DHA Specialist Licensing - General Surgery

DHA Surgery Exam Dubai - Pattern, Syllabus, Questions and Preparation

This page is for surgeons planning to appear in the DHA exam in Dubai. It explains the DHA surgery exam pattern, expected question style, syllabus areas, passing score, and practical preparation strategy for international medical graduates (IMGs), especially from Pakistan, India, Egypt, and the UAE.

DHA surgery exam format at a glance

Exam mode

Computer-based Prometric test

Question type

Single-best-answer MCQs

Common question count

Around 150 questions

Time duration

3 hours (official)

Passing score

65% (official, code GEN5341)

Result style

Pass/Fail licensing assessment

Target candidate

Surgeons applying for DHA licensing in Dubai

Difficulty style

Clinical scenario and decision-focused

Figures may vary by DHA updates and title mapping. Always verify final exam details on your official DHA profile before booking.

DHA surgery exam syllabus and high-yield topics

The DHA surgery exam syllabus is usually tested through case-based questions. Focus on clinical judgment, emergency prioritization, and safe management decisions.

Acute abdomen: appendicitis, bowel obstruction, perforation, peritonitis, GI bleeding pathways

Hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery: cholecystitis, cholangitis, pancreatitis complications

Colorectal surgery: obstruction, malignancy flags, post-operative complications

Trauma and emergency surgery principles: airway-breathing-circulation priorities and damage control logic

Breast and endocrine surgery: breast lump pathways, thyroid and parathyroid surgical decisions

Vascular surgery emergencies: acute limb ischemia, aneurysm risk, urgent referral thresholds

Peri-operative care: fluid management, DVT prophylaxis, infection control, post-op fever workup

Professional standards: ethics, patient safety, communication, documentation

DHA surgery exam preparation strategy for IMGs

Build a 6 to 10 week plan with daily MCQ blocks. Use timed sessions to improve speed and reduce decision fatigue in the real test.

Prioritize emergency surgery and peri-operative medicine first. These themes often produce high-yield DHA surgery exam questions.

For IMGs from Pakistan, India, Egypt, and UAE, focus on guideline-based answers and avoid local protocol assumptions from your previous system.

Review wrong answers carefully. Most score improvement comes from understanding why one option is safer and more appropriate than the others.

Practice exam-style questions here: Practice DHA Surgery MCQs

FAQ: DHA exam for surgeons in Dubai

What is the DHA surgery exam pattern for specialist general surgery in Dubai?

The DHA surgery exam is usually a computer-based Prometric MCQ assessment. Commonly reported structure for specialist general surgery is 150 single-best-answer questions in 3 hours, but candidates should always confirm current details on DHA Sheryan for their exact title.

How many questions are in the DHA exam for surgeons in Dubai?

Most preparation sources and exam guidance references indicate around 150 questions for specialist general surgery assessments. Always verify your booking details because exam structures can change by category and year.

What is the passing score for the DHA surgery exam?

The official DHA CBT guideline lists a 65% pass score for specialist general surgery (code GEN5341), with 150 questions in 3 hours. DHA can update requirements, so use the official portal as the final source before your exam date.

What topics are included in the DHA surgery exam syllabus?

High-yield areas include acute abdomen, trauma principles, hepatobiliary and colorectal surgery, breast and endocrine surgery, vascular emergencies, peri-operative care, and ethics/patient safety. Questions are usually case-based and test clinical decision-making.

How should IMGs from Pakistan, India, Egypt, and UAE prepare for DHA surgery exam questions?

Focus on guideline-based management, solve timed MCQs daily, revise emergency algorithms, and practise case-based decision making. IMGs should align revision with DHA-style single-best-answer logic and UAE clinical practice expectations.

What is the DHA surgery exam pass rate?

An official public pass-rate dashboard by specialty is not consistently published. Preparation quality, question practice volume, and exam-day time control are usually the strongest predictors of success.

DHA Surgery Hub

Exam pattern, eligibility, DataFlow, licensing, jobs, and MCQ practice for DHA Surgery in Dubai.

DHA Dubai licensing in context

The Dubai Health Authority regulates healthcare professionals in the Emirate of Dubai — distinct from DOH (Abu Dhabi) and MOHAP (Northern Emirates). Your job offer location determines which regulator applies; switching emirates later usually requires a new profile and may require another assessment.

Sheryan is the unified portal for eligibility, verification status, exam authorization, and license lifecycle events. Bookmark official DHA communication channels rather than relying on third-party WhatsApp groups for policy updates.

  • Dubai facility activation requires employer sponsorship
  • DataFlow PSV is the standard primary-source verification route
  • Prometric delivers the computer-based assessment for most medical titles
  • Pass/Fail results update in Sheryan — not numeric score reports for most categories

Pair administrative milestones with MCQ volume

Doctors who treat verification as a months-long project while maintaining daily timed practice rarely arrive at Prometric under-prepared. Use GulfMedExams DHA MCQs once your Sheryan profile is active so administrative delays still advance clinical readiness.

DHA Surgery specialist assessment focus

Surgery items favour acute abdomen algorithms, trauma prioritisation, and perioperative risk. Visualise operative steps only when the stem asks management — many questions stop at resuscitation or next investigation.

DHA regulatory reference — Dubai emirate specifics

The Dubai Health Authority regulates independent healthcare practice within the Emirate of Dubai. It is separate from the Department of Health (DOH) in Abu Dhabi and from MOHAP licensing for Sharjah, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, and Umm Al Quwain. Your offer letter emirate determines which regulator you pursue first — switching later requires a new application even when exams look similar.

Sheryan (often called DHA Connect) hosts eligibility questionnaires, primary-source verification status, exam authorizations, and license lifecycle events. Keep the email tied to your profile active; password resets during verification windows delay query responses.

Dubai facilities activate licenses after you pass assessment, complete medical fitness at approved centres, and satisfy malpractice insurance rules tied to your employer. Locum contracts and visit arrangements do not replace full DHA licensure for unsupervised clinical duties.

  • Scope: Dubai emirate facilities under DHA oversight
  • Assessment: Prometric CBT for most physician categories
  • Verification: DataFlow PSV is the standard document route
  • Results: Pass/Fail recorded in Sheryan for many titles
  • Sponsorship: employer-linked activation after Pass
  • Renewal: CME credits logged before license expiry
  • Language: patient-facing Arabic helps clinically but exam language is English
  • Reciprocity: other UAE licenses may require reassessment when transferring

DHA Prometric exam — parameters to plan mocks around

GP physician categories sit for 150 single-best-answer MCQs in a 3-hour computer-based session, with an officially published pass score of 60%, per the DHA CBT guideline (updated May 2026). Individual candidates are not shown their own numeric score — only Pass/Fail in Sheryan. There is no penalty for wrong answers — unanswered items at timeout count as incorrect.

Prometric centres enforce biometric check-in and provide a whiteboard or note sheet depending on location. Flag-and-review lets you revisit marked questions within the same session if time remains; practice this workflow in timed mocks so it feels automatic on exam day.

  • Book only when Sheryan shows active exam authorization
  • Bring passport matching Sheryan profile exactly
  • Arrive 30 minutes before appointment start
  • Expect clinical stems across medicine, surgery, paediatrics, and OBG for GP
  • Plan two travel days if testing outside Dubai

Study volume benchmarks reported by DHA candidates

Candidates who pass on the first or second attempt commonly report 3,000–6,000 MCQs completed with explanation review, not merely answered. Volume without review plateaus around 55–60% mock accuracy; logging why distractors fooled you adds the last 10–15 points needed for comfortable Pass margins.

Working doctors often schedule 40–60 MCQs on weekdays and one 100–150 question mock on weekends for 10–12 weeks. Full-time study can double weekday volume — adjust using mock trends, not guilt.

In the final week, reduce new topic introduction. Sleep regularisation matters: Prometric sessions start at fixed appointment times regardless of your night-shift recovery from hospital duties.

  • Target 70%+ on three consecutive mixed mocks before booking
  • Re-do missed questions after 48–72 hours
  • Keep a one-page error sheet updated after every session
  • Simulate full 150-question length at least four times

Official source reminder

Figures and policies change. Confirm your profession category, fee schedule, and document list in Sheryan (DHA Connect) before paying verification or exam fees.

Quick answer

DHA licensing in Dubai typically follows eligibility review, DataFlow verification, Prometric exam booking, and post-exam license issuance. Use linked guides for each step.

Reviewed by Dr. Mohsin Ali Baloch
Last updated
Aligned with Dubai Health Authority pathways

This guide is written for doctors preparing for DHA licensing in Dubai, UAE. Requirements change — always confirm fees, deadlines, and eligibility on official authority portals before booking your exam slot.

DHA — practical notes for doctors

This page supports one part of your Dubai, UAE licensing journey. Combine it with official Dubai Health Authority communication, your employer HR checklist, and consistent MCQ practice before the Prometric sitting.

What to verify on official channels

Before acting on any third-party guide (including this one), confirm your profession category, document list, and fee schedule directly with Dubai Health Authority. Policies in Dubai, UAE are updated without always being reflected in older blog posts.

If your profile involves gaps in practice, multiple registrations, or credentials from several countries, expect additional review steps — generic checklists may not cover your case.

Next step — exam practice

Build Surgery recall before your DHA exam

Doctors preparing for DHA Surgery often lose time on scattered notes. GulfMedExams groups exam-style MCQs, explanations, and recall patterns so you can train in timed sessions that mirror Prometric pacing — then return to the preparation guide for strategy.

More practice resources

Requirements, fees, and timelines change. This page is educational — always confirm your category-specific rules on official authority portals before paying verification or exam fees.