DHA GP Study Plan 2026: 4-Week, 8-Week, and 12-Week Preparation Schedules
Updated July 2026 · ExamCure Team
The right DHA GP study plan depends on your baseline knowledge, weekly study time, clinical workload, and exam date. Four weeks is an intensive revision route, eight weeks provides balanced coverage and practice, and twelve weeks is better for rebuilding foundations or returning after a long study gap.
How to choose your timeline
Choose four weeks only when your baseline is already reasonable and you can protect substantial study time. Choose eight weeks when you need systematic coverage plus repeated mixed practice. Choose twelve weeks when your fundamentals are weak, your schedule is unpredictable, or you need slower consolidation before full-length mocks.
DHA GP exam snapshot
DHA’s current CBT guide lists the General Practice assessment as 150 multiple-choice questions completed in three hours, with a published passing score of 60%. The official coverage includes chronic diseases, acute and common medical problems, pediatrics, women’s health, emergencies, common surgery, psychiatry, eye and ENT problems, dermatology, epidemiology and evidence-based medicine, family-medicine concepts, screening, and periodic health examination.
These schedules are not official DHA timetables
DHA does not prescribe a compulsory 4-, 8-, or 12-week preparation plan. The schedules and question-volume ranges below are ExamCure study frameworks, not guarantees of passing.
Choose the right study plan
| Plan | Best suited to | Suggested weekly time | Main risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 weeks | Recent clinical practice, acceptable baseline, near exam date | About 14–20 focused hours | Rushing weak foundations |
| 8 weeks | Most working doctors needing balanced coverage and practice | About 9–14 focused hours | Losing consistency during busy weeks |
| 12 weeks | Broad gaps, low confidence, long study break, limited weekly time | About 6–10 focused hours | Staying in passive reading mode |
Start with a baseline assessment
Before Week 1, complete a mixed timed set. Its purpose is not to predict the official result. It is to identify which clinical domains and reasoning processes need the most work.
- Use mixed questions rather than one favourite specialty.
- Do not check answers during the attempt.
- Record performance by topic.
- Classify each error by cause.
- Identify dangerous gaps in emergencies, medication safety, pediatrics, and pregnancy.
- Increase study time for weak but clinically important domains.
Use the same daily study cycle
- Focused review: revise one clinical area using concise notes, current guidance, or a trusted textbook.
- Question practice: complete a topic-based or mixed MCQ set.
- Explanation review: analyse every wrong answer and every correct answer reached by guessing.
- Error-log entry: record one short rule, missed clue, or management sequence.
- Spaced retest: repeat failed concepts after 48–72 hours and again the following week.
A workday session can be 60–90 minutes. An off-day session may be longer, but avoid exhausting sessions that reduce retention.
Four-week intensive schedule
Week 1: Adult medicine and chronic disease
- Cardiology, hypertension, ischemic disease, heart failure, arrhythmias, and anticoagulation.
- Diabetes, thyroid disease, obesity, lipids, kidney disease, and electrolytes.
- Asthma, COPD, infection, GI disease, anemia, and neurology.
- Daily topic-based MCQs plus one mixed timed block.
Week 2: Emergencies, pediatrics, and women’s health
- Sepsis, shock, anaphylaxis, ACS, stroke, severe asthma, poisoning, and trauma.
- Childhood fever, dehydration, respiratory disease, infections, growth, and safeguarding.
- Pregnancy emergencies, antenatal care, contraception, bleeding, and pelvic pain.
- Use cumulative mixed sets every two days.
Week 3: Surgery and smaller clinical domains
- Acute abdomen, urology, fractures, back pain, wounds, and referral thresholds.
- Psychiatry, suicide risk, red eye, visual loss, ENT, dermatology, screening, and EBM.
- Complete the first full-length 150-question simulation.
Week 4: Consolidation and simulation
- Revise the most frequent error-log themes.
- Complete mixed timed blocks rather than starting large new resources.
- Repeat emergency, pediatric, obstetric, and medication-safety concepts.
- Complete a final full mock several days before the exam.
- Reduce volume during the last 24–48 hours and protect sleep.
Eight-week balanced schedule
| Week | Primary focus | Practice objective |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cardiology and hypertension | Diagnosis, ECGs, treatment, referral |
| 2 | Respiratory, infection, gastroenterology | Red flags and acute deterioration |
| 3 | Endocrine, renal, hematology, neurology | Chronic care, emergencies, drug safety |
| 4 | Pediatrics | Age-specific decisions and emergencies |
| 5 | Women’s health | Pregnancy, contraception, bleeding, referral |
| 6 | Surgery, orthopedics, urology, emergencies | Immediate action, imaging, disposition |
| 7 | Psychiatry, ENT, eye, dermatology, prevention, EBM | Common presentations and dangerous mimics |
| 8 | Mixed revision and simulations | Pacing and weak-area remediation |
Begin cumulative mixed questions from Week 2. Complete a mid-plan full simulation around Weeks 4–5 and another during Week 7 or early Week 8. Add a third only when it can be fully reviewed.
Twelve-week foundation-building schedule
| Phase | Weeks | Focus | Transition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foundation | 1–4 | Adult medicine and chronic disease | Untimed topic questions to short timed sets |
| Clinical breadth | 5–8 | Pediatrics, women’s health, surgery, emergencies | Subject blocks to cumulative mixed blocks |
| Completion | 9–10 | Psychiatry, ENT, eye, skin, prevention, EBM | Coverage to integrated decisions |
| Simulation | 11–12 | Weak areas, full mocks, pacing | Learning to exam execution |
- Week 1: cardiovascular medicine.
- Week 2: respiratory and infectious disease.
- Week 3: endocrine, renal, metabolic, and hematology.
- Week 4: GI, neurology, and musculoskeletal medicine.
- Week 5: pediatrics I.
- Week 6: pediatrics II.
- Week 7: women’s health.
- Week 8: surgery, orthopedics, and urology.
- Week 9: emergencies and toxicology.
- Week 10: psychiatry, ENT, eye, skin, screening, and EBM.
- Week 11: mixed blocks and full simulations.
- Week 12: targeted remediation and taper.
How many MCQs should you complete?
There is no official DHA question-volume target. Choose a volume that allows full explanation review.
- Four weeks: often 40–80 questions on study days.
- Eight weeks: often 25–60 questions on study days, increasing near the end.
- Twelve weeks: often 20–40 questions initially, progressing to larger mixed blocks.
Twenty thoroughly reviewed questions can be more useful than eighty rushed questions.
Use mock tests correctly
Full mocks should reproduce the published format: 150 questions in three hours. Use them to test pacing, stamina, integrated reasoning, and decision-making under uncertainty.
- Use one uninterrupted sitting.
- Do not search references during the attempt.
- Review the complete mock afterward.
- Analyse subjects and error mechanisms, not only the total score.
- Do not complete several mocks without reviewing them.
A private mock score is not an official DHA result predictor
Question banks differ in difficulty and quality. Use repeated performance trends and error patterns rather than assuming one mock percentage exactly predicts the official exam.
Practical readiness criteria
- You can complete 150 questions within three hours.
- Your performance is stable across several mixed timed sets.
- No major official content area remains completely unreviewed.
- You reliably recognize emergency red flags and immediate actions.
- Your repeated errors decrease after retesting.
- You can explain why the correct option is better than the alternatives.
Final-week preparation
- Prioritize mixed review and weak concepts.
- Repeat emergency algorithms, contraindications, pregnancy red flags, pediatric danger signs, and screening principles.
- Complete the final mock early enough to review it.
- Confirm Prometric booking details, identification, route, and arrival arrangements.
- Reduce intensity during the final 24–48 hours.
- Protect sleep and avoid dramatic routine changes.
For detailed coverage, use the DHA GP Exam Topics 2026 guide. For eligibility, registration, DataFlow, and booking context, use the complete DHA GP Exam Guide 2026.
Put your DHA GP study plan into action
Choose the Complete DHA GP Programme when you want one structured preparation pathway combining MCQs, mock tests, Crash Notes, study resources and assessments across your preparation schedule. If you only need one component, choose a focused option below.
Frequently asked questions
Is four weeks enough?
It may be enough for a doctor with a reasonable baseline, recent practice, and substantial protected study time. It is less suitable when major gaps remain.
Which plan is best for a full-time working doctor?
The eight-week plan is often the most practical. A twelve-week plan is safer when weekly availability is limited or unpredictable.
How many MCQs should I complete?
Use a volume that allows full explanation review and spaced repetition. DHA does not publish an official MCQ-count target.
How many full mocks are necessary?
There is no compulsory number. Two well-reviewed simulations may be enough for a short plan, while longer plans can include more.
Should I study only internal medicine?
No. The official coverage also includes pediatrics, women’s health, emergencies, surgery, psychiatry, eye and ENT, dermatology, epidemiology, family medicine, screening, and periodic health examination.
What should I do after a low mock score?
Review errors by subject and mechanism, correct the three most important weaknesses, and retest after several days rather than immediately repeating another full mock.
Official sources
- DHA Healthcare Professional Licensing Assessment CBT Guideline
- DHA Mode of Exam per Specialty
- DHA Manual for Professional Assessment
- Official Prometric DHA Program Page
Disclaimer: This is an independent educational study framework, not an official DHA timetable or guarantee of success. DHA may update the exam format, pass standard, content areas, references, or testing procedures. Verify current information through DHA, Sheryan, and Prometric before scheduling.
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