Short answer: Allied health titles at DHA differ in length and pass score, so start by finding your own entry in DHA’s guideline. Most allied titles have 150 questions in three hours, some have 100 in two, and the pass score runs from 50 to 70 percent. Then build six weeks from your title’s coverage list.
Start with your title, not with the group
DHA’s CBT Guideline (cover reads “Updated - Sep 2026”) lists 47 allied titles. Most have 150 questions in 3 hours with pass scores from 50 to 70 percent. DHA gives a few shorter exams: Aesthetician, Cast Technician and Operation Theatre Technician and Technologist have 100 questions in 2 hours, Speech Therapist has 100 questions in 3 hours and Laser Hair Reduction Technician has 70 questions in 2 hours. As examples of pass scores, Physiotherapist is 50 percent, Radiographer 55, Respiratory Therapist 60 and Medical Laboratory Technologist 50.
These are examples, not a substitute for the guideline. DHA says it may change the content, format or pass score without updating the document. The page on DHA exam format and pass mark by title lists the title lines, and DHA exam for allied health explains the group.
Meddex is independent and is not connected to the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) or Prometric.
Find your coverage list
For many titles DHA prints a list of exam coverage areas and a list of references. For the Physiotherapist, the list has ten areas, from kinesiology and biomechanics to musculoskeletal rehabilitation. Some allied titles list no coverage at all. If yours does not, build a list from the council’s curriculum, your own training and the PQR, and mark it as your own estimate.
DHA publishes no weights for any title, and it does not say how many options each question has. Official sample questions are not published either, so we cannot describe what an item looks like beyond “multiple choice”.
The six weeks
Plan for eight to ten hours a week. Divide your coverage areas into four blocks of similar size.
- Week 1: baseline set of 30 to 40 questions, if you have a source for your profession, and a coverage checklist rated red, amber and green.
- Week 2: block 1, your reddest areas. Short reading, then questions, then one-line rules.
- Week 3: block 2, with a mixed set from block 1 on day five.
- Week 4: block 3, and a timed half-paper.
- Week 5: block 4, then a full timed paper in the format of your title.
- Week 6: repair the three weakest areas, one short timed set and a light last two days.
Shared topics worth a slot
Many professional exams include topics that cut across titles, such as patient safety, infection control, communication and ethics. DHA does not list these for every allied title, so treat them as our estimate. If your coverage list includes them, give each a short block. If it does not, one short revision pass is still sensible, because they are part of safe practice. The ethics and consent guide and the infection control guide are written for nurses but cover principles any clinician uses.
Pacing for different lengths
Divide the time by the questions. 180 minutes over 150 questions is 72 seconds each. 120 minutes over 100 questions is 72 seconds each. 120 minutes over 70 questions is about 103 seconds each. Because DHA says the time includes registration and the introduction, you have less time than these figures, so practise a little faster.
Two checkpoints help in any format: one at the halfway mark and one with about a fifth of the time left.
Finding good practice material
Choose questions that are original and explain every option. Never use material that claims to be real exam content. DHA’s Assessment Manual says sharing assessment questions is not allowed and has legal implications, and that applies to what you read as well as what you post. The Meddex question bank is still being built for allied health, so check the app and the practice exercises for what is there today. Use it for method, mocks and shared topics, and use your own textbooks for your profession.
Reviewing as you go
After every set, write one line for each miss: the rule you did not know, or the word in the stem that you skipped. Keep these lines in one file and read them on day seven of each week. The error log guide shows a simple layout.
Related guide
To adapt this plan to the exact headings on your own row, see how to turn DHA content headings into a study plan.
Frequently asked questions
This article is general educational guidance, not official advice. Exam rules, fees and timelines are set by the Dubai Health Authority and the test provider and can change, so always confirm the latest details on their official channels. Review of Meddex content by named, licensed clinicians is not complete yet. See how we write and check our content.
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