Short answer: The EMREE blueprint, as we read it in the organiser’s PDF, gives paediatrics and obstetrics and gynaecology 15 out of 100 each. Together that is about 36 questions on a usual 120, our estimate. This EMREE paediatrics and obstetrics revision guide shows what to cover and how to practise both.
Why these two disciplines matter together
Paediatrics and obstetrics and gynaecology each carry 15 of 100 in the EMREE blueprint, Table 1 of the November 2025 PDF, which we read directly. Confirm it against the current blueprint, as editions change. Together they equal 30, more than internal medicine alone at 20.
On a paper of 120 questions, our arithmetic gives about 18 each. That is an estimate. Many candidates from a medicine or surgery background under-revise them, so they are a common place to gain marks.
Paediatrics: what to cover
Think in age bands, because the answer often changes with age.
- Newborn: jaundice, feeding, sepsis and congenital problems.
- Infant and child: fever, respiratory illness, gastroenteritis and dehydration.
- Growth, development and immunisation.
- Common emergencies: seizures, asthma, anaphylaxis and the sick child who looks unwell.
- Child protection and consent in young people.
Obstetrics and gynaecology: what to cover
Split it into the antenatal, labour and postnatal stages, then gynaecology.
- Antenatal care, screening and common complications such as hypertension and diabetes in pregnancy.
- Labour, delivery and obstetric emergencies such as bleeding and shoulder dystocia.
- Postnatal care and contraception.
- Gynaecology: bleeding, pelvic pain, early pregnancy problems and infertility.
How the questions work
The style is a short vignette with a lead-in such as most likely diagnosis or next best step. In both disciplines, safety and timing decide the answer: the age of the child, the gestation of the pregnancy, whether the patient is stable.
Example, invented for teaching. A woman at 34 weeks has sudden painful vaginal bleeding and a tense abdomen. The deciding detail is pain with a tense uterus, so you think of placental abruption and act as an emergency, not a vaginal examination first.
A plan to cover both
Alternate the two across weeks, so neither goes cold. A Meddex estimate for 3 hours a week on each: odd weeks paediatrics, even weeks obstetrics for new topics, with 15 mixed questions of the other on the same evening. Our maternal and child health guide gives the shared basics, and fluids and electrolytes covers children’s fluid questions in outline.
Learn by safe rules
Both disciplines reward a few safety rules done well: weight-based doses, never guessing in a sick child, protecting a mother and baby together. Write each rule on a flashcard in the Meddex flashcards, and test it by saying why the unsafe options are wrong.
Common mistakes in these two disciplines
In paediatrics, the common mistake is treating a child as a small adult. Doses, normal ranges and the meaning of a fever all change with age and weight, so check the age first in every vignette. In obstetrics, the mistake is forgetting that there are two patients, and that a drug or test that is fine for the mother may not be for the baby.
Both disciplines also reward knowing when not to act alone. A sick newborn, a bleeding pregnant woman or a child you suspect has been harmed needs early senior help and the right pathway. An answer that escalates early is often the best one.
How to practise each week
Use a repeating pattern that you can keep on a busy week. On the first evening, learn one topic and do 15 questions on it. On the second, do 15 questions on yesterday’s topic and 15 mixed from the other discipline. At the weekend, do a timed set of 30 mixed across both and review every miss.
Keep a separate page in your error log for each discipline. After four weeks, count the misses by theme. If most are age or gestation errors, add a one-line reminder to the top of each session. If most are knowledge gaps, schedule those topics first the following week.
How this fits the rest of the plan
These two disciplines sit beside four others of similar or larger weight. Do not let them squeeze out surgery, family medicine or internal medicine. A fair rule is to give each of them the same share of hours as its blueprint weight, then move an hour only where your own baseline shows a gap.
Check your plan against the EMREE internal medicine revision plan, so the biggest discipline and these two do not compete for the same evenings.
Frequently asked questions
This article is general educational guidance, not official advice. Exam rules, fees and timelines are set by the Dubai Health Authority and the test provider and can change, so always confirm the latest details on their official channels.
Last updated .