Free DHA exam for nurses mock test — 150 questions, 3 hours 🇦🇪

8 original practice questions written by Myndaq in the UAE Nursing License style. They are not taken from this mock paper or from official past papers. Try each one, then open the answer.

1. Question 1Medical-Surgical NursingOne correct answer

   Mr Khalid, 58, is on the first day after an open bowel resection and has an intravenous morphine patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pump. At the 02:00 check he responds only to a firm shake of the shoulder and then drifts back to sleep. Respiratory rate 8 breaths/min, SpO2 89% on room air, pulse 64/min, blood pressure 108/66 mmHg. His pupils are pinpoint.

   Which action should the nurse take FIRST?

   1. A. Reduce the PCA bolus dose and reassess his sedation in one hour
   2. B. Stop the PCA, try to rouse him and support his airway and breathing while calling for urgent help
   3. C. Take an arterial blood gas sample to confirm hypercapnia
   4. D. Report the findings to the pain team at the morning ward round
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: B

   Sedation that needs a firm physical stimulus, a respiratory rate of 8/min, falling SpO2 and pinpoint pupils point to opioid-induced respiratory depression, a life-threatening emergency. The first priority is to stop any further opioid and protect airway and breathing: stop the PCA, stimulate the patient, open the airway, give oxygen and summon urgent help so that naloxone can be given according to protocol.

   Reducing the bolus dose still leaves opioid available and delays treatment. An arterial blood gas adds information but treats nothing and wastes time. Waiting for the morning round leaves a deteriorating patient without intervention.

2. Question 2Medical-Surgical NursingOne correct answer

   Fifteen minutes after a unit of packed red blood cells is started, a patient reports chills and severe lower back pain. Her temperature has risen from 36.8 °C to 38.6 °C and her blood pressure has fallen from 124/78 to 92/56 mmHg. What should the nurse do FIRST?

   1. A. Slow the transfusion rate and repeat the vital signs in 15 minutes
   2. B. Give the prescribed antipyretic and continue the transfusion
   3. C. Send the blood bag and giving set back to the blood bank
   4. D. Stop the transfusion and keep the vein open with 0.9% sodium chloride through a new giving set
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: D

   Fever, chills, loin or back pain and hypotension early in a transfusion suggest an acute haemolytic reaction, most often caused by ABO incompatibility. Harm increases with the volume of incompatible blood received, so the transfusion is stopped at once. Venous access is kept open with 0.9% sodium chloride through a new giving set, so that no more blood from the old line reaches the patient and fluids or drugs can still be given.

   The nurse then checks the patient's identity against the unit, calls the doctor urgently and monitors closely. Slowing the rate or giving an antipyretic lets more incompatible blood in. The bag and set are returned to the blood bank for investigation, but only after the patient is safe, so that is not the first step.

3. Question 3Paediatric NursingOne correct answer

   A 4-year-old boy is brought to the emergency department with a sudden high fever, a muffled voice and drooling. He is sitting upright, leaning forward on his hands with his mouth open, and has soft inspiratory stridor. Which nursing action is MOST appropriate?

   1. A. Inspect his throat with a tongue depressor and a pen torch
   2. B. Lay him flat on the trolley so that a lateral neck X-ray can be taken
   3. C. Keep him calm and upright on his parent's lap, avoid examining his throat and prepare for emergency airway support
   4. D. Collect a throat swab for culture before antibiotics are started
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: C

   Sudden high fever, drooling, a muffled voice, stridor and the tripod position strongly suggest acute epiglottitis. The swollen epiglottis can block the airway completely if the child becomes distressed or if the throat is touched. He should stay in the position he has chosen, calm and with a parent, while senior airway staff and intubation and surgical airway equipment are made ready.

   A tongue depressor or a throat swab can trigger laryngospasm and total obstruction; swabs are taken only after the airway is secured. Lying him flat takes away the position he is using to keep his airway open.

4. Question 4Paediatric NursingOne correct answer

   A 6-year-old child weighing 18 kg is prescribed oral paracetamol 15 mg/kg for fever. The available suspension contains 120 mg in 5 mL. What volume should the nurse give?

   1. A. 7.5 mL
   2. B. 11.25 mL
   3. C. 13.5 mL
   4. D. 22.5 mL
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: B

   Dose = 15 mg/kg × 18 kg = 270 mg. The suspension contains 120 mg in 5 mL, which is 24 mg per mL. Volume = 270 mg ÷ 24 mg/mL = 11.25 mL.

   Check: 11.25 mL × 24 mg/mL = 270 mg. 7.5 mL gives only 180 mg, the dose for 10 mg/kg. 13.5 mL is the result of misreading the strength as 100 mg in 5 mL. 22.5 mL comes from wrongly using 12 mg per mL (120 mg in 10 mL) and would double the dose.

5. Question 5Maternity NursingOne correct answer

   One hour after a vaginal birth, a woman's fundus is soft and boggy, in the midline and at the level of the umbilicus. She is soaking a pad every 15 minutes and passing clots, and her pulse is 102/min. What is the nurse's FIRST action?

   1. A. Massage the uterine fundus until it becomes firm
   2. B. Apply an ice pack to the perineum
   3. C. Ask her to walk to the toilet to empty her bladder
   4. D. Place her in the Trendelenburg position
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: A

   A soft, boggy fundus with heavy bleeding and clots points to uterine atony, the commonest cause of postpartum haemorrhage. Fundal massage stimulates the myometrium to contract and compress the bleeding vessels, so it is the immediate first step, followed by calling for help, giving the prescribed uterotonic and close monitoring.

   A full bladder can stop the uterus contracting, but it usually pushes the fundus up and to one side; this fundus is midline, and walking a bleeding, tachycardic woman risks collapse, so a catheter is used if the bladder needs emptying. A perineal ice pack reduces swelling but does not stop uterine bleeding. The Trendelenburg position is no longer recommended for shock because it can impair breathing and gives little benefit.

6. Question 6Mental Health NursingOne correct answer

   A 34-year-old man admitted with severe depression has been withdrawn and tearful for two weeks. Today he is calm and smiling, and he has given his watch and phone to other patients. He tells the nurse, 'I finally feel at peace. Everything is sorted now.' What is the nurse's BEST response?

   1. A. Record that his mood has improved and suggest reducing his level of observation
   2. B. Encourage him to join the afternoon group activity to build on his progress
   3. C. Reassure him that the whole team is pleased with his recovery
   4. D. Ask him directly whether he is thinking about ending his life
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: D

   A sudden calm after severe depression, giving away belongings and statements such as 'everything is sorted' are warning signs that the person may have decided on a plan to end his life. Safety comes first, so the nurse asks clearly and directly about suicidal thoughts, plans and access to means. Asking directly does not put the idea into a person's mind; it opens the way to a full risk assessment, closer observation and informing the team.

   Recording an improvement and reducing observation would increase risk at the most dangerous time. Suggesting a group activity or offering reassurance skips the risk assessment and closes the conversation, so both are non-therapeutic here.

7. Question 7Fundamentals of NursingOne correct answer

   A nurse has inserted a fine-bore nasogastric tube for enteral feeding in an adult. Before the first feed, which bedside check is supported by current evidence as an indicator that the tip is in the stomach?

   1. A. Injecting air down the tube while listening over the epigastrium for a 'whoosh'
   2. B. Placing the end of the tube in a cup of water and watching for bubbles
   3. C. Testing aspirate with a pH indicator strip that reads pH 4
   4. D. Confirming that the patient can talk and is not coughing
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: C

   Gastric contents are acidic, so aspirate with a low pH (5.5 or below in most policies) supports gastric placement, and a reading of pH 4 fits that. If no aspirate can be obtained, or the pH is higher (for example in patients on acid-suppressing drugs), the tube must not be used until its position is confirmed on an X-ray interpreted by a competent practitioner, which is the reference method.

   The air 'whoosh' test is unreliable because a similar sound can be heard when the tube is in the lung or oesophagus, and it has been linked to fatal feeding errors. Bubbles in water are equally unreliable, and a fine-bore tube can pass into the airway without coughing or loss of speech, especially when the cough reflex is weak.

8. Question 8Infection ControlOne correct answer

   A patient with frequent watery diarrhoea has a positive stool test for Clostridioides difficile toxin. Which instruction is MOST important for the staff caring for this patient?

   1. A. Wash hands with soap and water after removing gloves and apron
   2. B. Clean hands with alcohol-based hand rub after each patient contact
   3. C. Wear a surgical mask when within one metre of the patient
   4. D. Nurse the patient in a negative-pressure room
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: A

   C. difficile forms spores that alcohol does not kill. Washing with soap and running water physically removes the spores from the hands, so it is required after contact with the patient or the surroundings. This goes with contact precautions (gloves and apron or gown), a single room with its own toilet and sporicidal cleaning such as chlorine-based products.

   Alcohol hand rub works against many organisms but not against these spores. Spread is faecal-oral through hands and surfaces, not airborne, so a surgical mask and a negative-pressure room are not needed.