boards becoming pass/fail - is it now official?

It is less official than ever. Supposedly the word from the ADEA reps and what I've heard from the OMFS program director here, is it's not going to happen. Ever.

ughhhhhhhh. that would've been nice.

armorshell said:

It is less official than ever. Supposedly the word from the ADEA reps and what I've heard from the OMFS program director here, is it's not going to happen. Ever.

Click to expand...

Not that I don't believe you but are there any online sources that imply all this?

And regardless of pass/fail, what about exam format changes? Are there any planned changes for the topics and types of questions on Part I and II? Will they ever actually merge Part I with Part II?

I need to know because I want to retake the boards. But at my current pace, ( I'm currently in private practice ) it'll be around Feb 2010 when I'll be taking Part I and maybe around Aug. 2010 when I'll be taking Part II.

I just need to confirm that my attempt and method of studying wouldn't be in vain if my exams retakes are next year.

I don't know if that information exists anywhere. You could take a stab at calling the responsible parties and seeing if they give you any information. Contacting the people who administer the NBDE was pretty easy when I did it and they were very helpful.

fallout said:

Not that I don't believe you but are there any online sources that imply all this?

And regardless of pass/fail, what about exam format changes? Are there any planned changes for the topics and types of questions on Part I and II? Will they ever actually merge Part I with Part II?

I need to know because I want to retake the boards. But at my current pace, ( I'm currently in private practice ) it'll be around Feb 2010 when I'll be taking Part I and maybe around Aug. 2010 when I'll be taking Part II.

I just need to confirm that my attempt and method of studying wouldn't be in vain if my exams retakes are next year.

Click to expand...

I called up ADA about the exam and I was transferred to a testing services manager who told me that both Part I and II will officially become pass/fail on Jan 2010.

Just tell me that is it going to be easy or difficult for us to get into dental schools.😕

So I know this still isn't official or anything, and you don't have to believe me, but I talked to two of Pacific's ASDA reps and they said the resolution (Authored by Arthur Dugoni) has already passed to postpone the transition of the dental boards to P/F at the behest of orthodontics and oral surgery residency programs, specifically to give them time to author a new test specifically for dental specialty admissions.

armorshell said:

I talked to two of Pacific's ASDA reps and they said the resolution (Authored by Arthur Dugoni) has already passed to postpone the transition of the dental boards to P/F

Click to expand...

for how long is the postponement?

fallout said:

for how long is the postponement?

Click to expand...

Supposedly indefinitely until a new test is organized. I understand this is unofficial, but I can tell you no one in the class of 2011 at Pacific is worried about taking the test after Jan 1, 2010 and getting their score...

I just called up again they still say the boards are P/F. 😱🙁


I really hope they are graded for the class of 2013.

so how does the p/f format will affect foreign trained dentists?how we will then get into dental schools?

innocentdoc said:

so how does the p/f format will affect foreign trained dentists?how we will then get into dental schools?

Click to expand...

Any comment friends?I have the same Question.I cantacted ADA and Dental schools but no one clarified the issue...
Please help.

Goldentist said:

Any comment friends?I have the same Question.I cantacted ADA and Dental schools but no one clarified the issue...
Please help.

Click to expand...

From: Ron J. Seeley, D.D.S.
Chair, Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations
At its annual meeting, the Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations (JCNDE) revisited its 2008 decision to move all National Board Dental and Dental Hygiene Examinations to a Pass/Fail system beginning in January of 2010. The JCNDE did this because of expressed concern by some communities of interest regarding the decision itself and also the timing of implementation.
The JCNDE has been monitoring these inquiries closely and had a very good discussion about all the ramifications of the 2008 decision. In the end, the JCNDE at their 2009 meeting reaffirmed its decision to implement Pass/Fail reporting, but extended the implementation date to January of 2012. This was done for two very sensible reasons. 1) Some state licensing boards may need more time to open practice acts and make rules changes in order for their regulations to remain aligned with the JCNDE decision, and 2) ADEA's development of an alternative instrument for the evaluation and ranking of students for such things as graduate education program admission purposes warrants this much additional lead time to complete necessary field tests and validation studies before full-scale implementation of an alternative instrument.
In reviewing the decision, the JCNDE carefully considered expressed and unexpressed concerns from all known communities of interest, and its decision to extend the date of implementation was made for very specific logistical reasons. In making this decision, the JCNDE was concerned that some communities of interest would misinterpret its intentions. The decision to extend the date of implementation should not be interpreted as reflecting any change of intention or construed as opening the way for future reconsideration. The JCNDE's decision to proceed with implementation of Pass/Fail reporting was unanimously reaffirmed, and communities of interest are advised that these Commissioners will not revisit the date certain of January 1, 2012

i thought the same, but one of my friend emailed me today saying that the ada decided not to have pass or fail status, i checked the ada website but didnot find any, do u guys know anything new