HELP NEEDED URGENTLY: Information about NBDE EXAMS (2012)

[jkitty]

HI everyone, I'm seriously considering giving the NBDE exams in 2012 and have a few questions that I hope I can get the answers to here...

1) Is the format for the 2012 exams any different? I know it's PASS/FAIL but are the tests the same?

2)How does the PASS/FAIL system have an affect on my overall chances of getting admission? Is it worse or better than the SCORE system?

3)How long on 'average' does it take to study for a. Part 1 and b. Part 2? (I understand that this is a difficult one to answer because it depends on the person studying but I need a range so that I can form a plan accordingly)

4)If you've given the exam before, can you list the study material you used that you felt improved your chances...

5)How do I apply for the exam? How often is it held? Is there a deadline date?

If you can help out with any of these Questions it would be of great help to me because I feel like I'm drowning in a pool of information that's confusing and overwhelming.
Looking forward to the help. THANKS!

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[jkitty]

if u can offer any information- it really would be so helpful! anything at all!

it seems like people have viewed this and i still haven't got a single reply and it's frustrating because after hours researching online i'm more confused than ever!

i need to make this decision soon and i'm just wondering if any of this is possible. i'm starting to think there's no way into the US DDS system it seems so hard from what i've read...

 

[vdt2009]

HI everyone, I'm seriously considering giving the NBDE exams in 2012 and have a few questions that I hope I can get the answers to here...

1) Is the format for the 2012 exams any different? I know it's PASS/FAIL but are the tests the same?

2)How does the PASS/FAIL system have an affect on my overall chances of getting admission? Is it worse or better than the SCORE system?

3)How long on 'average' does it take to study for a. Part 1 and b. Part 2? (I understand that this is a difficult one to answer because it depends on the person studying but I need a range so that I can form a plan accordingly)

4)If you've given the exam before, can you list the study material you used that you felt improved your chances...

5)How do I apply for the exam? How often is it held? Is there a deadline date?

If you can help out with any of these Questions it would be of great help to me because I feel like I'm drowning in a pool of information that's confusing and overwhelming.
Looking forward to the help. THANKS!

jkitty ..well no body is really sure that Pass/Fail system is going to be good oo tough ...becoz there must be some criteria to diffrentiate btn applicants.
i read on ADA website that they will not mention ur % breakdown on score report this rule is applicable from jan 3-2012.. rest no one knows.n yeah u can retake ur exams also.. if once passed.

u need minimum 3-4 months for part 1 and 3-4 months for part 2 ...rest depends on u ...how will u carry

people use decks ,firstaid ,kaplan and text books.... in this thing also u have to explore what suits u.

hope it help

 

[jkitty]

Thanks... 4 months is doable. i guess ur right- maybe there will b more emphasis on other things.. like the gpa... and toefl scores! or who knows? they may even secretly be having the scores.. just a weird thought

 

[vdt2009]

Thanks... 4 months is doable. i guess ur right- maybe there will b more emphasis on other things.. like the gpa... and toefl scores! or who knows? they may even secretly be having the scores.. just a weird thought

i think we just have to give our best right now
rest is luck ...n yeah past too ...like GPA

 

[Voltron2010]

Thanks... 4 months is doable. i guess ur right- maybe there will b more emphasis on other things.. like the gpa... and toefl scores! or who knows? they may even secretly be having the scores.. just a weird thought

The study material best for the NDBE have been listed above, stick with any of them and you should do fine. As for the scoring , well everyone does have a score, but it isnt released. Canada's version has been pass fail. They only give you a score if you fail but not if you scored over the minimum. The USA version has gone to pass fail because there have been issues with people getting their hands on unreleased questions, and they felt that since the scores were being used by other organizations for example to determine candidates for speacialty the temptation to get their hands on unreleased exams was to great, so they just decided to do away with the score and make it pass fail.

 

[vdt2009]

The study material best for the NDBE have been listed above, stick with any of them and you should do fine. As for the scoring , well everyone does have a score, but it isnt released. Canada's version has been pass fail. They only give you a score if you fail but not if you scored over the minimum. The USA version has gone to pass fail because there have been issues with people getting their hands on unreleased questions, and they felt that since the scores were being used by other organizations for example to determine candidates for speacialty the temptation to get their hands on unreleased exams was to great, so they just decided to do away with the score and make it pass fail.

yeah Voltron2010 ur right.... even in NBDE score report they r going to do the same thing... if someone got flunk they mention scores on score report ...or else if u r pass it is just pass/fail thing.
I read this when i was browsing ADA website.

 

[jazz b]

i called ada..they said pass/fail report will be given . and admission will be based upon interview ..not %.

nobody knows if gona be easier or not.

 

[asd1234]

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[jkitty]

The study material best for the NDBE have been listed above, stick with any of them and you should do fine. As for the scoring , well everyone does have a score, but it isnt released. Canada's version has been pass fail. They only give you a score if you fail but not if you scored over the minimum. The USA version has gone to pass fail because there have been issues with people getting their hands on unreleased questions, and they felt that since the scores were being used by other organizations for example to determine candidates for speacialty the temptation to get their hands on unreleased exams was to great, so they just decided to do away with the score and make it pass fail.

Does this mean that they'll know our score but we wont? or is it anonymous to everyone?
That would really not be good, if they knew what my score was and I didnt!
I was wondering if I should hurry and give it before 2012 to get a score but then I was advised that not having a score would work to my advantage. What do you think?

I still have to get my GPA- im thinking it should fall between 3.1-3.4, my TOEFL scores are good- i dont have work experience but I plan on doing an observant-ship. I also have done volunteer work and I graduated late last year but it states on my degree that I graduated in March 2011 as the official date (hence the lack of work ex since its been 3 months) I need to decide if I should leave home and make a move there or stay here and work. I want to try and apply in 2012 for the 2013 academic year.
Do I stand any chance? Would it be better to get a score? or not to? I intend on doing both 1 &2 and if possible do anything I can to improve my resume! Maybe try and affiliate myself with a Uni and do a paper if possible, not sure how the system works =(

 

[vdt2009]

http://www.ada.org/sections/educationAndCareers/pdfs/Volume_3_Number_2.pdf


guys check this out

u will find so many answers for 2012 pattern

 

[Molar90]

hey am starting with my NBDE part 1 prep too....hows ur prep going?..which books r u referring?

 

[Molar90]

Hey I read the info on the site...I dont get the statement-- numerical scores will not be calculated or reported...then if we've passed how would we know what score we've got?..which University should we go ahead with based on our score???

 

[Voltron2010]

Does this mean that they'll know our score but we wont? or is it anonymous to everyone?
That would really not be good, if they knew what my score was and I didnt!
I was wondering if I should hurry and give it before 2012 to get a score but then I was advised that not having a score would work to my advantage. What do you think?

I still have to get my GPA- im thinking it should fall between 3.1-3.4, my TOEFL scores are good- i dont have work experience but I plan on doing an observant-ship. I also have done volunteer work and I graduated late last year but it states on my degree that I graduated in March 2011 as the official date (hence the lack of work ex since its been 3 months) I need to decide if I should leave home and make a move there or stay here and work. I want to try and apply in 2012 for the 2013 academic year.
Do I stand any chance? Would it be better to get a score? or not to? I intend on doing both 1 &2 and if possible do anything I can to improve my resume! Maybe try and affiliate myself with a Uni and do a paper if possible, not sure how the system works =(

Its pretty much annonymous to everyone. I am not sure how the schools will handle it for admission of FTD. I suspect most will just ask to see if you passed, which means its "easier" in the sense that USA trained students need a 75 to pass and they usually require an 80 for a FTD dentist to be considered a candidate. with pass fail all you need now is 75 to be succesful. But every school can set what they want to do with regards to admission.

 

[dds84]

I called ada and they said they is no pattern change in next year part 1 all we will have pass/fail and no numerical score.and there is no merging of part 1 and 2 next year till 2015.

 

[asd1234]

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[den25]

. Oh and numerical scores wont be sent to the candidates but if the schools ask for it they can get them from the ADA.

how do you know this?

 

[den25]

ada website says passing scores will not be calculated or reported

 

[dds84]

The pattern as in the way questions are presented and the way you have to answer is changing thats why its going to be pass/fail. They cant keep the test the same level but just change it to pass/fail. Its going to be harder. But, yea about the merging of the 2 exams thats not till 2015 and its also written that if you have taken part 1 before that they will have some type of exam for those people rather than having to take the one that is merging but they arent sure about that yet. Oh and numerical scores wont be sent to the candidates but if the schools ask for it they can get them from the ADA.

I told what the person in the ada told me,how did you know they are going to change the pattern did you read in ada website ? if yes can you paste it here? thanks

 

[asd1234]

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[asd1234]

.http://www.ada.org/sections/educationAndCareers/pdfs/Volume_3_Number_2.pdf

 

[dds84]

i havent taken part 1,i am searching in jcnbd site i couldnt find,can you paste it here? thanks a lot.

 

[dds84]

It's on the jcnde website. Have you taken part 1 yet? It's the same site. If you haven't let me know i'll look up the site and paste it for you. Also I mean the way the questions are asked and answered. If you're talking about merging the 2 exams, yes you're right thats not till 2015.

http://www.ada.org/sections/educationAndCareers/pdfs/Volume_3_Number_2.pdf

I just saw in jcnbde ,yeah there is change in the pattern from 2012 ,it includes matching and multiple answers (a-i) and ordering ,.thanks for correcting me.

 

[dwelee]

If a passing score isn't calculated how would you know you passed? The rule of pass/fail is done now because candidates would look for unreleased exams and memorize them and do well according to that. So now the ADA made the rule so people wouldn't do that. Also if the scores weren't calculated how could they tell a percentage to the people that failed? The scores are sent to schools. Also if the test was only based on getting a 75% it would be like the NCLEX (nursing) where once they get 75% the test automatically ends. Anyways if you know someone from the ADA they will tell you all this.

Hi asd1234
How did you know that the scores will be reported to school? They haven't mention any thing about that on ADA website. They have emphasized that the scores will be reported as pass/fail for both schools and applicants and if that's true (I mean reporting scores to schools) there will be no point of making it pass/fail and the people will still have the motivation of reviewing unreleased exam which was the main reason for ADA to make it pass/fail !!!! For this reason they have waited 2 years ( from 2010 to 2012) and they stated that "The decision to delay implementation was made to allow key stakeholders more time to prepare for the transition, especially state boards that may need to amend their practice acts" . So, If they have excess to the numerical scores, they won't need this time to adjust their rules because nothing have changed for them !!!!In addition, the JCNDE emphasized that the main goal of the NBDE is for licensure purpose and not to use it for any other purpose (student ranking, school ranking, faculty evaluation, admission, etc.).

Yo can find all these info on this power point doc.http://ebookbrowse.com/nbde-presentation-cunningham-ppt-d15779196







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[asd1234]

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[asd1234]

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[dwelee]

Okay I'm half asleep and just accidentally deleted my whole spiel. Damn. Okay well the pdf isnt recent first off. Secondly the exam if it didn't have scores would be like the nclex exam. Won't explain again. Thirdly the format of questions and answers is changing. Any of those reasons will show they don't want anyone getting unreleased exams because now (2012) unreleased exams will be pointless. So yea do you really think if a school doesn't want the score they can't get it if you hope the ADA won't report it? Anyways from the looks of it the exam next is going to be a lot harder so if you haven't done it yet study and good luck and goodnight.

The Powerpoint doc isn't recent but It isn't changed. The ADA said " they won't report scores" either to the students or schools, boards, etc. and if they've changed that, they will report it clearly on their periodic released.

First of all we have to understand why JCNDE has made these changes?
After extensive statistical studies they have found that NBDE numerical scores are highly reliable only at the pass/fail point (which is 75) but not at high scores, which means it is not necessarily there is a difference in knowledge between a person who's got 88 and another one who's got 90. However, these differences may play an important role in the process of admission, ranking .. etc which extend beyond of the scope of NBDE as a tool of making valid licensing decisions. In addition, they have found that getting a high scores in NBDE has become motivation to obtain and share unreleased exam content. So, According to these points, reporting the numerical scores to the schools does not make any sense and it will violate the purpose of pass/fail change.
I didn't say there will not be a numerical scores, what I said it will not be reported and it's indeed there will be changes in the questions pattern in 2012 but we should remember that the exam is a Percentile in nature ( not percentage) which means even if it gets harder, it will be hard for everyone which won't necessarily effect the passing scores .



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[asd1234]

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[asd1234]

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[dwelee]

ok so i reread your response. First what youve copied and pasted states that there is no difference in scores at 88 to 90 is (example) but around the passing score that makes a difference .. i.e around 75 so like theres a big difference between 75 and 80. So thats point one where they would need the scores. Then you state that it says "its is important in the matter of admission process" So there is second where a score if important. Okay so now you're talking about how is the exam is hard for one person its hard for everyone. You know the "precentiles" and "percentages" and "percent" and all the words pertaining to that dont matter. The exam is formed by a panel that determine what question is hard and what is easy so what the person next to you gets doesnt matter with your score. So I don't know if you've taken your test or not but keep on thinking what you want and that's fine. To each his own.

First, I haven't copied and pasted these words !!!! I just put what I understood in my own words.
Second, There is huge difference between the percentage and percentile scores and almost all the standardised tests ( including NBDE, DAT, MCAT, TOEFL etc) are percentile tests and in these tests your scores depend on how the other examinees do in the same test.
These links explain the difference between them:
http://www.nwea.org/support/article/1205/what-difference-between-percentile-and-percent-correct
http://www.englishforums.com/English/WhatDifferenceBetweenPercentile-Percentage/hnhkg/post.htm

I hope this will make it clear




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[asd1234]

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[dwelee]

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[dwelee]

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[jkitty]

Honestly, asd1234 I read all the above comments and I had the same concerns that dwelee did. I don't think picking a fight was the objective here, I think it was more on the lines of establishing fact from non-fact.

Truth be told, your statement about schools being able to obtain our score report scared me to bits and I just wanted some confirmation on those claims, which is what I think dwelee was after as well.

Either way, since I am the OP and this was one of the questions I asked, I'd like to know if, at the end of it all, either of you have a definitive answer to this- with proof?
It would be helpful to both me and anyone else interested in reading this message board.

As funny as it sounds that little argument or whatever it was you guys had, allowed for some kind of discussion on the subject. Thanks guys
Hope to hear from you soon.

 

[docbds]

i am confused now whether or not they report the scores to the schools

 

[dwelee]

Honestly, asd1234 I read all the above comments and I had the same concerns that dwelee did. I don't think picking a fight was the objective here, I think it was more on the lines of establishing fact from non-fact.

Truth be told, your statement about schools being able to obtain our score report scared me to bits and I just wanted some confirmation on those claims, which is what I think dwelee was after as well.

Either way, since I am the OP and this was one of the questions I asked, I'd like to know if, at the end of it all, either of you have a definitive answer to this- with proof?
It would be helpful to both me and anyone else interested in reading this message board.

As funny as it sounds that little argument or whatever it was you guys had, allowed for some kind of discussion on the subject. Thanks guys
Hope to hear from you soon.

Hi jkitty
I didn't mean to start an argument here, all I wanted to know "where did he get these info?" he just claimed that the ADA may report the numerical score to schools without any evident while all the periodic releases of the ADA or JCNDE (including the one that I attached below) stated that after Jan 1st 2012 they won't report numerical scores. In addition I wanted to clarify that reporting the numerical scores to schools or other stakeholders will violate the purpose of Pass/Fail change. I don't think it is convenient to scare people here without any evident...



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[asd1234]

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[asd1234]

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[Voltron2010]

i am confused now whether or not they report the scores to the schools

In 2012 they will no longer report scores to schools. They will report pass or fail. Until then you will get a score.

so if you take the test in 2011 you will get a score and that score will be reported to the scholl.
If you take in 2012 you will not get a score only whether you passed or failed. Teh school will only know if you passed or failed.

 

[dwelee]

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[srydent]

Can anyone suggest whether taking the test in score system would be better for getting admission or taking it in 2012 with pass/ fail system. I have a average GPA and few months of experience, so can a good score make it a difference?
please if anyone can guide me through this.. as i am confused whether i should take the test by December...or in 2012.

 

[srydent]

=srydent;11672576]Can anyone suggest whether taking the test in score system would be better for getting admission or taking it in 2012 with pass/ fail system. I have a average GPA and few months of experience, so can a good score make it a difference?
please if anyone can guide me through this.. as i am confused whether i should take the test by December...or in 2012.
plz give some opinion...

 

[shehla]

i'll take my part 1 on dec 30th....so it will be scored as pass/fail or percentage ?
so confuse coz if it will be percentage then will school accept this score for next yr application cycle...
should i wait and take exam in 2012?
i already took the date for exam:>(

 

[vdt2009]

Anyone knows what is the rescheduling fee for NBDE part 1 ?

 

[vdt2009]

i'll take my part 1 on dec 30th....so it will be scored as pass/fail or percentage ?
so confuse coz if it will be percentage then will school accept this score for next yr application cycle...
should i wait and take exam in 2012?
i already took the date for exam:>(

If exam is taken before 1st jan ...results will be reported as scores .

Hope this helps

 

[srydent]

=srydent;11672576]Can anyone suggest whether taking the test in score system would be better for getting admission or taking it in 2012 with pass/ fail system. I have a average GPA and few months of experience, so can a good score make it a difference?
please if anyone can guide me through this.. as i am confused whether i should take the test by December...or in 2012.
plz give some opinion...

Please if anybody can advise ... i am waiting for a response..

 

[rajjoo]

Does this mean that they'll know our score but we wont? or is it anonymous to everyone?
That would really not be good, if they knew what my score was and I didnt!
I was wondering if I should hurry and give it before 2012 to get a score but then I was advised that not having a score would work to my advantage. What do you think?

I still have to get my GPA- im thinking it should fall between 3.1-3.4, my TOEFL scores are good- i dont have work experience but I plan on doing an observant-ship. I also have done volunteer work and I graduated late last year but it states on my degree that I graduated in March 2011 as the official date (hence the lack of work ex since its been 3 months) I need to decide if I should leave home and make a move there or stay here and work. I want to try and apply in 2012 for the 2013 academic year.
Do I stand any chance? Would it be better to get a score? or not to? I intend on doing both 1 &2 and if possible do anything I can to improve my resume! Maybe try and affiliate myself with a Uni and do a paper if possible, not sure how the system works =(

Hi,

I am wondering how does one calculate GPA (for MDS from India) - who does it and does the ECE do it? I would like to understand my GPA before applying - so that I know my standing.

thanks
rajjoo

 

[rajjoo]

In 2012 they will no longer report scores to schools. They will report pass or fail. Until then you will get a score.

so if you take the test in 2011 you will get a score and that score will be reported to the scholl.
If you take in 2012 you will not get a score only whether you passed or failed. Teh school will only know if you passed or failed.

Hi guys,

I am wondering how does one calculate GPA (for MDS from India) - who does it and does the ECE do it? I would like to understand my GPA before applying - so that I know my standing.

thanks
rajjoo

 

[myair]

shd I wait if I am retaking it? is it a good idea?