Study Tips for Canadian Dental Board Exams (NDEB)

I wrote about my experience with the Part 1 of the American dental boards (aka NBDE) here. Although I did not take the Part 2, I have heard from classmates that it is very similar to the Canadian dental board exam (NDEB).

Last year, I started studying for the March NDEB during my winter holidays. If I could do it again, I would probably have started a bit earlier so that it was not as stressful. I thought I would post these tips in time for those who are starting to study (or think about studying?) for the upcoming NDEB exam.

What is the NDEB?

The Canadian National Dental Examining Board administers the licensing examination to eligible dental students. Passing the exam is one of the last major requirements on the journey to becoming a dentist in Canada! There are only a few test sessions held each year, usually in March/May/December and results are released about 6 weeks later.

The exam spans two days, usually held on a weekend. You need a score of 75+ to pass.

Written Exam

The first day is the written exam, which is a multiple choice exam, total 300 questions. There is one part in the morning, and a second part in the afternoon. The official NDEB website has a breakdown of the Format and Content of the exam.

• Released Question Bank – This was the most useful resource for me while studying. There are HUNDREDS of questions and the NDEB does NOT provide an answer key, so it can be extremely daunting to tackle. My class divided up the questions and answered them together on Google Docs. This allowed us to make up an “answer key” and also discuss contentious questions or answers.
  • I used this resource not just to test my own knowledge, but to see which areas I needed to improve on. Whenever I encountered a confusing term or concept mentioned in the question bank, I would consult my textbooks or class notes to review it.
  • I would NOT approach the Released Questions with the intention of memorizing all the answers because they are not guaranteed to show up on the real exam.
  • Don’t stress about individual questions that don’t seem to make sense, because the question bank also includes erroneous questions that have since been retired.
• Dental Decks Part II – These are a box of flashcards with a question on the front, and the answer + explanations on the back. It is a good resource, if you don’t mind carrying a box (or ziplock bag) of loose cards. However, since it’s not a book, the topics jump around.
  • Keep in mind – the Dental Decks are geared toward the American NBDE Part II. Although that exam content is very similar to the Canadian NDEB, there are a few differences. For example, the Decks Part II does not contain flashcards regarding Dental Anatomy or Ethics. You will need to refer to another resource (like Decks Part I or First Aid NBDE Part I).
  • Second-hand Dental Decks from several years ago are still useful. I personally studied for March 2017 NDEB using Dental Decks Part II 2013. Don’t forget to check Dental Deck corrections.
• Reference Textbooks are the sources of information used by the NDEB. It may seem easier to Google something, but a niche dental fact may actually be easier to find in a textbook.
  The book list is extremely long. The library did not carry all of these books, so I chose to consult the textbooks that were both on the NDEB list and also recommended by my professors. I recommend:
  • AAPD Clinical Practice Guidelines articles
  • Contemporary Orthodontics, William R. Profitt
  • Dental Management of the Medically Compromised Patient, Little & Falace
  • Contemporary Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, James R. Hupp
  • Clinical Periodontology, Carranza
  • Cohen’s Pathways of the Pulp
  • Oral Radiology Principles and Interpretation, White & Pharoah
  • Contemporary Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Sapp & Wysocki
• Tuft’s Pharmacology Review (2005) – Succinct review of anesthetics, analgesics, antibiotics and sedatives. Plus practice questions.
• Your professors want to see you succeed, and many of them can help explain or review some concepts. They may know a little thing or two ;)
• Don’t forget about your old class notes!
• First Aid for the NBDE Part II & Mosby’s Review for the NBDE Part II – They are decent as a general overview, but not in-depth enough to answer specific pedantic questions. I had both of these books but barely consulted them.

OSCE

The OSCE (Obstructive Structured Clinical Examination) is held on the second day. It is meant to test your clinical judgement. It is a bell-ringer type of exam.

Each station has some text outlining the patient history, plus an attached clinical photo/radiograph/model/etc and questions related to the case. You only have a couple minutes to fully read the questions and answer, before you MUST move on to the next station.

• OSCE Protocol – Read this to understand how the OSCE is scored. Marks are deducted for incorrect answers. Do not pick every choice that maaaay be correct. Only select the ones that you think are DEFINITELY correct. WHEN IN DOUBT, LEAVE IT OUT.
  
  • There is also a breakdown of the topics that are tested in the OSCE.
  • It also gives very specific instructions and grading guide on the Prescription Writing portion of the OSCE. If you don’t read this document, you may make a critical error that causes you to fail the Prescription Writing station.
• Mock OSCE Exam is a great way to test your OSCE knowledge base, and understand how the scoring works. Resist the urge to pick all the possible correct choices. You will need to create a free account to take the mock test. Here is a tutorial on how to use the site.
• Question and Answer Framework lists the topics and approximate question format of the OSCE. Go through the listed topics and make sure you understand them.
• Prescription Writing – Be sure to know the indications, contraindications and how to write a complete Rx for common medications. Again, be sure to read the OSCE Protocol’s section on the grading scheme for prescription writing. Little things like writing only a drug’s brand name, or prescribing a drug/formulation not available in Canada will cause you to lose points.
  • RxTx is a drug database specifically for Canadian products. Use it to verify the Canadian drug name, available dosage and formulation.
  • LexiComp is another popular drug compendium, but it more American-leaning.
  • To access these sites, check with your university’s library or your local dental association.
• If you need some practice reading dental radiographs, check out the book “Exercises in Oral Radiology and Interpretation” by Langlais. There are lots of practice questions and an answer key at the back.

Tips for the Exam Day

• Work together with your classmates, and help each other study. The NDEB exam is pass/fail, so there is no need to be competitive.
• Get enough sleep before both exams, especially the OSCE.
• Bring a lot of HB pencils and erasers. You’re also allowed to bring ear plugs.
• Pack a lunch. There is time for lunch on both days, but since the test is on the weekends, the on-campus cafeterias at your exam venue may not be open. You don’t need the stress of rushing to find food, and/or not having enough time to eat.
• Do not bring expensive valuables. You’re not allowed to bring anything into the testing area except your ID card, pencil, eraser, earplugs and clear disposable water bottle. Anything else will have to be left outside the testing area, and the area may not be secured.
  • You’re allowed to bring loupes (without a light) to the OSCE.
• In the Written Exam, wrong answers are not negatively scored. So if you’re unsure about a question, make an educated guess.
• The OSCE requires the opposite strategy. When in doubt about an answer choice — e.g., Is there really caries on that 26M or am I just imagining it… LEAVE IT OUT. If you select an incorrect answer, you will receive a NEGATIVE score.
• Read the OSCE questions very carefully. For example, there may be a dental model for you to examine, with MOD restorations on both #16 and #26. If the question is asking you to evaluate the #16 MOD, don’t look at the wrong tooth!
• Go with your gut feeling. If you have to think REALLY hard and rationalize your answer choice to yourself… it’s probably not the correct answer choice.
  • Unless you critically mis-read the question, it’s almost always better to stay with your first instinctive answer choice.

Good luck everyone! I hope my tips and suggested resources help you with your NDEB studying.