NHRA nursing exam: practice and paper requirements

Facts last verified 5 October 2026.

Check whether NHRA will assess you as a General Nurse or Practical Nurse. Your course length helps determine the title (nursing qualification rules).

Is this the right paper for you?

General Nurse accepts a bachelor’s of at least 4 academic years. It also accepts a diploma or associate degree of at least 3 years (nursing rules). Shorter courses can lead to Practical Nurse. Check work experience and combined nursing-midwifery awards in the licence guide. NHRA has no Nurse Technician title.

Pass mark: 50% in NHRA's booklet, 60% on Prometric's page

Format at a glance

Question count not published. Time: 2.5 hours of exam time in a 3-hour seating (Prometric). Pass mark: 50% in NHRA's booklet, 60% on Prometric's page.

Delivered by Prometric.

Sources: NHRA exam booklet, Prometric NHRA page

NHRA's booklet sets 50% for nursing; Prometric's NHRA page states 60% for all Bahrain exams. NHRA's exam booklet and Prometric's NHRA page do not give a question count.

What the paper covers

We did not find published section weights for the NHRA paper for nurses. ProMCQ's mock papers use the published SCFHS blueprint for nurses as practice targets. These are not NHRA's own weights. Each mock includes national-topic content, so its final question shares can differ slightly from these targets.

  • Nursing Fundamentals (20%): Assess the patient, prevent infection and give medicines safely. Know basic procedures and choose what to do next.
  • Adult Nursing (40%): Study adult care, including illness and surgery. Spot a patient who is getting worse. Include care after surgery and long-term disease.
  • Maternal-Child Nursing (30%): Study pregnancy, labour and birth. Include care of a newborn or sick child.
  • Management & Leadership (10%): Know which tasks to delegate and which patient needs you first. Practise handover and how to report an incident.

Sample questions

These are eight original ProMCQ practice questions with explanations. Select an answer to see the explanation.

  1. What compensation occurs in respiratory alkalosis (pH >7.45, PaCO2 <4.7 kPa [35 mmHg])?

    1. Renal retention of HCO3−
    2. Slower, shallower breathing retaining CO2
    3. Renal excretion of HCO3−
    4. Rapid, deep breathing lowering PaCO2
    Answer

    C. Respiratory alkalosis is pH >7.45 with PaCO2 <4.7 kPa (35 mmHg) from hyperventilation (anxiety, pain, hypoxemia, high altitude, fever/sepsis, early salicylate toxicity). Because the lungs are the primary process, compensation comes from the kidneys, which excrete HCO3− to reduce base and move pH toward normal. Renal compensation is slow.

  2. A client with sickle cell disease calls after strenuous exercise outdoors in cold weather and reports fever with poor fluid intake. Which action should the nurse recommend FIRST?

    1. Increase regular fluids within prescribed restrictions
    2. Stop strenuous activity and begin resting
    3. Move indoors and avoid further cold
    4. Seek prompt assessment for the fever
    Answer

    D. Dehydration, cold exposure, and overexertion should all be corrected, but fever raises concern for infection. Because infection is a sickling trigger requiring prompt assessment and treatment, evaluation of the fever is the first recommendation.

  3. A 2-day-old girl born at 34 weeks' gestation weighs 1.9 kg and is healthy and clinically stable in the neonatal unit of a high-tuberculosis-burden country. Her mother asks about BCG vaccine. How should the nurse proceed with her BCG vaccination?

    1. Defer BCG until weight reaches 2 kg
    2. Withhold BCG pending individual assessment
    3. Defer BCG until term-corrected age
    4. Give BCG before neonatal discharge
    Answer

    D. WHO permits BCG at birth or by neonatal discharge in healthy, clinically stable moderate-to-late preterm infants (>31 weeks) and low-birth-weight infants. This infant is 34 weeks, 1.9 kg, healthy and stable in a high-TB setting, so the nurse should give BCG before discharge; waiting for 2 kg or term age leaves her unprotected without cause.

  4. Parent asks why aspirate pH is checked before gavage. Which response is best?

    1. "Acidic aspirate supports gastric placement."
    2. "Air sounds confirm gastric placement."
    3. "Tube length proves tip location."
    4. "Radiographs prevent later tube migration."
    Answer

    A. Testing gastric aspirate pH is a practical bedside placement check. An acidic result supports gastric placement when considered with the external tube mark and local policy.

  5. Nurse Noor is supervising a newly hired nurse caring for a 38-year-old patient in four-point restraints for violent behaviour on a psychiatric unit. Which action by the new nurse requires Nurse Noor to intervene?

    1. Leaves to chart without arranging continued observation
    2. Checks sensation in the restrained hands
    3. Offers the patient a drink of water
    4. Records the patient's response to care
    Answer

    A. Once restraint is applied, the patient needs continuous or near-continuous direct observation of behaviour, breathing, position, and consciousness because of the risks of asphyxia and injury. Leaving to chart without arranging continued observation breaks this safeguard; the other actions are required restraint care.

  6. A 38-year-old woman asks the community nurse about adding biological or chemical mosquito larval control to the malaria programme serving her village. Which selection approach should the nurse recommend?

    1. Select for all identified breeding sites
    2. Select chemical larvicides as sole measures
    3. Select only for suitable, manageable sites
    4. Select to replace nets and spraying
    Answer

    C. The nurse should recommend selecting biological or chemical larval measures only where breeding sites are suitable and manageable. These measures serve a supplementary role in malaria control.

  7. An expatriate outdoor worker with limited Arabic and English reports workplace heat concerns during a clinic visit. Which action best prevents a communication-related safety error?

    1. Ask an untrained relative to interpret the assessment.
    2. Ask the worker's employer to interpret the assessment.
    3. Arrange a qualified interpreter for the assessment.
    4. Rely on plain-language instructions for the assessment.
    Answer

    C. Limited language proficiency during assessment requires a qualified interpreter. This protects accuracy and confidentiality while allowing the nurse to assess heat exposure, hydration opportunities, and symptoms.

  8. A 77-year-old woman attends a pre-operative clinic, where Nurse Huda reviews the consent form with her. A television is playing nearby. The woman gives unrelated answers and squints at the page. A colleague suggests requesting a cognitive screen. Which action by the nurse is most appropriate at this point?

    1. Request a cognitive screening test
    2. Check glasses, hearing, and noise
    3. Confirm understanding with teach-back
    4. Read the form aloud slowly
    Answer

    B. Sensory loss does not mean cognitive impairment. When an older adult appears confused or gives unrelated answers, the nurse first assesses sensory barriers (glasses, hearing aid, lighting, background noise) and corrects them before labelling the behaviour as cognitive impairment. Here the television noise and her squinting at the page are both barriers that could explain her answers, and informed consent requires accessible communication and confirmation that she understands the relevant information.

Timed practice papers

10 timed mock papers of 100 questions each, built to the weights above. No question repeats across papers.

How to prepare

  • For priority practice, identify the threat to airway, breathing or circulation first.
  • Practise infusion rates, weight-based doses and dilutions by hand.
  • Use NHRA’s nursing books: Olds, Lippincott, Brunner and Suddarth.
  • Revise Bahrain’s licensing, renewal and national-programme notes.
  • For practice, aim above 60% to give yourself a margin. A mock score does not predict your NHRA result.

Licensing steps

  1. Check the licence steps: Check your title and documents. Apply through Mehan. Read the guide
  2. Check costs and book: Get NHRA’s approval and your code before you book. Read the guide
  3. Send your result: Send your report through Mehan. Check what to do next. Read the guide

Frequently asked questions

What is the pass mark for the NHRA nursing exam?

NHRA’s booklet gives 50% for nursing, midwifery and allied health. Prometric gives 60% for all Bahrain exams. Ask NHRA in writing which applies to you.

Where can you find sample questions?

Use the NHRA nursing samples. Each sample has an explanation.

What should you do after the exam?

Send your report through Mehan. Follow NHRA results and next steps if you pass or fail.

Which books should you use?

Use NHRA’s book list for your profession.

Sources

Facts last verified 2026-10-05.

  1. Licensure Examination 2022, updated, National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA)
  2. National Health Regulatory Authority examination programme, Prometric
  3. Frequently Asked Questions: Mehan, National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA)
  4. Nursing Professional Qualification Requirements, National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA)
  5. Approximate Cost, Cost - Aug 2022, National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA)
  6. Annual Report 2022, National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA)
  7. Nursing Examination References, National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA)
  8. Customer Reference for NHRA, DataFlow Group