High-Yield Topics for the Prometric Nursing Exam: The Most Repeated Areas in DHA, MOHAP, SCFHS, QCHP & NHRA Papers (2026)

The Prometric nursing exam draws from a very large question bank, so nobody can promise you "the questions". What can be said with confidence — from the regulators' blueprints and from debriefing candidates after every sitting — is which topics carry the marks. Concentrate on the areas below and you cover the bulk of any DHA, MOHAP, SCFHS, QCHP, NHRA or OMSB nursing paper. Pair this with the 30-day study plan and the Registered Nurse practice bank.

1. Medical-surgical nursing (35–40% of the paper)

• Cardiac: MI recognition and priority actions (MONA sequence and its caveats), heart-failure signs, digoxin toxicity, potassium and cardiac rhythm, post-cardiac-catheterisation care, anticoagulant monitoring (INR, aPTT).
• Respiratory: COPD oxygen targets, asthma escalation, chest-drain management, tracheostomy suctioning rules, ABG interpretation (respiratory vs metabolic, compensated vs uncompensated).
• Renal / fluids: hyperkalaemia treatment order, fluid-overload signs, dialysis access care, the "which patient do you see first" fluid-balance scenario.
• Endocrine: hypoglycaemia vs DKA vs HHS, insulin onset/peak/duration, thyroid storm and myxoedema, Addisonian crisis.
• GI / hepatic: NG tube placement checks, TPN complications, cirrhosis and ammonia, post-operative bowel-sound rules.
• Neuro: Glasgow Coma Scale scoring, raised ICP signs and positioning, stroke time windows, seizure precautions, spinal-injury autonomic dysreflexia.
• Oncology / haematology: neutropenic precautions, transfusion reactions and the first action, tumour lysis labs.

2. Pharmacology and drug calculations (12–15%)

• Drip-rate and dosage calculations (mg/kg, mL/hour, drops per minute) — usually 5–10 questions. Practise until they take under a minute.
• Antidotes: naloxone, flumazenil, protamine, vitamin K, N-acetylcysteine, digoxin immune Fab, atropine.
• High-alert drugs: insulin, heparin, potassium chloride, opioids, chemotherapy — the double-check rule.
• Drug–food interactions (warfarin and vitamin K, MAOIs and tyramine, grapefruit and statins).
• Nephrotoxic and ototoxic drugs (aminoglycosides, vancomycin) and the labs to monitor.
• The "six rights" and the correct response to a medication error.

3. Maternal and newborn nursing (10–12%)

• Fetal heart-rate patterns — early, late and variable decelerations and the nursing action for each (VEAL CHOP).
• Pre-eclampsia and magnesium sulphate toxicity (reflexes, respiratory rate, calcium gluconate).
• Postpartum haemorrhage first actions (fundal massage, bladder, uterotonics).
• APGAR scoring, newborn hypoglycaemia, jaundice and phototherapy, Rh incompatibility and RhoGAM timing.
• Breastfeeding and contraception counselling basics.

4. Paediatrics (8–10%)

• Developmental milestones by age and red flags.
• Dehydration assessment and oral rehydration; paediatric fluid calculations.
• Immunisation schedule and contraindications.
• Croup vs epiglottitis vs bronchiolitis; febrile seizures; Kawasaki disease.
• Paediatric dose calculations by weight and body surface area.

5. Fundamentals, safety and infection control (10–12%)

• Standard, contact, droplet and airborne precautions — and which diseases go where. This is among the most repeated question types.
• Hand-hygiene moments, sharps disposal, needle-stick protocol.
• Pressure-injury staging and prevention, fall-risk scoring, restraint rules and documentation.
• Fire safety (RACE / PASS), triage categories, disaster priorities.
• Sterile technique steps and breaks in sterility.

6. Mental health (5–8%)

• Suicide-risk assessment and priority interventions.
• Therapeutic communication — the "which response is best" question.
• Lithium and clozapine monitoring, serotonin syndrome, neuroleptic malignant syndrome.
• Alcohol withdrawal timeline and delirium tremens.

7. Leadership, delegation and ethics (5%)

• What can be delegated to an assistant nurse or aide (stable patients, predictable outcomes) and what cannot (assessment, teaching, evaluation).
• Informed consent and who obtains it; confidentiality; incident reporting.
• Prioritisation frameworks — ABCs, Maslow, acute vs chronic, unstable vs stable.

How to use this list

1. Rate yourself 1–5 on each bullet. Anything under 3 goes into week 3 of your study plan.
2. For each bullet, do a block of topic-filtered questions from the practice bank until you score above 80%.
3. Keep a one-page "numbers sheet" — normal labs, vital-sign ranges, drug levels, scoring scales — and read it daily in the final week.

Domain weightings differ slightly between regulators; the exact split is in the blueprint guide. For exam strategy on the day, see how to pass on your first attempt.

Frequently asked questions

Which topic has the most questions in the Prometric nursing exam?

Medical-surgical nursing, at roughly 35–40% of the paper across DHA, MOHAP, SCFHS and QCHP blueprints, followed by pharmacology and maternal-child nursing.

Are Prometric nursing questions repeated?

Topics and question styles repeat; exact questions are drawn from a large rotating bank. Preparing by topic is far more reliable than trying to memorise "leaked" questions, which are often wrong.

How many drug calculation questions are in the exam?

Typically 5–10 per paper. They are quick marks if practised and slow, costly marks if not.

Is infection control heavily tested?

Yes. Isolation precautions, hand hygiene and sharps safety appear in nearly every sitting and are considered core patient-safety content by all GCC regulators.