DHA occupational therapist exam: format, pass score and the nine content areas DHA lists

What does the DHA occupational therapist exam look like?

Occupational therapists sit a computer-based exam run by Prometric, the test provider named in DHA’s guideline. The row for your title tells you the number of questions, the stated time and the pass score. This guide copies that row, lists the nine content areas DHA prints, and says plainly what DHA does not publish. Meddex is independent and is not connected to the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) or Prometric.

What are the nine content areas?

DHA lists these headings for the Occupational Therapist row. They are a plain list with no percentages, so treat them as the outline of what can be asked, not as a blueprint of how much of each.

1. Neurological Conditions.
2. Psychosocial Problems and Mental Health.
3. Physical Disabilities.
4. Pediatric Conditions.
5. Developmental Disabilities.
6. Community Based Services and Assistive Technology.
7. Occupational Health and Patient Safety.
8. Ethics and Professionalism.
9. Hand Dysfunctions.

What might each heading mean for revision?

DHA gives headings, not topics, so what follows is our reading, not DHA’s. Neurological, physical, paediatric and developmental headings point at conditions across the lifespan, where an exam question usually asks what to assess, what to change in the task or setting, or which goal fits. The psychosocial and mental health heading suggests questions on function and participation, not only diagnosis. Community services and assistive technology point at equipment, adaptation and discharge planning. Occupational health, patient safety, ethics and professionalism are the sort of areas where a safe, professional choice usually beats a clever one. Hand dysfunctions is the only narrow heading, so it is worth a short block of its own.

If you want a sense of how another allied title is read heading by heading, see the physiotherapist exam areas.

How could you order your revision?

A sensible order is our suggestion, not an official one.

1. Start with the areas you use least in your current job. Most people over-revise the area they work in.
2. Give ethics, professionalism and patient safety a short, regular slot every week, because they are short to revise and easy to lose marks on.
3. Keep hand dysfunctions and assistive technology for the second half, when you can use one or two practice sets to find the gaps.
4. Finish with timed sets of mixed questions, so you practise switching between areas the way a real paper makes you.

How does the assistant title differ?

The Occupational Therapy Assistant row is a separate exam with its own code, ORA5563, and a pass score of 50 percent, five points lower than the therapist row. The number of questions and the stated time are the same. We have not copied the assistant’s content headings here, so read that row in the guideline before you assume it matches the therapist list. Our guide on how to find your title in the guideline shows the steps.

What practice content is there?

Meddex does not have a question bank written for occupational therapy as of the date of this page, and full mocks are not offered for allied titles. The allied health hub explains what the shared questions cover, and the free assessment gives a short mixed set. For reading, use the reference list DHA prints for your row.

Frequently asked questions