MOHAP Nursing Exam 2026: Eligibility, Pass Mark & Steps
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MOHAP Nursing Exam Quick Summary
Registered nurses who want to work in the Northern Emirates are evaluated by the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP). The exam is delivered by Prometric, results are pass or fail, and MOHAP states a 60% minimum passing score. You apply with UAE PASS, need a positive DataFlow report and have three attempts.
This guide explains who can sit the MOHAP nursing exam, who is exempt, how to apply, how the exam is run and how to prepare, with five sample questions from our MOH UAE Registered Nurse QBank.
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Who can sit the MOHAP nursing exam
MOHAP follows the Unified Healthcare Professional Qualification Requirements (PQR). For the Registered Nurse title you need:
- A bachelor's degree in nursing of at least three years of full-time study. Diploma nurses are assessed for a lower title under the PQR.
- Nursing registration in your country, with a live licence and a good standing certificate.
- Recent practice: the PQR looks at how long ago you qualified and any gap since, and a long gap needs CPD and supervised practice.
- A Basic Life Support certificate.
- Documents in Arabic or English, or with a legal translation.
MOHAP's service also lets recent graduates within two years of graduation apply for the evaluation directly. Check the current PQR for the experience your title needs before you apply.
Who is exempt
- UAE nationals, under the PQR.
- Professionals licensed in a country on the PQR's exemption list, or holding an accepted international exam result, in good standing. An exemption is lost after a long gap in practice.
- Professionals transferring from DHA or DOH with a licence for the same title that is valid or expired no more than six months ago.
MOHAP accepts exemption documents in place of the exam when you apply. Verification is still required.
How to apply, step by step
Confirm your title, degree and experience against the Unified Healthcare Professional Qualification Requirements (PQR).
Apply for the health professional evaluation service on the MOHAP website or app.
Upload your documents, and any exemption papers, then pay the evaluation fee. MOHAP reviews the application within about five working days.
Pay DataFlow through the link MOHAP sends. The verification report must come back positive.
Book your Prometric exam with the eligibility details you receive, then download your evaluation certificate after you pass.
Exam format and pass mark
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Provider | Prometric, computer-based |
| Questions | Single best answer MCQs. MOHAP does not publish the number; candidates usually report 100 to 150 questions over two to three hours |
| Pass mark | 60% minimum passing score |
| Result | Pass or fail only |
What the exam covers
MOHAP does not publish a blueprint for nurses. Gulf nursing exams follow similar areas, and the weights below are our guide:
A 6-week study plan
| Weeks | Focus | Daily target |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 2 | Adult medical-surgical and critical care nursing | 40 MCQs, then read every explanation |
| 3 | Maternal, newborn and child health | 40 MCQs |
| 4 | Fundamentals, drug calculations, mental and community health | 40 MCQs and 10 calculations |
| 5 | Leadership, prioritisation, delegation and patient safety; one full mock | 40 MCQs |
| 6 | Weak areas and a final mock | Book when you score comfortably above the pass mark |
Recommended books
MOHAP does not publish a reading list. These are the texts most Gulf nursing candidates use:
| Book | Why it helps |
|---|---|
| Brunner and Suddarth's Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing | Core text for adult nursing, the largest part of most papers. |
| Kozier and Erb's Fundamentals of Nursing | Fundamentals, procedures and nursing process. |
| Wong's Essentials of Pediatric Nursing | Child health nursing. |
| A maternal-newborn nursing text (Pillitteri or Murray and McKinney) | Antenatal, labour, postnatal and newborn care. |
| Marquis and Huston, Leadership Roles and Management Functions in Nursing | Prioritisation, delegation and management questions. |
Sample MOHAP Registered Nurse MCQs
These five questions come from the free trial of our MOHAP Registered Nurse QBank, across adult, maternal-child and management topics. Tap a question to see the answer and explanation.
A 52-year-old man with hypertension is admitted to a medical ward with a blood pressure of 196/110 mmHg. He tells the nurse he stopped his tablets 2 weeks ago. Which response by the nurse is most likely to block communication?A. 'You stopped your tablets two weeks ago. Tell me what happened.'B. 'What made it hard to keep taking them?'C. 'Why did you stop taking your tablets?'D. 'Many people find it difficult to take tablets every day. How has it been for you?'
Answer: C. 'Why did you stop taking your tablets?'
Explanation: 'Why' questions (requesting an explanation) are a classic barrier to therapeutic communication. They ask the patient to justify his behaviour, which often sounds like an accusation and leads to defensiveness, a short answer or an excuse rather than the real reason. Patients may also not know why.
A 61-year-old obese woman with type 2 diabetes is on the sixth day after a midline laparotomy. She coughs hard and says she felt something "give way". The nurse lifts the dressing and sees loops of bowel protruding through the separated incision. What is the nurse's first action?A. Cover the bowel with sterile gauze soaked in 0.9% saline and place her in low Fowler position with knees bentB. Gently push the bowel back into the abdomen and apply an abdominal binderC. Cover the wound with dry sterile gauze and sit her upright in high Fowler positionD. Clean the bowel with povidone-iodine and leave the wound open to the air
Answer: A. Cover the bowel with sterile gauze soaked in 0.9% saline and place her in low Fowler position with knees bent
Explanation: Dehiscence is separation of the wound layers; evisceration is protrusion of abdominal organs through the open wound. It is a surgical emergency, most common on days 5 to 8, and risk factors include obesity, diabetes, malnutrition, infection, steroids and straining or coughing. The nurse stays with the patient, calls for help and the surgeon, and covers the organs with sterile dressings moistened with warm sterile 0.9% saline to keep them moist and protected.
Four children are brought to the paediatric emergency department after a seizure with fever. All are now breathing normally. Which child's presentation should the nurse recognise as a complex febrile seizure that needs further medical evaluation?A. A 2-year-old with a 3-minute generalised seizure at 39.4 °C who was drowsy for 30 minutes afterwardsB. A 14-month-old with jerking of the right arm and leg only that lasted 20 minutesC. A 3-year-old with a 1-minute generalised seizure whose older brother also had febrile seizuresD. An 18-month-old who had a generalised seizure before the parents noticed he had a fever
Answer: B. A 14-month-old with jerking of the right arm and leg only that lasted 20 minutes
Explanation: A febrile seizure is complex if it has any of: focal onset or features, duration longer than 15 minutes, or recurrence within 24 hours (or the same illness). This child has two complex features: one-sided (focal) jerking and a 20-minute duration. Complex seizures need fuller assessment for an underlying cause such as meningitis, encephalitis or a structural brain lesion, closer neurological observation, and the child has a higher risk of later epilepsy.
A nurse on a medical ward is planning care for four patients after handover. Which patient can the nurse safely assess last?A. A 60-year-old man admitted with a gastrointestinal bleed whose pulse has risen from 88 to 108/min over the last hourB. A 55-year-old woman on day 1 after a bowel resection whose urine output has been 15 mL/h for the past 2 hoursC. A 72-year-old woman with pneumonia who has become newly restless and is trying to climb out of bedD. A 68-year-old man with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) on 2 L/min nasal oxygen, SpO₂ 90%, respiratory rate 20/min, talking in full sentences, unchanged since yesterday
Answer: D. A 68-year-old man with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) on 2 L/min nasal oxygen, SpO₂ 90%, respiratory rate 20/min, talking in full sentences, unchanged since yesterday
Explanation: When choosing who can wait, look for a patient whose findings are expected for the condition and stable. In COPD with a risk of carbon dioxide retention, the usual target SpO₂ is 88% to 92%, so 90% on low-flow oxygen with a normal respiratory rate and full sentences is his baseline. The other three show new changes: a rising pulse after a GI bleed (early hypovolaemia), oliguria below 0.5 mL/kg/h after surgery (hypovolaemia or kidney injury) and new restlessness in pneumonia (possible hypoxia, sepsis or delirium).
A 42-year-old teacher attends a primary health care centre with 3 months of difficulty falling asleep. She has no depression and takes no medicines. The nurse teaches her about sleep hygiene. Which statement by the patient indicates a need for further teaching?A. I will get up at the same time every morning, even at weekendsB. I will stop drinking tea and coffee by early afternoonC. I will watch videos on my phone in bed until I feel sleepyD. If I cannot sleep after about 20 minutes, I will get up and do something quiet
Answer: C. I will watch videos on my phone in bed until I feel sleepy
Explanation: Screens give out blue light that suppresses melatonin, and the content is stimulating, so phone and TV use in bed delays sleep onset. Good sleep hygiene uses the bed only for sleep (stimulus control), so the bed becomes linked with sleeping, not wakefulness. Advise switching off screens about 1 hour before bed, keeping the bedroom dark, quiet and cool, a regular bedtime routine, a fixed wake-up time, avoiding caffeine and nicotine (including shisha) in the afternoon and evening, avoiding heavy meals late at night and long daytime naps, and regular exercise not close to bedtime.
Want to try more MOHAP Registered Nurse questions?
Start with 30 free questions from the same QBank, each with a full explanation, then unlock the full bank when you are ready.
Fees
MOHAP shows the evaluation, DataFlow and licensing fees in its online service when you apply. You pay the evaluation fee to MOHAP, verification to DataFlow and the exam fee to Prometric. Exam fees are non-refundable.
Results and attempts
Prometric reports a pass or fail result. After you pass, you download the evaluation certificate, and an employer in the Northern Emirates completes your licence.
MOHAP allows three attempts in each category. After three failures you can apply through DHA or DOH instead, within the PQR's overall limit on attempts across UAE authorities.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pass mark for the MOHAP nursing exam?
MOHAP states a 60% minimum passing score. Results are reported as pass or fail.
Do I need experience to sit the MOHAP nursing exam?
The 2025 PQR looks mainly at your degree, how recently you qualified and any gap in practice. Check the PQR for your title, as rules for diploma nurses differ.
Does NCLEX exempt me from the MOHAP exam?
An accepted international licence or exam result can exempt you under the PQR. Check the current PQR list before you apply, and keep your verification ready.
How many attempts are allowed?
Three in each category. After that you can apply through DHA or DOH.
Can I transfer a DHA or DOH nursing licence to MOHAP?
Yes, without the exam, if it is for the same title and is valid or expired no more than six months ago.
Which emirates does a MOHAP licence cover?
Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah.
Further reading
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