Best time to take Part 1

[teef2016]

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I just finished first year (finally!!) and now I"m trying to decide when to take the boards. My two main options would be to 1) take them over the summer break or 2) Wait til spring break of next year (we'll get a couple weeks off to study for and take them around April).

I think the majority of people in mt class will take them in the spring. I'm not really looking forward to studying in the summer, but would it be a big advantage to just get them out of the way?

 

[OrthoK]

I'm curious as well. If you can get it done before second year, it opens up time for research, externships, and extracurricular activities for the spring.

 

[ChuckDAT]

I'm curious as well. If you can get it done before second year, it opens up time for research, externships, and extracurricular activities for the spring.

That is a good point. Do either of you get summer off after D1?

 

[teef2016]

I do have some time off between D1 and D2.

I wonder how far in advance one has to register for the test. Anyone know? Hopefully I can make the decision last minute in late August/early september.

 

[jeffity]

I do have some time off between D1 and D2.

I wonder how far in advance one has to register for the test. Anyone know? Hopefully I can make the decision last minute in late August/early september.

It's like registering for the DAT. So it's pretty fast. The difference is that your school/dean has to approve it. If they don't want you to take it early, you can't. First year boards are great. You're right, it's done and out of the way. You don't have to go back and learn stuff from two years ago. I guess it depends on how your curriculum is set up. Our first year is geared towards first-year boards. Then, we get a little over 3 months off to study and take them whenever we want over that time. Some people took (and passed) them a few days after the quarter ended (mid May) and then just get to enjoy 3 months of summer until late August.

 

[dentgal1184]

Hi. I would personally try to do them this summer. But it can be difficult to get the date you want. If you are flexible about the date you want then it will be easier. Have you gotten any of the study material? That could make a difference on when you take it. No matter what you decide I would definitely say NO LATER Than the spring/summer after 2nd year. Otherwise you will be getting more in depth with the dentistry (yay right) and then it can be harder for you to recall the information. Also if you take it now and heaven forbid you do not pass it your first time it will be good experience and will help you to know how better to study. I would recommend First Aid (study book and also the Q & A book), dental decks, and a question bank like QbankDMD or Kaplan ( Qbank worked better for me). But either way I wish you luck and if you have any questions I will be more than happy to help as I recently completed everything and would be pleased to share from my experiences. Good luck!