A complete, subject-wise breakdown of the HA (Certificate Level, General Medicine) Licensing Exam — with the exact marks distribution and a study plan that targets where the real marks are.
100MCQs
2 hrsDuration
0Negative Marking
75%In Just 3 Subjects
Why this exam decides your career: If you’ve completed your PCL in General Medicine (Health Assistant) from a CTEVT-affiliated institution, the NHPC Licensing Exam is the single exam standing between you and a legal, registered career as a Health Assistant in Nepal. Without it, you can’t practice at a health post, PHC center, hospital, or apply for government HA vacancies.Know your exam
The Format You’re Preparing For
Unlike some other licensing exams, the HA exam has no negative marking — which changes your strategy completely. Every question is worth attempting, since there’s zero penalty for a wrong guess.
- Duration: 2 hours
- Question Type: Objective MCQs, four options each
- Negative Marking: None
- Mode: Computer-based
- Re-exam: Allowed within 30 days if unsatisfied with result
Because there’s no penalty for wrong answers, your prep goal isn’t just “avoid mistakes” — it’s maximum syllabus coverage. An unanswered question guarantees zero marks, while even an educated guess gives you a real chance.Know your battlefield
Official NHPC Marks Distribution
Here’s exactly how the 100 marks are allocated across subjects.
What to Actually Study in Each Core Area
1. Community Health
25% · Most Underrated Subject
This is the subject most candidates underestimate because it feels “less clinical” — and that’s exactly why it separates the students who pass comfortably from those who scrape through.
- Health education and health promotion strategies
- Environmental health (water, sanitation, waste management)
- Primary Health Care (PHC) and Family Health programs
- Epidemiology and disease control (surveillance, outbreak response, national health programs)
- Nutrition — deficiency disorders, supplementation programs, growth monitoring
- Community diagnosis methods
- Health management — health system structure, referral systems, record-keeping
As an HA, your day-to-day work in a health post or PHC center revolves around exactly these functions — this subject isn’t theoretical, it’s your actual job description.
2. General Medicine
25% · Clinical Backbone
- Clinical methods — history taking, examination techniques, vital signs
- Systemic diseases — cardiovascular, respiratory, GI, renal, endocrine conditions
- Pediatric and neonatology basics — growth milestones, common childhood illnesses, newborn care
- Skin diseases — common dermatological conditions and management
- Venereal diseases / STIs — diagnosis, treatment, and counseling
- Psychiatry basics — common mental health conditions seen at primary care level
Focus on disease presentation → diagnosis → first-line management, in that order. The exam tests applied clinical reasoning, not just disease names.
3. General Surgery
25% · Practical & High-Yield
- Basic surgery — wound care, suturing principles, minor procedures
- First aid and emergency care — trauma management, burns, poisoning, shock
- Obstetrics and Gynecology — antenatal care, normal delivery, common complications
- Eye, ENT, and Oral Health — common conditions and basic management at HA level
In rural and community settings, HAs are often the first responders for trauma, obstetric emergencies, and minor surgical needs — this subject tests exactly those real-world responsibilities.
4. Anatomy and Physiology
10% · Foundation
- Systemic anatomy relevant to clinical practice
- Physiological functions of major organ systems
- Structure-function relationships that explain disease mechanisms
Don’t over-invest here relative to its weightage, but don’t skip it either — strong fundamentals make General Medicine and Surgery easier to retain.
5. Pharmacology and Pharmacy
10%
- Drug classifications and mechanisms of action
- Dosage calculations and routes of administration
- Preparation of common solutions, lotions, and ointments (gentian violet, mercurochrome, potassium permanganate, Whitfield ointment, etc.)
- Drug interactions and side effects relevant to primary care prescribing
This subject links directly to your daily dispensing responsibilities at a health post — practical, scenario-based recall works best here.
6. Clinical Pathology
5% · Low Weightage, Don’t Skip
- Basic biochemistry relevant to common lab tests
- Microbiology — common pathogens and basic diagnostic principles
Low weightage, but don’t leave it completely unread — a quick, focused revision here secures these marks without over-investing your limited study time.Your revision calendar
A Weightage-Based 6-Week Study Plan
| Week | Focus |
|---|---|
| Week 1 | Community Health (full subject — highest priority) |
| Week 2 | General Medicine — Clinical methods + Systemic diseases |
| Week 3 | General Medicine — Pediatrics, Skin, STIs, Psychiatry + General Surgery basics |
| Week 4 | General Surgery — First aid, Emergency care, Obs & Gyne, Eye/ENT/Oral Health |
| Week 5 | Anatomy & Physiology + Pharmacology & Pharmacy |
| Week 6 | Clinical Pathology + full revision + timed mock tests |
Final advice
Tips to Actually Pass the HA License Exam
- 01Attempt every single question. With no negative marking, an unanswered question is a guaranteed zero — always mark your best guess.
- 02Go deep on the “Big Three.” Community Health, General Medicine, and General Surgery together decide 75% of your score — master these before touching anything else.
- 03Think like you’re already working in a health post. Most questions are built around real HA job functions — community programs, first aid, maternal health, dispensing — not abstract theory.
- 04Practice with past papers and MCQ banks. They reveal NHPC’s actual question style far better than textbooks alone.
- 05Don’t neglect the small-weightage subjects entirely. A short, focused revision of Anatomy, Pharmacology, and Clinical Pathology secures easy, low-effort marks.
