English only, whatever your specialty
The panel conducts the session in English and no other language. There is no published exception by category or title.
Which DHA exam applies to you
DHA Oral Assessment vs CBT: Which Exam Your Title Actually Takes
Almost everything written about “the DHA exam” describes the Prometric computer test. DHA’s own lookup says that route covers 113 of 731 licensable titles. For 599 of them the exam is an oral assessment — a live panel session with different rules, a different fee and a different currency.
- All 731 Titles Counted
- Both Routes Compared
- Sourced From DHA
- Gaps Named, Not Guessed
CompleteEvery title queried, not sampled
SourcedDHA lookup, guideline and manual
Honest about gapsUnpublished figures stay unpublished
IndependentDHA sets and changes the mode
The mistake almost everyone makes
Most Applicants Prepare for the Wrong Exam
Search for the DHA exam and you will find question banks, mock tests and pass-score tables, all describing a multiple-choice paper sat at a Prometric centre. That exam is real. It is simply not the one most applicants take.
DHA states the rule in its own CBT Assessment Guideline: specialties not listed in the guideline are assessed through an oral assessment, and it names certain Consultant titles for Physicians and Dentists as its example. The guideline lists 116 exams. The licensing system holds 731 titles. Everything outside that list — four titles in every five — goes to a panel instead.
Check the mode before you buy anything.
A question bank is worthless preparation for a panel session that asks you to talk through five clinical scenarios in English. The mode decides what preparation even makes sense.
Open DHA’s Mode of Exam lookupAll 731 licensable titles
Exam Mode, Category by Category
The Mode of Exam per Specialty tool is a lookup rather than a published list — it answers one title at a time. Every title in every category was queried on 29 August 2026, so these are complete counts rather than a sample.
| Category | Titles | Oral | CBT | No exam |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Physician | 498 | 449 | 44 | 5 |
| Allied Health | 155 | 101 | 46 | 8 |
| Dentist | 38 | 18 | 17 | 3 |
| Nurse and Midwife | 25 | 21 | 3 | 1 |
| Traditional Complementary and Integrative Medicine (TCIM) | 15 | 10 | 3 | 2 |
| All categories | 731 | 599 | 113 | 19 |
Sources: DHA Sheryan — Mode of Exam per Specialty
Checked 29 August 2026. DHA reserves the right to change an assessment, its format or its pass score without updating its own guideline — confirm your own title in the lookup before you book.
Dentists are the one category where it is close to an even split. Seventeen dentist titles take a CBT against eighteen taking an oral — and the CBT side is where the specialist and consultant titles sit, which is the reverse of the pattern in Physician, where 449 of 498 titles go to a panel.
Side by side
Oral Assessment and CBT Compared
Both routes end in the same place — a pass recorded against your registration application. Almost everything else about them differs, including who runs them and what currency they are priced in.
| Oral assessment | Computer-based test | |
|---|---|---|
| Share of licensable titles | 599 of 731 — 82% | 113 of 731 |
| Fee | AED 250 Nurse / Allied / T&CM, AED 500 Physician / Dentist — or AED 2,000 flat for an urgent slot, the same for every category | USD 280 Physician / Dentist, USD 240 Nursing and most Allied Health, USD 180 Aesthetician, Laser, OT Technician and TCIM |
| Result turnaround | 3 – 5 working days in the Assessment Manual; the Service Catalogue says within 5 working days | 2 working days to reach your Sheryan account in the Assessment Manual; the Service Catalogue says Prometric results are shared instantly |
| Format | A live panel session, minimum two panel members, covering at least five scenarios | Multiple-choice questions, 150, 100 or 70 depending on the specialty |
| Length | 30 to 45 minutes for physicians and dentists, 20 to 30 minutes for every other category — DHA's Service Catalogue. The newer Assessment Manual gives one figure for everyone, a minimum of 20 to 30 minutes, extendable | Either 3 hours or 2 hours — no other value appears in the guideline |
| Where it happens | Remotely, on a DHA-approved meeting platform, though DHA may require attendance in person | A Prometric test centre — DHA cites a network of 8,000 centres across more than 160 countries |
| Published pass score | None. The panel returns pass or fail | Published per specialty, ranging across six values from 45% to 70% |
| What you are told | Pass or fail only — the score is never shared | Pass or fail only — the score is never shared |
| Arrive / join | Join 15 minutes early | Arrive at the centre 30 minutes early |
| Rescheduling | One free reschedule if requested 5 or more working days ahead; inside that it counts as a no-show | Reschedule or cancel five calendar days ahead. DHA does not publish the Prometric fee for this — it is centre-specific |
Sources: DHA Sheryan — Mode of Exam per Specialty · DHA Sheryan — Schedule Oral Assessment service · DHA — Manual for Professional Assessment (Oral/CBT) · DHA — Health Regulation Sector Service Catalogue (update 21 March 2023) · DHA — Healthcare Professional Licensing Assessment Guideline (CBT), updated May 2026
Checked 29 August 2026. DHA reserves the right to change an assessment, its format or its pass score without updating its own guideline — confirm your own title in the lookup before you book.
The route four titles in five take
What a DHA Oral Assessment Actually Involves
The oral assessment is a supervised remote exam, and the Manual for Professional Assessment sets out its conduct in unusual detail. These are the clauses most likely to catch a candidate who has prepared for a written test instead.
At least five different scenarios
Questions must cover not fewer than five separate scenarios, cases or topics, so a single strong answer does not carry the session.
20 to 30 minutes, or 30 to 45 if you are a physician or dentist
DHA's Service Catalogue publishes the length by category: 30 to 45 minutes for physicians and dentists, 20 to 30 minutes for everyone else. The Assessment Manual, which is newer, states a single minimum of 20 to 30 minutes and allows the session to be extended. Introductions are capped at five minutes of the total either way.
Two panel members minimum, and they must agree
A session cannot begin with fewer than two. All members must agree on one result, and where the panel conflicts the result is recorded as a fail.
The panel cannot move your title
The examination panel may not upgrade or downgrade the title you applied under. If your performance does not support a specialist title, the outcome is a fail rather than a lower title.
Alone, in a closed room, camera on
You must be alone with the door closed; interference from anyone else is treated as an attempt to cheat. You must turn the camera 360 degrees at the start and again whenever DHA asks.
No masks, no notes, no recording
Masks may not be worn during the session, no notes or books may be used or attempted, and candidates may not record it — DHA reserves that right for itself.
Identity is checked on camera
You must show your passport or an official ID copy for verification before the session proceeds.
No contact with the panel, ever
Candidates may not contact panel members for any reason, including asking for their result. Panel and candidate are both barred from sharing session details.
A detected cheating attempt is recorded as a fail
DHA treats it as unethical professional conduct: the result is entered as Fail and it may lead to the applicant being blacklisted, which bars them from registration, renewal, upgrade and oral-assessment services alike.
There is nothing published to revise from
DHA states plainly that it provides no references for the oral assessment, while for Prometric exams references are available for some specialties. The original passport is the only document you are required to bring.
Sources: DHA — Manual for Professional Assessment (Oral/CBT) · DHA — Health Regulation Sector Service Catalogue (update 21 March 2023)
Checked 29 August 2026. DHA reserves the right to change an assessment, its format or its pass score without updating its own guideline — confirm your own title in the lookup before you book.
The route that gets written about
What the CBT Guideline Publishes
The CBT Assessment Guideline, updated May 2026, publishes a specification for each of the 116 exams that exist. The pattern across them is narrower than the page count suggests.
One assessment per position — never both
DHA states a new applicant passes one assessment only for each position applied for, a CBT or an oral. The two routes are alternatives, not stages. (The exception is a licensed professional under reassessment, further down this page.)
Two durations, three question counts
Every exam is either 3 hours or 2 hours, and carries 150, 100 or 70 questions. No other value appears anywhere in the 116 specifications.
Six different pass scores
Pass scores are 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65% or 70%. The 70% band covers Specialist Neurosurgery, Specialist Pediatrics, Clinical Pharmacy and all thirteen Consultant-title exams, so seniority raises the bar rather than lowering it.
The duration includes the admin
DHA states the published duration covers registration, the process introduction and the exam content together — it is not pure question time.
Not listed means oral
The guideline says in terms that specialties it does not list are assessed through an oral assessment, and names certain Consultant titles for Physicians and Dentists as its own example.
The specification can change without the document changing
DHA reserves the right to activate or de-activate a specialty assessment and to change content, format or pass score without updating the guideline. Treat any figure in it as current-at-publication rather than guaranteed.
Sources: DHA — Health Regulation Sector Service Catalogue (update 21 March 2023) · DHA — Healthcare Professional Licensing Assessment Guideline (CBT), updated May 2026
Checked 29 August 2026. DHA reserves the right to change an assessment, its format or its pass score without updating its own guideline — confirm your own title in the lookup before you book.
Nineteen titles
Titles That Need No Exam at All
Most are trainee, intern and resident grades, which makes sense — they are supervised positions. The exception is worth knowing about: seven of the nineteen are psychology and counselling titles under Allied Health, including Counselor, Psychotherapist, Applied Behavioral Analyst and four psychologist specialisms.
| Category | Titles returning “No Exam is Required” |
|---|---|
| Physician | Consultant Adolescence Medicine · Medical Intern · Medical Resident · Medical-Trainee · Specialist Adolescence Medicine |
| Allied Health | Addiction Psychologist · Allied-Trainee · Applied Behavioral Analyst · Counselor · Forensic Psychologist · Health Psychologist · Neuro Psychologist · Psychotherapist |
| Dentist | Dental Intern · Dental Resident · Dental-Trainee |
| Nurse and Midwife | Nurse-Trainee |
| TCIM | Chinese Massage Therapist · TCAM-Trainee |
Sources: DHA Sheryan — Mode of Exam per Specialty
Checked 29 August 2026. DHA reserves the right to change an assessment, its format or its pass score without updating its own guideline — confirm your own title in the lookup before you book.
No exam does not mean no process. Credentialing, Primary Source Verification, the document set and the facility activation stage all still apply. The assessment is one requirement among several, and it is the only one these titles skip.
How a Title Ends Up in This Group
Most of the nineteen no-exam titles are trainee, intern and resident grades. Worth understanding before you aim at one: a trainee title is not something you apply for.
A trainee title is imposed, not chosen
DHA states applicants cannot apply directly on the system for the title of trainee. The restriction is placed on professionals who do not meet the PQR experience criteria on the credentialing team's evaluation — the examples DHA gives are a tier 3 degree, a gap in practice, and being a fresh graduate. You start from the Self Assessment Tool selecting your main title, and the restriction follows from the review.
It lifts when the requirement is met
Once the requirements are fulfilled the professional may update the licence. The trainee grade is a stage, not a ceiling.
A practice gap has an outer limit
A gap over two years triggers the trainee restriction. DHA also publishes a hard ceiling: the gap must not exceed five years for non-locals and ten years for locals.
You may hold three registered positions at most
DHA defines a position as category, title and specialty together, and allows a maximum of three. Since one assessment is required per position, three positions can mean three separate assessments — and their modes need not match.
Sources: DHA — Health Regulation Sector Service Catalogue (update 21 March 2023)
Checked 29 August 2026. DHA reserves the right to change an assessment, its format or its pass score without updating its own guideline — confirm your own title in the lookup before you book.
Before you book anything
Attempts, and What a Third Failure Costs
Three attempts, counted across the Authorities
Both the Sheryan service pages and the Assessment Manual state a total of three attempts, and the service pages describe the limit as running across the Authorities rather than resetting per authority.
No waiting period between attempts
The Manual states there is no time restriction between assessment dates for a failed applicant who reapplies.
DHA can reduce your allowance below three
Where competency gaps are judged to risk patient safety, DHA may permit only one or two attempts instead of three.
A third failure blocks reapplication for two years
Failing at the third attempt bars the applicant from reapplying for a DHA licence for two years. This is the consequence most applicants do not know about when they treat a first attempt as a trial run.
A fourth attempt exists, at another authority
After three DHA failures the Manual permits one final attempt with a different authority, and a fourth DHA attempt on a declaration that you have not failed with any other UAE authority — except for Tier 3 consultant upgrades. This sits alongside the two-year block rather than cancelling it, so read both before assuming either.
Two routes reopen the allowance
Three further attempts become available with an additional recognised qualification, or with a minimum of two years of clinical licensed experience gained after the last attempt.
Applying for a lower title earns one more attempt
A failed applicant who applies for a lower title receives one additional attempt, provided the PQR requirements for that title are met.
A no-show is not a failed attempt, but the money is gone
Cancelling or failing to appear is not counted against your three attempts. No refund follows either: the Manual states exam fees are non-refundable in every circumstance, rescheduling, cancellation and no-show included.
An oral application left pending can be rejected outright
DHA may reject an oral assessment application pending more than three months and forfeit the fee. Cancelling one creates a fresh draft that must be completed within three months and requires a new payment — the original is not carried over.
Sources: DHA — Manual for Professional Assessment (Oral/CBT)
Checked 29 August 2026. DHA reserves the right to change an assessment, its format or its pass score without updating its own guideline — confirm your own title in the lookup before you book.
A different set of rules
If You Are Already Licensed and Being Reassessed
Everything above describes a new applicant. A professional who already holds a DHA licence and is being reassessed follows a stricter route, set out separately in the Manual for Professional Assessment.
Both assessments, not one
A new applicant may be assessed by CBT, by oral, or by a combination. A licensed professional under reassessment must complete both.
The CBT comes first, and it gates the oral
The CBT must be passed before the oral assessment can proceed. Failing the CBT three times prevents the oral entirely — the result is marked fail and the account is blocked.
Three attempts across both, not three each
The Manual states the total number of attempts for CBT and oral together shall not exceed three.
Three months to finish
Both required attempts must be completed within three months of the date the reassessment decision is issued.
No practice while it runs
During the reassessment process the professional is not allowed to practise until they pass. This is the clause that makes the three-month window matter financially as well as procedurally.
Sources: DHA — Manual for Professional Assessment (Oral/CBT)
Checked 29 August 2026. DHA reserves the right to change an assessment, its format or its pass score without updating its own guideline — confirm your own title in the lookup before you book.
This is the one route where the two exams are not alternatives. A new applicant takes whichever mode their title returns. A licensed professional under reassessment takes the CBT and then the oral, inside three months, on a shared allowance of three attempts — and cannot practise while it is running.
When there is no exam to sit
Who DHA Exempts From the Assessment
Some professionals are exempt from the assessment altogether. Every exemption DHA's Licensing Manual names is based on standing already held inside the UAE system, or on continuity of practice — not on an overseas examination.
A recent DHA pass for the same title
Those who passed a DHA assessment for the same title within five years of obtaining registration, with no gap in practice.
An active registration already held
Professionals maintaining an active registration are named as exempt.
A recent UAE licence cancellation
Those applying within five years of a DHA, MOHAP or DOH licence cancellation for the same position, with no practice gap.
Residency completed in Dubai
Those who completed residency in approved Dubai facilities within the last two years, in accepted specialties.
UK Foundation 1 and 2
UK medical graduates who completed Foundation programmes 1 and 2 may have reduced requirements.
An exemption covers the exam and nothing else
The Manual states the scope of an examination exemption is limited to examination requirements. Credentialing, verification, experience and every other licensing condition still apply in full.
Sources: DHA — Manual for Licensing Healthcare Professionals v1.3, effective 18/07/2025
Checked 29 August 2026. DHA reserves the right to change an assessment, its format or its pass score without updating its own guideline — confirm your own title in the lookup before you book.
On PLAB, USMLE, NCLEX, MRCP and AMC, we have nothing sourced to tell you. DHA’s exemption criteria live in a policy document whose published link points at a staging server, and the production copy does not load. No DHA document that could be opened names any specific overseas examination as a basis for exemption. Several third-party sites say otherwise. We are not repeating that, because a professional who skips preparation on the strength of it and is wrong loses an attempt from an allowance of three.
Recorded, not resolved
Where DHA’s Own Sources Disagree
Three things in this dataset do not resolve cleanly. They are recorded as they were found rather than smoothed over, because two DHA sources disagreeing is itself worth knowing.
Ayurveda Practitioner appears in both routes
The CBT Assessment Guideline publishes a full specification for it — code PAY5852, 2 hours, 100 questions, USD 180, 60% pass. The live Mode of Exam lookup returns Oral Assessment for the same title. Check the lookup for your own title before booking anything.
Assistant Midwife is specified but not offered
The guideline carries a complete specification — code MID5101, 3 hours, 150 questions, USD 240, and the lowest pass score published anywhere at 45% — but marks it In-active, and the lookup does not offer the title under Nurse and Midwife at all. DHA does not explain the label.
The equivalency policy cannot be read
DHA's Exam Exemption Policy, which sets the equivalency criteria, is linked from the Mode of Exam page but points at a staging host, and the production copy returns an error. No DHA document that could be opened names any specific overseas examination as a basis for exemption.
What happens after three failures depends which document you read
The Service Catalogue says a professional who has used three attempts must obtain a new qualification and meet the PQR criteria for a higher title before applying again. The 2025 Assessment Manual offers a second route — two years of clinical licensed experience after the last attempt — and adds a two-year block on reapplying that the Catalogue does not mention. The Manual is the newer document; both are DHA's.
The two documents time the results differently
The Assessment Manual says a CBT result is uploaded to Sheryan within two working days and an oral result arrives in three to five. The Service Catalogue says Prometric results are shared instantly and oral results are published within five working days. They describe the same step and do not agree on it.
Sources: DHA Sheryan — Mode of Exam per Specialty · DHA — Healthcare Professional Licensing Assessment Guideline (CBT), updated May 2026 · DHA — Health Regulation Sector Service Catalogue (update 21 March 2023)
Checked 29 August 2026. DHA reserves the right to change an assessment, its format or its pass score without updating its own guideline — confirm your own title in the lookup before you book.
The honest gap
What DHA Does Not Publish About Its Exams
Each line below was looked for across the Mode of Exam lookup, the Assessment Manual, the CBT Assessment Guideline and DHA's Health Regulation Sector Service Catalogue, and not found. None of it is estimated. Two items that stood here previously — the length of an oral assessment, and the cost of the eligibility review — came out of the Service Catalogue and are now published above.
The oral assessment is still the least documented route, and it is the one most applicants take. DHA publishes its length and its conduct rules, and nothing else: no pass score, no question count, no syllabus, and by its own statement no references to revise from. Anyone selling you a guaranteed pass rate or a leaked scenario list for an oral assessment is selling you something DHA has never published.
Prepare carefully
Common Mistakes About the DHA Exam
Assuming it is the Prometric test
It is, for 113 titles out of 731. Check the lookup for your own title before buying preparation aimed at a written paper.
Checking a title you will not apply under
The lookup answers per title. If the title you check is not the one your profile actually fits, the mode it returns is not yours either.
Preparing in the wrong language
The oral panel conducts the session in English only. There is no published exception by category, specialty or country of training.
Treating a first attempt as a trial
Three attempts, counted across the Authorities, and a third failure blocks a DHA reapplication for two years.
Applying for a title above your evidence
The panel cannot award you a lower title instead. If the specialist title is not supported, the result is a fail.
Expecting a score
Both routes release pass or fail only. DHA states the numeric score is never shared, so there is no mark to appeal against.
Budgeting the CBT fee in dirhams
DHA prices the CBT in US dollars and publishes no AED equivalent, so the amount you pay moves with the exchange rate.
Booking on a figure from a forum
DHA reserves the right to change an assessment, its format or its pass score without updating its own guideline.
Independent consultancy support
How UAEHealthPro Helps Before You Book
Case-based guidance
The Right Question Is Which Title, Not Which Exam
The exam mode follows from the title, and the title follows from your qualifications and experience. Get the title right and the mode, the fee and the preparation all fall out of it. Get it wrong and everything after it is aimed at the wrong target.
Continue your preparation
Related Guidance
Exam mode FAQs
Questions About the DHA Exam
Is the DHA exam a Prometric computer test?
Usually not. DHA's Mode of Exam per Specialty lookup returns a computer-based test for 113 of 731 licensable titles. It returns an oral assessment for 599 of them, and no exam at all for 19. The CBT Assessment Guideline states the rule directly: specialties it does not list are assessed through an oral assessment.
How do I find out which exam my title takes?
DHA publishes a Mode of Exam per Specialty tool that answers one title at a time. It is a lookup rather than a list, so there is no page to scan — you have to query your exact title, and the answer is one of three values: Computer Based Testing, Oral Assessment, or No Exam is Required.
What is a DHA oral assessment like?
It is a supervised remote session on a DHA-approved meeting platform, conducted in English only, running a minimum of 20 to 30 minutes and covering at least five different scenarios. A panel of at least two members must all agree on one result, and where they conflict the result is recorded as a fail.
Which costs more, the oral assessment or the CBT?
The oral is cheaper. DHA charges AED 250 for Nurse, Allied Health and T&CM titles and AED 500 for Physicians and Dentists. The CBT is priced in US dollars at USD 280, USD 240 or USD 180 depending on category. DHA publishes no AED equivalent for the CBT fees.
Which gives a result faster?
The CBT. Its result reaches your Sheryan account in two working days. An oral assessment result takes three to five working days. Both are released as pass or fail only — DHA states the numeric score is never shared with the candidate.
What is the pass score for the DHA exam?
For a CBT it depends on the specialty. Six values appear across the 116 published specifications: 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65% and 70%, with the 70% band covering Specialist Neurosurgery, Specialist Pediatrics, Clinical Pharmacy and all thirteen Consultant-title exams. For an oral assessment there is no published pass score at all — the panel returns pass or fail.
How long is the DHA exam?
Every CBT is either three hours or two hours, and DHA states that duration includes registration and the process introduction as well as the questions. An oral assessment runs a minimum of 20 to 30 minutes and may be extended.
Do some titles need no exam at all?
Yes. Nineteen titles return No Exam is Required, and most are trainee, intern and resident grades. The exceptions worth knowing are on the psychology side of Allied Health — Counselor, Psychotherapist, Applied Behavioral Analyst and four psychologist titles all return no exam.
How many attempts do I get?
Three, and the Sheryan service pages describe the limit as counted across the Authorities rather than resetting per authority. There is no waiting period between attempts, but failing at the third blocks you from reapplying for a DHA licence for two years.
Can I get out of the exam with a PLAB, USMLE or NCLEX pass?
We cannot tell you that from a DHA source. DHA's exemption criteria sit in a policy document whose published link points at a staging server, and the production copy does not load. Every exemption DHA's Licensing Manual does name is based on standing already held in the UAE system or on continuity of practice, not on an overseas examination. Third-party sites state otherwise; we will not repeat a claim we cannot trace to DHA, because someone could skip preparation they still need.
What happens if the panel thinks I am not at specialist level?
The Manual for Professional Assessment states the panel may not upgrade or downgrade the title you applied under. If your performance does not support the specialist title you applied for, the outcome is a fail rather than a licence at a lower title — which is why choosing the title correctly before you apply matters more than it appears to.
Can UAEHealthPro tell me my exam mode?
We can help you identify the exact DHA title your profile fits and then check the lookup against it, which is where most confusion starts — people check a title they will not actually be applying under. The lookup answer itself is DHA's, and DHA can activate or de-activate an assessment without notice.
Start with your profile
Not Sure Which Exam You Are Preparing For?
Tell us your profession, qualifications and the title you are aiming at. We will work out which DHA title fits, check the exam mode against it, and tell you what that route actually involves — before you spend anything on preparation for the wrong one.
Disclaimer: UAEHealthPro is an independent consultancy. We are not a government authority, we do not set or administer any DHA assessment, and we do not guarantee approval, exam results or processing timelines. DHA states it may activate or de-activate a specialty assessment and change its content, format or pass score without updating its published guideline — confirm your own title in DHA’s lookup before booking.
Check your title in DHA’s Mode of Exam per Specialty lookup