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If you're preparing for the Dubai Health Authority's dental licensing exam, the first practical question is usually the simplest one: how many questions, how much time, and what does it take to pass? Here's what DHA's own current CBT Assessment Guideline actually says for the General Dentist title (exam code GEN5301).
The format
- 150 multiple-choice questions, single best answer per question.
- 3 hours total, and that window includes registration and instructions — not just time spent answering.
- Delivered as a computer-based test through Prometric (prometric.com/DHA).
The pass score
DHA publishes the pass score outright for General Dentist: 60%. What DHA does not share is your own individual result — you'll only ever see Pass or Fail in Sheryan, never your actual score or percentage. Prometric separately issues a "Learning Outcome" report showing your strengths and weaknesses by domain, which is useful for a re-sit but is explicitly not your result.
How many attempts do you actually get?
Three attempts per specialty — and this is the part candidates most often get wrong: it's pooled across all four UAE authorities (DHA, HAAD/DOH, MOH and SHA), not three attempts per authority. After three fails, the UAE's Unified PQR allows one final attempt with a different authority. At DHA, failing the third attempt means a default two-year block on reapplying, though a fourth attempt is possible with permission, or you can requalify for three new attempts sooner via an additional recognized certificate or two years of clinical licensed experience.
What subject areas does GEN5301 actually test?
DHA's guideline covers domains including anesthesia and pain management, endodontics, oral medicine/oral surgery, implant surgery, periodontics, restorative dentistry, orthodontics/pediatric dentistry, and ethics, among others. DHA weighs each domain when scoring but doesn't publish an exact percentage breakdown per domain.
Next steps
- Read the full DHA exam guide for the complete 5-step licensing pathway (PQR → DataFlow → Sheryan → Prometric → result), plus the reschedule/cancellation rules and pass validity period.
- Try a free demo exam — 20 questions, 15 minutes, no account needed — to get a feel for the format before you book the real thing.
Sourced from DHA's "Healthcare Professional Licensing Assessment Guideline" (CBT), updated May 2026, and DHA's "Manual for Licensing Healthcare Professionals" v1.3 (issued 18 July 2025), plus the UAE's Unified PQR §1.5.4-1.5.5 for attempt pooling. Always cross-check against DHA's current published guidance before booking — requirements can change.