Short answer: In the last week, stop expanding. Review your error log and the cards you still miss, do short timed sets rather than full mocks after day four, check your documents and route, protect sleep and keep your routine normal. Aim to arrive rested, with a plan for pacing.
What the last week is for
You cannot add much knowledge in seven days, and trying to can harm your confidence. The week has three jobs: consolidate what you know, rehearse the exam conditions, and get to the test centre rested and organised.
This plan suits a final week with a normal workload. Adjust it for your rota.
Day 7 and day 6: the last full mock
If you have not already, take your last full timed mock on day 7, under real conditions. On day 6, review it fully with the mock analysis method and pick three issues to fix. Choose repairs that are small and concrete, such as a set of cards or a pacing change.
Day 5 and day 4: targeted repair
Work on your three issues, with short sets of 20 to 30 questions on weak topics, and update your error log. Go through your rules page. If you notice a big gap, learn the headline, not the whole chapter. By the end of day 4, stop studying new material altogether.
Day 3 and day 2: light and steady
Review due cards and your high-miss cards. Do one short timed set of 30 to 40 questions to keep your pacing warm, not to test yourself. Check logistics: documents and identification, the route, the time you need to leave and the arrangements for your shift or family. Avoid any new full mock.
The day before
Keep to a normal routine. Do a short review in the morning, around 45 minutes, covering your list of rules and cards. After that, rest. Prepare your bag, eat a normal meal and go to bed at a regular time. Do not stay up to cram. Evidence on sleep and memory, such as the Diekelmann and Born review, supports protecting your sleep in the last days, even though a bad night before the exam is common and does not ruin a result.
The day itself
Eat, drink water and leave early. Follow the last-hour revision plan rather than a frantic scroll. At check-in, follow instructions calmly. When the exam starts, read the first question slowly and follow your pacing plan.
A sample final week for someone on day shifts
Assume an exam on Saturday morning. Saturday before: last full mock. Sunday: analyse it and choose three fixes. Monday: targeted sets on the fixes, 30 questions, plus cards. Tuesday: a second targeted session and the rules page. Wednesday: a short timed set of 30 questions and a light card review. Thursday: confirm travel, documents and bag. Light review of the rules for 45 minutes. Friday: a walk, a normal meal, an early night, and the last-hour list ready on your phone. Saturday: the exam.
If your rota puts a long shift on Thursday, swap Thursday’s items with Wednesday’s and keep Friday free. Ask for leave for the day before if you can.
Logistics people forget
Print your booking confirmation. Charge your phone. Put cash or a transport card in your bag. Check the weather and plan for it. If you drive, check parking at the centre. If you need childcare or someone to cover a shift, arrange it early. Decide in advance what you will eat before and after. Small tasks done on Thursday remove decisions from Saturday morning.
What to study and what to leave in the last week
Choose your content carefully. Good choices for the last week are high-frequency topics that you are still shaky on, such as calculations, medication safety, infection control precautions, emergency prioritisation and the core facts on your cards. Poor choices are rare diseases, new guidelines you have never met and big topics that need hours to master. If you have a gap in a large area, accept it for now and concentrate on the middle ground of common material, where each hour earns more marks.
If you are tempted to spend the week on a favourite topic because it feels productive, check your error log first. The topic that costs you most marks is the better use of time.
Taking care of the phone and the apps
Many candidates use a phone for revision. Clear your notifications in the last week, uninstall distractions if you must and organise your study apps on one screen. Charge it fully the night before. Remember that you will not be able to keep it with you in the test room, so plan your final review before check-in. If you are using the Meddex Final Hour mode, try it once earlier in the week, so you know what to expect and can pick a length that suits you.
Looking after your body in the last week
Keep to your normal meals and avoid big changes. Move every day, even a walk of twenty minutes. Limit alcohol. Watch caffeine. If you take regular medication, take it as usual. If you are unwell, speak to a doctor, and check the rescheduling rules for the exam early, because some deadlines are short. Looking after yourself is part of preparation, not a distraction from it.
Help from the people around you
Tell your household what is happening and ask for specific help: quiet in the evenings, a meal made on the night before, a lift to the centre. Say clearly what would not help, such as questions about how it is going or comparisons with other candidates. Most people are glad to be asked and relieved to know what to do.
What if the plan goes wrong
If you are ill, take care of yourself first and check the rescheduling policy early, because some deadlines are short. If a family emergency interrupts a day, drop the lowest-value item and keep the sleep and the last-hour list. If a mock goes badly, resist an all-night repair. Pick one fix, practise it, and trust the rest of your preparation. A calm final week is worth more than a perfect one.
Confidence without complacency
By the last week you will have a sense of how you are doing. If your mocks are comfortably above the benchmark you have chosen, avoid the temptation to coast. Keep your routine and your pacing practice. If they are lower than you hoped, avoid despair. Trends matter, and your final week can still bring small gains in pacing, technique and calm. Neither overconfidence nor panic helps. A steady plan does.
The week in one paragraph
Take your last full mock early in the week, analyse it, repair three things, then taper. Review cards and rules, keep sleep regular, sort the logistics by Thursday, rest the day before, and follow a short last-hour plan on the day. Nothing in that list needs heroics, and all of it is within your control.
Managing your head
You may feel that you know nothing in the last days. That is normal and it is a poor guide to your knowledge. Keep to the plan. Avoid forums full of panic and comparisons. If your worry will not settle, try writing it out for ten minutes, as in the last-hour guide, and then do something physical. The exam anxiety guide has more.
Related guide
If you are sitting the DHA exam and want a week built around Meddex's ten domains and a pace per question, see the DHA exam final week plan.
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 .