Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain use Prometric-delivered exams to license nurses trained abroad. Each regulator sets its own blueprint, number of questions and pass mark, but the style is similar: multiple-choice clinical questions that test safe, prioritised nursing care.
Here are 30 practice questions with answers and rationales. They’re written for revision and are not real exam questions. Always check your regulator’s current candidate guide.
Medical-surgical nursing
1. A patient after thyroidectomy complains of tingling around the mouth and fingers. What does the nurse suspect?
- Hypercalcaemia
- Hypocalcaemia
- Hyperkalaemia
- Thyroid storm
Answer: b. Damage to the parathyroid glands can cause hypocalcaemia. Watch for Chvostek’s and Trousseau’s signs.
2. Which finding is most concerning in a patient 2 hours after a below-knee cast is applied?
- Mild swelling of the toes
- Pain unrelieved by analgesia and increasing on passive toe movement
- Cast feels warm
- Patient asks for a drink
Answer: b. Suggests compartment syndrome, a surgical emergency.
3. A patient with chronic kidney disease has potassium 6.8 mmol/L and peaked T waves. Which treatment protects the heart first?
- IV calcium gluconate
- Oral potassium binder
- Furosemide
- Restrict dietary potassium
Answer: a. Calcium stabilises the cardiac membrane. Insulin with dextrose then shifts potassium into cells.
4. A patient with COPD has SpO2 of 86%. What target saturation is usually appropriate for patients at risk of hypercapnia?
- 98–100%
- 94–98%
- 88–92%
- 80–85%
Answer: c. As per British Thoracic Society guidance for patients at risk of hypercapnic respiratory failure.
5. Which position is best for a patient with acute pulmonary oedema?
- Flat supine
- Trendelenburg
- Upright, legs dependent
- Left lateral
Answer: c. Reduces venous return and eases breathing.
6. A patient with a chest drain: the drainage bottle cracks. What’s the first action?
- Clamp the tube for 24 hours
- Place the end of the tube in sterile water and get a new system
- Remove the drain
- Ignore it
Answer: b. This maintains the underwater seal. Prolonged clamping risks tension pneumothorax.
7. A patient with type 1 diabetes has glucose 28 mmol/L, ketones 4.5 mmol/L and deep rapid breathing. What’s the priority?
- Subcutaneous insulin only
- IV fluids, then fixed-rate IV insulin, with potassium monitoring
- Oral fluids
- Encourage exercise
Answer: b. This is diabetic ketoacidosis. Fluid resuscitation comes first.
Maternity nursing
8. A woman at 34 weeks has BP 160/110 mmHg, headache and visual disturbance. What’s the priority?
- Send her home with rest
- Inform the obstetrician urgently; prepare antihypertensives and magnesium sulphate
- Give paracetamol only
- Encourage walking
Answer: b. Severe pre-eclampsia with symptoms needs urgent treatment to prevent eclampsia.
9. What’s an early sign of magnesium sulphate toxicity?
- Loss of deep tendon reflexes
- Hypertension
- Increased urine output
- Tachypnoea
Answer: a. Also watch respiratory rate and urine output. The antidote is calcium gluconate.
10. After delivery, the uterus is boggy and bleeding is heavy. What’s the first nursing action?
- Massage the uterine fundus and call for help
- Give oral fluids
- Place the woman in a sitting position
- Record observations in 1 hour
Answer: a. Uterine atony is the most common cause of postpartum haemorrhage. Uterotonics follow.
11. Which finding needs urgent action in a newborn?
- Acrocyanosis in the first hours
- Jaundice in the first 24 hours of life
- Milia on the nose
- Heart rate 140/min
Answer: b. Jaundice within 24 hours is always pathological until proven otherwise.
12. The cord prolapses during labour. What should the nurse do first?
- Push the cord back
- Call for help, relieve pressure on the cord (knee-chest position or elevating the presenting part) and prepare for urgent birth
- Encourage pushing
- Wait for the doctor
Answer: b.
Paediatric nursing
13. A 2-year-old has a barking cough, stridor and a hoarse voice. What’s the likely diagnosis?
- Asthma
- Croup
- Bronchiolitis
- Pneumonia
Answer: b. Keep the child calm. Don’t examine the throat if epiglottitis is possible.
14. What’s the most reliable sign of dehydration in an infant?
- Crying
- Reduced wet nappies, sunken fontanelle and dry mucous membranes
- Increased appetite
- Fever alone
Answer: b.
15. At what age do most children start walking independently?
- 6 months
- 9 months
- Around 12 months (range about 9–18 months)
- 24 months
Answer: c.
16. A child with suspected meningitis has a non-blanching rash. What’s the priority?
- Wait for blood results
- Urgent escalation and antibiotics without delay
- Give paracetamol and observe
- Discharge with advice
Answer: b. Suspected meningococcal disease is an emergency.
Pharmacology
17. Before giving digoxin, which should the nurse check?
- Temperature
- Apical pulse for a full minute
- Blood glucose
- Respiratory rate only
Answer: b. Withhold and report if the pulse is below the threshold in local policy, often 60/min.
18. Which is the antidote for opioid overdose?
- Flumazenil
- Naloxone
- Vitamin K
- Protamine
Answer: b. Flumazenil reverses benzodiazepines, vitamin K reverses warfarin, and protamine reverses heparin.
19. A patient on warfarin has an INR of 6 with no bleeding. What should the nurse do?
- Give the next dose
- Withhold and inform the prescriber
- Double the dose
- Give aspirin
Answer: b.
20. Which side effect should the nurse watch for with ACE inhibitors such as lisinopril?
- Dry cough and hyperkalaemia
- Hypoglycaemia
- Weight gain
- Bradycardia only
Answer: a. Also angioedema, which is rare but serious.
21. Which insulin can be given intravenously?
- Insulin glargine
- Soluble (regular) insulin
- Isophane (NPH) insulin
- Premixed insulin
Answer: b.
Infection control
22. A patient has pulmonary tuberculosis. Which precautions are needed?
- Contact precautions only
- Airborne precautions with a respirator (N95/FFP3) and negative pressure room
- Droplet precautions with a surgical mask
- Standard precautions only
Answer: b.
23. What’s the correct order for putting on PPE?
- Gloves, gown, mask, eye protection
- Gown, mask or respirator, eye protection, gloves
- Mask, gloves, gown, eye protection
- Eye protection, gloves, gown, mask
Answer: b. Gloves go on last.
24. A nurse has a needlestick injury from a used needle. What’s the first action?
- Suck the wound
- Encourage bleeding, wash with soap and running water, then report immediately for risk assessment
- Apply bleach
- Wait until the end of the shift
Answer: b. Post-exposure prophylaxis may be time-sensitive.
Priority setting and safety
25. Which patient should the nurse see first?
- A patient asking for pain relief, pain score 5/10
- A patient with new-onset chest pain and sweating
- A patient awaiting discharge
- A patient with a blood sugar of 9 mmol/L
Answer: b. Possible acute coronary syndrome. Think ABC and unstable first.
26. Which task can be delegated to a nursing assistant?
- Assessing a new admission
- Measuring and recording vital signs on a stable patient
- Giving IV medication
- Teaching a patient about insulin
Answer: b. Assessment, teaching and evaluation stay with the registered nurse.
27. A patient is about to have surgery and says they don’t understand the procedure. What should the nurse do?
- Proceed because consent is signed
- Inform the surgeon so they can explain again before surgery
- Explain the surgery in detail themselves
- Sedate the patient
Answer: b. Consent must be informed. The person performing the procedure is responsible for obtaining it.
28. What’s the correct first action when you find a patient unresponsive and not breathing normally?
- Check blood glucose
- Call for help and start CPR
- Take a full set of observations
- Call the family
Answer: b.
29. A patient falls in the ward. What’s the nurse’s first action?
- Help the patient up immediately
- Assess for injury before moving, call for help and check vital signs
- Complete an incident form
- Call the family
Answer: b. Then document and report.
30. Which statement by a patient shows they understand discharge teaching about a new inhaler?
- “I’ll use my steroid inhaler when I’m breathless.”
- “I’ll rinse my mouth after using my steroid inhaler.”
- “I can stop the steroid inhaler when I feel better.”
- “I’ll use the reliever only once a week.”
Answer: b. Rinsing reduces oral thrush. Preventers are used regularly, not only when breathless.
Tips for the Prometric nursing exam
- Look for the safest, most immediate action. Use ABC, Maslow and the nursing process to prioritise.
- Watch for keywords such as “first”, “priority”, “most appropriate” and “best”.
- Revise lab values, common drug side effects and antidotes.
- Practise timed question sets every day.
- Complete your DataFlow verification early so you’re not waiting after you pass.