DOH Abu Dhabi exam 2026: test dates, GP pattern, how to book and free practice tests
The DOH exam is the licensing assessment of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, formerly the Health Authority – Abu Dhabi (HAAD), for healthcare professionals who want to practise in the Emirate. Unless an exemption applies, a licence needs a pass in the assessment DOH sets for your title. There is no national DOH exam date: once DOH approves your credentials, you pay the booking fee in TAMM, receive a Pearson VUE authorisation and book your own day. This guide follows the general practitioner (GP) computer-based test and covers booking, the exam window, the exam pattern, exemptions and a study plan.
DOH licensing exam at a glance
| Conducting body | Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DOH), formerly HAAD |
| What it is for | One step toward a DOH licence to practise in Abu Dhabi |
| Mode | Computer-based test booked through TAMM and Pearson VUE; some titles have an oral or OSCE assessment |
| GP exam | 120 multiple-choice questions |
| Time | 2 hours 30 minutes |
| Language | English |
| Result | PASS or FAIL only, on TAMM, within 24 hours for a computer-based test |
| How often | Any day Pearson VUE offers, within six months of the exam step opening |
| Official website | doh.gov.ae |
Test dates and booking
DOH does not publish a single exam date. As of 20 October 2026 the DOH website could not be read (its security certificate failed), so this section follows the Licensing Procedure Manual issued with circular 151/2024 of 26 August 2024, the latest manual we found when the pattern was last checked on 17 October 2026:
- The exam step comes after credentialing approval. You then pay the booking fee in TAMM and receive a Pearson VUE authorisation.
- The exam step stays open for six months. If you do not pass within that window, the application closes and you must make a new one.
- A computer-based booking can be moved without an extra fee if you ask at least 72 hours before the appointment.
- Not attending is not counted as an attempt.
So your deadline is the end of the six-month window that opens with your exam step. Book early in it, so that a retake still fits if you need one.
How to book the DOH exam
- Check the qualification requirements for your title in the Unified Healthcare Professionals Qualification Requirements: qualification, experience and documents.
- Apply for your licence and complete primary-source verification of your documents.
- Wait for credentialing approval, which opens the exam step.
- Pay the exam booking fee in TAMM; the fee is shown there.
- Book a date with Pearson VUE using your authorisation, inside the six-month window.
- Check your result on TAMM: within 24 hours for a computer-based test, within five working days for an oral or OSCE assessment.
Keep ready: your passport, qualification and experience documents, a certificate of good standing and your verification report. For a GP licence, the manual also requires a completed internship in medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, and paediatrics.
Who is exempt
Under the qualification requirements, UAE nationals and children of Emirati women are exempt from the authority exam. A current DOH, DHA or MOHAP licence for the same title, or a DOH pass for that title within five years, can also exempt you. A GP applicant with 70% on the Emirates Medical Residency Entry Examination (EMREE) can be exempt for five years from that result. That 70% is an EMREE threshold, not the DOH pass mark.
Attempts
The manual says an applicant must not have failed more than three times for the same title across UAE health authorities. The qualification requirements grant three attempts across the authorities and may allow one more with a different authority. A pass stays valid for five years, subject to the qualification rules.
DOH exam pattern (general practitioner)
| Feature | GP computer-based test |
|---|---|
| Questions | 120 multiple-choice questions |
| Time | 2 hours 30 minutes, one clock |
| Navigation | Move between questions and change answers until time ends |
| Pass mark | Not published; set internally as a cut-score |
| Result | PASS or FAIL only |
The manual gives other patterns for other titles. Specialists and consultants in anaesthesia, dermatology, internal medicine, family medicine, paediatrics, otolaryngology, general surgery and obstetrics and gynaecology, and consultants in ophthalmology, sit 100 questions in 2 hours; other specialties sit an oral assessment of 45 to 60 minutes. A general dentist sits 150 questions in 3 hours. Computer-based tests run from 60 to 180 minutes depending on the title.
Syllabus: what the GP exam covers
DOH does not publish a GP blueprint; the manual's FAQ tells candidates to email exam@doh.gov.ae for study material. The GP licence rests on the internship rotations, so prepare across internal medicine, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, general surgery, emergency and critical care, prevention, ethics and safe prescribing. These are the groups our practice test uses; see the DOH syllabus page.
A plan for the weeks before your appointment
A six-week plan, starting when your exam step opens:
- Week 1: book your date, then sit a full 120-question DOH mock test in 2 hours 30 minutes. That is 75 seconds a question. List your misses by subject.
- Weeks 2–3: internal medicine and emergency and critical care, the widest areas for a GP.
- Week 4: paediatrics and obstetrics and gynaecology.
- Week 5: general surgery, prevention and screening, ethics and safe prescribing.
- Week 6: a second full mock, reviewed with how to analyse a mock test, then light revision. Use the 72-hour rule if you need to move the date.
Our practice test scores 1 for each right answer and reports your number correct out of 120; it does not give a pass or fail, because DOH does not publish its cut-score.
Useful links
- Licensing Procedure Manual, circular 151/2024 (doh.gov.ae)
- Unified Healthcare Professionals Qualification Requirements (doh.gov.ae)
- Professional Qualification Requirements (doh.gov.ae)
- Free DOH mock tests
- DOH syllabus
- DOH test dates
- DHA exam 2026: test dates, GP pattern and how to book
- How to use mock tests
Frequently asked questions
When is the DOH exam date in 2026?
There is no fixed date. After credentialing approval you pay in TAMM, get a Pearson VUE authorisation and book a day within the six-month exam window.
What is the DOH exam pass mark?
DOH does not publish one. The manual says the number of correct answers needed depends on a cut-score set internally, and the result shows only PASS or FAIL.
Is there negative marking in the DOH exam?
The manual does not describe any deduction for a wrong answer. Answer every question.
How many attempts are allowed in the DOH exam?
The manual says you must not have failed more than three times for the same title across UAE health authorities; the qualification requirements may allow one more attempt with a different authority.
Is HAAD the same as the DOH exam?
Yes. The Health Authority – Abu Dhabi (HAAD) is now the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, and its licensing exam is the DOH exam.
How long is a DOH exam pass valid?
Five years, subject to the qualification rules; a gap in practice can mean sitting again.