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- Dec 13, 2001
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Just finished the damn thing this afternoon! Let me share with you about the exam.
What you do:
Live patients: 3 procedures
1) Restorative: 52 points/100
- select 2 out of 3 procedures between Class II Amalgam, Class II Composite, or Gold Onlay
- majority selects two Class IIs (Amalgam & Composite)
- Class II lesions must reach the DEJ (minimum)
2) Perio: 10 points/100
- one quadrant of S/RP
- must have 6 teeth in the quadrant
- 2 out of 6 teeth must be posterior teeth in contact
- must have 8 detectable (radiographic or tactile) surfaces of subgingival calculus
- 6 out of 8 subgingival calc must be in posterior teeth
- must have 2 probing readings with at least true 5 mm or greater pockets
Typodont procedures:
1) Endodontics: 18 points/100
- two mounted teeth: one anterior (single root) and one posterior (multiple roots)
- only need to fill one of the canals in the posterior tooth
Computer Exam: you schedule this exam at your local Pearson Vue testing centers
1) Prosthodontics: 10 points/100
- 50 questions on various prostho questions (3D models)
2) Periodontics: 10 points/100
- 50 questions on one patient case
You need a total of 75 points/100 and at least 55% on every section to pass the exam. If you get below 55% in any of the sections and you have a total score above 75/100, then you only have to retake those sections that you received below 55%. If you receive below a 75, then you must retake the entire exam.
This is a 4-day examination:
Day 1: (half day - afternoon) Orientation
- all your questions will be answered here by the examiners, so be sure to ask
Day 2: (full day 7:30 AM-4:30 PM) clinic day
- schedule your restorative and/or perio patients and/or assigned Endo session in sim lab
Day 3: (full day 7:30 AM-4:30 PM) clinic day
- schedule your restorative and/or perio patients and/or assigned Endo session in sim lab
Day 4: (half day 7:30 AM-11 AM) clinic day
- candidates use this clinic time to do catch up if patients "no-shows" on Day 2 or 3
- most candidates do not use this day at all because they're already finished with everything by Day 3
Cost of the exam alone ranges anywhere from $1400 - $1700 depending on where your testing site is. Testing sites are usually hosted by one of the US dental schools across the country. Additional costs included:
1) Endo typodont: $150 (mandatory)
2) Computer exam fee: $180 (mandatory)
3) Patient costs: I heard as low as $50 per patient to $4000 (patient services) for all three patients for clinical procedures
4) Dental assistant: I heard an average around $100 for the entire exam
So the lowest amount of money you may spend on this exam is around $1700 for everything if you don't pay for patients to as high as over $5000 if you pay for patients through a patient providing service/company.
My Experiences
I decided to take this exam because of the following reasons:
1) WREB is currently recognized by 34 states straight out, the most state recognized dental exam out there
2) According to ADA, between the WREB and the ADEX, 47 states will recognize these two exams through credentials (5 years of working experiences)
3) The states that I may end up in to practice all recognizes the WREB (Minnesota, Illinois, and Arizona)
4) The Board of Dentistry of Louisiana will consider the WREB that will allow me to "moonlight" during my residency. Currently Louisiana has its own board exam which I do not want to take if I don't have to.
5) It's literately the easiest dental board examination out there today considering all the required components of the exam in comparison to other dental board exams.
6) It was offered at my dental school (home field advantage)
Overall I feel that the exam was fair, the environment which I took it in was nice because it was my own dental clinic that I go to everyday. The examiners that we were able to interact with were EXTREMELY friendly and approachable which made the exam more relaxing and less fearful.
I had scheduled the computer exam a week prior so I had already completed the computer exam when I entered my clinical portion of the exam. I thought this exam was also fair. The perio section was easy, questions were on medical history, drug interaction and reaction, probing depth calculations, diagnosis, and identify calculus on radiographs. The prostho section was a bit tougher, the 3D model was fun to play with and hypnotizing. It is all clinical assessment, no numerical memorization or where you can just regurgitate answers. This exam solely tests you on what you know from your clinical training and learning.
For my clinical schedule, I scheduled my two restorative procedures on the first full clinic day (Day 2), both were Class IIs (amalgam and composite). Both of my restorative procedures were on teeth from the same patient. So I had this patient all day from 7:30 AM through 3:30 PM, no lunch, we worked straight through. If you have a great patient like mine who doesn't not mind the long period with her jaw open with a rubber dam on, then great, but some patients will complaint of the long treatment! This day, by far, is the most stressful and physical draining day because of the large amount of points involved in these two procedures plus the stress of the grading process (patient approval, preparartion grade, and finishing grade). This is also the day where I had an assistant, I had a 2nd year dental student assist me. I didn't pay for this patient, she was a patient of mine from my dental school.
On Day 3, I had my assigned Endo session in the sim lab in the morning and I scheduled my perio patient in the afternoon. Both events were without incident. By the end of this day once I completed my perio S/RP, I had completed all the WREB procedures which mean that I was not required to return for clinic Day 4. Again, for my perio patient, I did not pay because she was also my dental school patient. I also finished the day early around 3:30 PM.
"Pink slips" = bad news
I didn't receive any "pink slips" so I feel that I did well on this exam and that I've passed. The official score report and result will be issued within 4 weeks from the end of my exam, so around the first week of May, I should learn my fate.
Some bad things happened to others that I've heard:
1) one dude had his perio patient denied and supposedly this patient was "golden" because it was provided by one of the "patient providing service" which was paid large amount of $$
2) one girl had her patient drive to the exam and told her that he couldn't and wouldn't go through the treatment and quit on her!
3) patients get denied for treatment right from the start because insufficient calculus or not deep enough class lesion
4) patient arriving late delaying treatment causing candidates to run late or must continue the next clinical day
5) multiple candidates received "pink slips" for various reasons
Dude, I think I've written enough.........
What you do:
Live patients: 3 procedures
1) Restorative: 52 points/100
- select 2 out of 3 procedures between Class II Amalgam, Class II Composite, or Gold Onlay
- majority selects two Class IIs (Amalgam & Composite)
- Class II lesions must reach the DEJ (minimum)
2) Perio: 10 points/100
- one quadrant of S/RP
- must have 6 teeth in the quadrant
- 2 out of 6 teeth must be posterior teeth in contact
- must have 8 detectable (radiographic or tactile) surfaces of subgingival calculus
- 6 out of 8 subgingival calc must be in posterior teeth
- must have 2 probing readings with at least true 5 mm or greater pockets
Typodont procedures:
1) Endodontics: 18 points/100
- two mounted teeth: one anterior (single root) and one posterior (multiple roots)
- only need to fill one of the canals in the posterior tooth
Computer Exam: you schedule this exam at your local Pearson Vue testing centers
1) Prosthodontics: 10 points/100
- 50 questions on various prostho questions (3D models)
2) Periodontics: 10 points/100
- 50 questions on one patient case
You need a total of 75 points/100 and at least 55% on every section to pass the exam. If you get below 55% in any of the sections and you have a total score above 75/100, then you only have to retake those sections that you received below 55%. If you receive below a 75, then you must retake the entire exam.
This is a 4-day examination:
Day 1: (half day - afternoon) Orientation
- all your questions will be answered here by the examiners, so be sure to ask
Day 2: (full day 7:30 AM-4:30 PM) clinic day
- schedule your restorative and/or perio patients and/or assigned Endo session in sim lab
Day 3: (full day 7:30 AM-4:30 PM) clinic day
- schedule your restorative and/or perio patients and/or assigned Endo session in sim lab
Day 4: (half day 7:30 AM-11 AM) clinic day
- candidates use this clinic time to do catch up if patients "no-shows" on Day 2 or 3
- most candidates do not use this day at all because they're already finished with everything by Day 3
Cost of the exam alone ranges anywhere from $1400 - $1700 depending on where your testing site is. Testing sites are usually hosted by one of the US dental schools across the country. Additional costs included:
1) Endo typodont: $150 (mandatory)
2) Computer exam fee: $180 (mandatory)
3) Patient costs: I heard as low as $50 per patient to $4000 (patient services) for all three patients for clinical procedures
4) Dental assistant: I heard an average around $100 for the entire exam
So the lowest amount of money you may spend on this exam is around $1700 for everything if you don't pay for patients to as high as over $5000 if you pay for patients through a patient providing service/company.
My Experiences
I decided to take this exam because of the following reasons:
1) WREB is currently recognized by 34 states straight out, the most state recognized dental exam out there
2) According to ADA, between the WREB and the ADEX, 47 states will recognize these two exams through credentials (5 years of working experiences)
3) The states that I may end up in to practice all recognizes the WREB (Minnesota, Illinois, and Arizona)
4) The Board of Dentistry of Louisiana will consider the WREB that will allow me to "moonlight" during my residency. Currently Louisiana has its own board exam which I do not want to take if I don't have to.
5) It's literately the easiest dental board examination out there today considering all the required components of the exam in comparison to other dental board exams.
6) It was offered at my dental school (home field advantage)
Overall I feel that the exam was fair, the environment which I took it in was nice because it was my own dental clinic that I go to everyday. The examiners that we were able to interact with were EXTREMELY friendly and approachable which made the exam more relaxing and less fearful.
I had scheduled the computer exam a week prior so I had already completed the computer exam when I entered my clinical portion of the exam. I thought this exam was also fair. The perio section was easy, questions were on medical history, drug interaction and reaction, probing depth calculations, diagnosis, and identify calculus on radiographs. The prostho section was a bit tougher, the 3D model was fun to play with and hypnotizing. It is all clinical assessment, no numerical memorization or where you can just regurgitate answers. This exam solely tests you on what you know from your clinical training and learning.
For my clinical schedule, I scheduled my two restorative procedures on the first full clinic day (Day 2), both were Class IIs (amalgam and composite). Both of my restorative procedures were on teeth from the same patient. So I had this patient all day from 7:30 AM through 3:30 PM, no lunch, we worked straight through. If you have a great patient like mine who doesn't not mind the long period with her jaw open with a rubber dam on, then great, but some patients will complaint of the long treatment! This day, by far, is the most stressful and physical draining day because of the large amount of points involved in these two procedures plus the stress of the grading process (patient approval, preparartion grade, and finishing grade). This is also the day where I had an assistant, I had a 2nd year dental student assist me. I didn't pay for this patient, she was a patient of mine from my dental school.
On Day 3, I had my assigned Endo session in the sim lab in the morning and I scheduled my perio patient in the afternoon. Both events were without incident. By the end of this day once I completed my perio S/RP, I had completed all the WREB procedures which mean that I was not required to return for clinic Day 4. Again, for my perio patient, I did not pay because she was also my dental school patient. I also finished the day early around 3:30 PM.
"Pink slips" = bad news
I didn't receive any "pink slips" so I feel that I did well on this exam and that I've passed. The official score report and result will be issued within 4 weeks from the end of my exam, so around the first week of May, I should learn my fate.
Some bad things happened to others that I've heard:
1) one dude had his perio patient denied and supposedly this patient was "golden" because it was provided by one of the "patient providing service" which was paid large amount of $$
2) one girl had her patient drive to the exam and told her that he couldn't and wouldn't go through the treatment and quit on her!
3) patients get denied for treatment right from the start because insufficient calculus or not deep enough class lesion
4) patient arriving late delaying treatment causing candidates to run late or must continue the next clinical day
5) multiple candidates received "pink slips" for various reasons
Dude, I think I've written enough.........
