most working nurses, longer after a gap from study.
Practice banks for this exam
Chapter-wise MCQs with written reasoning on every question, and timed mocks at the real pass mark.