Oh man dental school was crazy ride. By far easier than undergrad due to its structure (1 or 2 tests at a time every 2-4 weeks). Filled with good times and not so good times. As soon as I started D school my health began to plummet and led to me taking the NBDE pt 2 and ADEX at the very last minute before graduation. Pt 2 was on Wednesday and Thursday and ADEX was on Friday evening and I finished at 8:00 pm right when the prometric center closed. And graduation was the following Monday. Yeeesh.
NBDE pt 2 Materials Used:
In total I did Mastery app 2.5 times, my avg for the 1st run was ~65% and 2nd run ~90%. For the 1000 or so questions I did of Kaplan Q bank, I averaged 69% (heh). With the questions I got wrong and the ones I educated-guessed correctly I reviewed using Dentin or google when the explanations weren't enough.
Assessment of Study Aids:
Dentin was pretty good as a reference book. Mastery app was good and very convenient to use. Kaplan Q bank was a bit more challenging than mastery app and the actual NBDE pt 2 exam, especially the patho section. I still recommend Kaplan Q bank b/c it made the actual test feel easier. Mosby pt management was okay, I learned most of that section through the Kap Q bank. Tufts pharm review was pretty good, I saw a lot of similar questions that were just re-phrased or asking about the same topic using a different question format. Overall I would recommend everything I used if you want to ensure a passing score. If you're a brave soul you could probably get away with just using either the mastery app or Kap Q bank.
Day 1: NBDE pt 2
Day 2: NBDE pt 2:
Read on SDN that if day 1 was easy then day 2 would be hard. Dunno, it felt pretty tame. Out of the 100 questions, probably 5-7 that I just didn't know. Cases pretty straightforward. STDs, autoimmunes, edentulism etc nothing unique - commonly found pathologies and dental issues. Majority of questions you could answer without looking at case details, but I dont recommend you do that. Always read the cases just in case. No troublesome questions asking you about calculus on low-quality radiographs. Felt too easy... I took the optional break and stayed the whole time, again agonizing over poorly worded and ambiguous questions.
Day 3: CDCA ADEX:
This was amazingly simple and easy. 90% of it felt like the answers were no brainers. Took the optional break and stayed full time. Staying the entire time was a struggle since I finished each section so fast. This felt like it just tested to see if you were grossly incompetent or not. A few felt like they had multiple possible answers, so I just picked the most likely one. They tell you if you pass right away with a "well done, you passed." Felt like grandpa was congratulating me.
Fun fact: I wore the same flannel shirt I usually wear when I study for 3 days in a row and didn't shave/trim in the 2 weeks I was studying. I mustve scared the prometric people "oh look that homeless guy is here yet again?!" is probably what they were thinking. One of them even pointed out my fly was open... smh. When I focus, I really hyperfocus and lose awareness of everything but the exam.
Felt pretty good at the end of each day. But after vicious googling the day after the exams, I became aware that I made many dumb mistakes. That made me feel a little anxious but I put it out of mind and assumed my initial gut feeling was right and proceeded with licensure application and job hunting.
Concluding Remarks:
Today, exactly 2 weeks later the "pass" score was posted online. Sweet relief. There were so many instances in D3 and D4 where I was moments away from giving in a medical leave of absence but every time either my ingenuity or luck saved me. Being a biochem nerd really does pay. I figured out the 2 rare immunological conditions I developed when my many docs couldn't and then found a specialist who confirmed them after extensive testing. After failing many treatments over span of 4 yrs, I came up with a treatment plan that takes advantage of both conditions' pathophysiology to minimize risk associated with each individual drug (one of which being a "weak" chemo-drug), and after some convincing, I was prescribed what I suggested and huge progress has been made. Still have a long way to go but I'm better than I have been in the past 2 years since my official diagnosis. I thought for sure I wouldn't graduate on time, much less be able to put in the massive energy needed to pass NBDE pt 2, but here I am now, scheduling a million job interviews.
NBDE pt 2 Materials Used:
- Dentin 2017 edition
- Kaplan Qbank
- Mastery app
- Mosby for patient management
- Tufts pharmacology
In total I did Mastery app 2.5 times, my avg for the 1st run was ~65% and 2nd run ~90%. For the 1000 or so questions I did of Kaplan Q bank, I averaged 69% (heh). With the questions I got wrong and the ones I educated-guessed correctly I reviewed using Dentin or google when the explanations weren't enough.
Assessment of Study Aids:
Dentin was pretty good as a reference book. Mastery app was good and very convenient to use. Kaplan Q bank was a bit more challenging than mastery app and the actual NBDE pt 2 exam, especially the patho section. I still recommend Kaplan Q bank b/c it made the actual test feel easier. Mosby pt management was okay, I learned most of that section through the Kap Q bank. Tufts pharm review was pretty good, I saw a lot of similar questions that were just re-phrased or asking about the same topic using a different question format. Overall I would recommend everything I used if you want to ensure a passing score. If you're a brave soul you could probably get away with just using either the mastery app or Kap Q bank.
Day 1: NBDE pt 2
- Endo: probably the easiest section though I goofed on like half the splint questions I had. It was a blind spot I didn't study for. But after the first 100 questions I took the optional break and googled stuff about it and got those questions right for the rest of the day. Know number of canals each tooth can possibly have as well as access. Know what 3rd the furcation is located on multi-rooted teeth. Super basic questions. Little on materials.
- Operative: Know prep dimensions, though I dont think I had any on my test. Had a few amalgam questions, I was expecting a ton, thank goodness for that as it was one of my weak spots and anything beyond the basics would probably get me. Had a few materials questions, pretty basic stuff about etch and composites.
- Oral Surgery: a few about fractures. Many emergency type questions. Had around 10 questions about implants. 1 question about which forcep to use for particular tooth. Some procedural questions covering extractions and post-op care. Also pre-op considerations. Salivary gland duct names and anatomy. Know about untreated infections spreading from tooth to other tissues and possible complications. Infective endocarditis and when prophylactic antibiotics is given as well as dosages and timing. A few about mastication muscles function and anatomy.
- Pathology: Know your dysplasias and clinical presentations. Know tooth developmental disorders (your imperfectas and such) and radiographic appearances as well as tooth abnormalities. Good amount of cancer questions, some with pics. Got a few questions on blood cancers and age and if you care enough know prevalence. A lot about tobacco (we get it its bad no matter how you take it!). Common salivary gland pathology. Overall, basic and nothing tricky unless you trip yourself up by overthinking.
- Pedo/ortho: know eruption and calcification times . Know your cephalometry (SNA, SNB, ANB). Basics about cleft lip/palate. Had a good amount of fluoride questions, know dosages. Mostly straightforward.
- Patient Management: memorizing this section in Mosbys might be useful. Autoclave types and times and how to use it. A few really ambiguous questions about the 5 ethics (nonmaleficence vs beneficence are pretty much the same *makes frustrated noises*). Some random laws and acts - learn from my mistake and just pick the super obvious one. Know psychology concepts and schools of thought. Insurance. Safety measure and controls.
- Perio: Flaps, diagnosis gingival and periodontal infections/pathology and associated bacteria. Know treatments. Oral manifestations of drug side effects. Types of grafts, got a few of those. Didnt get any about hand instruments or cavitrons.
- Pharmacology: Basics of drugs you can prescribe and/or give in clinical setting- nsaids, antibiotics, nitroglycerin etc. Opiods, benzodiazepines. Reversal agents. Anesthetic MRD. Child antibiotic dosages. 75+% of it was covered in Tufts pharm review. Overall, I dont think I got any tough ones and it felt pretty straight forward.
- Prosthodontics: know dimension of onlays/inlays, diff types of crown and veneers. Impression materials. Complete dentures and RPDs. Know how facebow and articulators work and how to set them up, I found these questions the toughest of everything in day 1. Pretty much guessed on like 4-5 of them despite knowing how to use them in clinic and studying them :/
Day 2: NBDE pt 2:
Read on SDN that if day 1 was easy then day 2 would be hard. Dunno, it felt pretty tame. Out of the 100 questions, probably 5-7 that I just didn't know. Cases pretty straightforward. STDs, autoimmunes, edentulism etc nothing unique - commonly found pathologies and dental issues. Majority of questions you could answer without looking at case details, but I dont recommend you do that. Always read the cases just in case. No troublesome questions asking you about calculus on low-quality radiographs. Felt too easy... I took the optional break and stayed the whole time, again agonizing over poorly worded and ambiguous questions.
Day 3: CDCA ADEX:
This was amazingly simple and easy. 90% of it felt like the answers were no brainers. Took the optional break and stayed full time. Staying the entire time was a struggle since I finished each section so fast. This felt like it just tested to see if you were grossly incompetent or not. A few felt like they had multiple possible answers, so I just picked the most likely one. They tell you if you pass right away with a "well done, you passed." Felt like grandpa was congratulating me.
Fun fact: I wore the same flannel shirt I usually wear when I study for 3 days in a row and didn't shave/trim in the 2 weeks I was studying. I mustve scared the prometric people "oh look that homeless guy is here yet again?!" is probably what they were thinking. One of them even pointed out my fly was open... smh. When I focus, I really hyperfocus and lose awareness of everything but the exam.
Felt pretty good at the end of each day. But after vicious googling the day after the exams, I became aware that I made many dumb mistakes. That made me feel a little anxious but I put it out of mind and assumed my initial gut feeling was right and proceeded with licensure application and job hunting.
Concluding Remarks:
Today, exactly 2 weeks later the "pass" score was posted online. Sweet relief. There were so many instances in D3 and D4 where I was moments away from giving in a medical leave of absence but every time either my ingenuity or luck saved me. Being a biochem nerd really does pay. I figured out the 2 rare immunological conditions I developed when my many docs couldn't and then found a specialist who confirmed them after extensive testing. After failing many treatments over span of 4 yrs, I came up with a treatment plan that takes advantage of both conditions' pathophysiology to minimize risk associated with each individual drug (one of which being a "weak" chemo-drug), and after some convincing, I was prescribed what I suggested and huge progress has been made. Still have a long way to go but I'm better than I have been in the past 2 years since my official diagnosis. I thought for sure I wouldn't graduate on time, much less be able to put in the massive energy needed to pass NBDE pt 2, but here I am now, scheduling a million job interviews.
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