CBSE Progress Feels Stalled

[Schindlerelactobaciloma]

Hey everyone,
I’m a D2 and took the CBSE for the first time in February 2025 after about three months of studying. I scored a 44. I just took NBME-26 last weekend and got a 51.


I go to a dental school that’s not very well-known, and unfortunately, the teaching hasn’t been the strongest. But I had a 25 AA on the DAT and a 3.9 GPA in undergrad, and I felt confident when I began studying. Even though my school doesn’t provide the best medical foundation, I believed I could learn the material on my own with discipline and consistent effort. I’ve been using UFAPS, waking up at 5 AM, studying about 5 hours on weekdays and 8–10 hours on weekends. I’m currently in the top 10% of my class, both academically and clinically.


That said, after five months of dedicated studying, I’m feeling a little stuck. My scores haven’t improved as much as I hoped, and I’m trying to figure out what I might need to adjust. I’m still motivated and determined, but I’d really appreciate some insight or advice from anyone who’s been through this process.


I’m planning to retake the CBSE on July 19. Do you think it’s realistic to make meaningful progress over the next 2.5 months? Should I keep pushing for that date or consider postponing?


For those who’ve taken the CBSE — how did your score change over time? What was your starting point, and how long did it take to see improvement? What made the biggest difference for you?


Thanks in advance for sharing your experience — it really helps to hear from others who understand what this journey feels like.

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[ferfax]

Hey man I was in your shoes about 2 years ago. Im a graduating D4 going into residency.

I took the CBSE twice, scoring a 55 on attempt one and 68 on attempt two. My biggest piece of advice is to stick to one resource (BnB or bootcamp) as your main learning hub and then hammer a **** ton of U-World questions. Write down or make flashcards of your mistakes, review often.

Honestly the older NBME's were nothing like the real deal for me, both my CBSE attempts were harder than any available NBME. NBME's 29, 30, 31 are most likely similar to the real deal.

 

[Tutling]

Im currently in residency at a southern program and I scored a 75 on the CBSE. I also went to a school with a curriculum designed for general dentist and so I had to learn most of the material on my own. I think you have to have a different mentality when studying for the CBSE. You aren’t going to be able jam in two years of medical school into a couple of months and expect to score well. You really need to understand the material so that you can remember it long term.

Best material IMO are;

Bootcamp videos: These are incredibly high yield videos and teach you in a way that you can really understand the underlying physiology. The other thing you gain is that they do practice questions. Something I dont think a lot of applicant understand is that the vignettes are designed to presented in a very classic manner. If you understand this and know the common presentations you will see a big point increase. This is how i honored most of my shelf exams. The biochem portion is the best out here as it simplifies the material to the presentation and you wont be spending time memorizing cycles.

Sketchy: Pharm and micro are unparalleled here. I still get questions right from sketchy because of this. I used ANKI to solidify my understanding and memory here. I wouldn’t use other source for these two subjects.

Uworld questions: This is the gold standard. This is what the vast majority of medical students use. I would do this at least once start to finish. If you have time then do it again. Take the time to understand the presentation and review the questions you are missing. Don’t get frustrated when your scores suck because this isn’t meant to be used as a measurement but rather a learning tool.

Nmbe exams: This is the last thing you will do before the exam. I didnt do this and I regretted it. I heard several friends say that on occasion they saw the exact same question and had an easy increase in points. Even if not you will be able to see the presentations of the pathology and see similar vignettes. I started using this for my shelf and Step 2 exams and I felt it was very helpful.

Other helpful things: Anki is pretty good and is essentially first world. I think it can be good if there are particular sections you struggle on. Just make sure you have the settings in a way that you aren’t spending all day on it.

There is a biostatistics guy on YouTube who just pratice questions. Breaks all the questions down and makes it very easy. There is a genetic guy as well but i cant remember their names.

Sounds like you are taking the time but you probably just need to improve how you are studying. You are just as smart as the medical students and if they can do it then so can you.

 

[omfsing]

The reality is you need to know the fundamentals, those qbanks are good and all but are only really useful if you’re using them as a studying resource. If you don’t have fundamental knowledge, uworld qbank percentile doesn’t mean anything because you’re a dentist and you don’t know anything about medicine regardless of what your oral medicine professor says .

So build your fundamentals in old school manner - read book

1. Read first aid cover to cover. Know the info like the back of your hand, this sucks and takes time but if you do this then guess what - you know the test

2. I did Kaplan qbank during my reading bc the question explanations reference page numbers in first aid which reinforced the fundamental knowledge in the book

3. Do uworld qbank

4. Don’t ignore the tough topics. Face them head on. Spend as long as you need to to understand those topics. Write on the walls if you need to. This mindset will help you after you get in OS


This method took me from a 64 to an 81 score. It made me from a guy who barely graduated dental school into a dual degree OMFS.


PS

I’m an old man. There are probably newer resources but in my experience the ones who crush are the ones who read the book

Read the book!

Good luck

 

[dratc]

As you’ve experienced, prepping for the CBSE is a much different beast than other exams including the DAT.

I agree with the above advice to learn the material. I wasted time going through the question banks because that what everyone said to do and I just hoped it would stick. It never did. I didn’t have the core knowledge and stitching it together from questions alone was challenging. I gave up uworld for a period of time and focused solely on knowledge acquisition. I used many of the above listed resources. One I’ll add is Pixorize for subjects I struggled with that were not covered by sketchy. Don’t go overboard with resources. Just find the ones that work and then exhaust them. Go back to uworld once you’ve got more knowledge in the tank. I went from a 58 to a 77.

 

[DentistRays]

As you’ve experienced, prepping for the CBSE is a much different beast than other exams including the DAT.

I agree with the above advice to learn the material. I wasted time going through the question banks because that what everyone said to do and I just hoped it would stick. It never did. I didn’t have the core knowledge and stitching it together from questions alone was challenging. I gave up uworld for a period of time and focused solely on knowledge acquisition. I used many of the above listed resources. One I’ll add is Pixorize for subjects I struggled with that were not covered by sketchy. Don’t go overboard with resources. Just find the ones that work and then exhaust them. Go back to uworld once you’ve got more knowledge in the tank. I went from a 58 to a 77.

I'm kinda at that point right now, I went back to content review and 50 percent done with uworld and I can finally put it together now.
Did your score jump in 6 months? Also did your uworld score correlate well to CBSE?
My average is 53% and I'm kinda worried, I know uworld is a learning tool but I already did content review so I thought it'd be higher.

 

[Anonamoose]

I'm kinda at that point right now, I went back to content review and 50 percent done with uworld and I can finally put it together now.
Did your score jump in 6 months? Also did your uworld score correlate well to CBSE?
My average is 53% and I'm kinda worried, I know uworld is a learning tool but I already did content review so I thought it'd be higher.

UW score will not correlate well to CBSE, so don't worry too much about it. You will only get an idea of where you will score based on your NBME scores. Most recent ones will be most accurate.

 

[DentistRays]

UW score will not correlate well to CBSE, so don't worry too much about it. You will only get an idea of where you will score based on your NBME scores. Most recent ones will be most accurate.

Thank you for the response, I used 20 to 31 NBMEs on my last attempt unfortunately, I'll definitely do them again for concept repetition. Maybe I'll do UWSAs to know where I'm at.

 

[Anonamoose]

Thank you for the response, I used 20 to 31 NBMEs on my last attempt unfortunately, I'll definitely do them again for concept repetition. Maybe I'll do UWSAs to know where I'm at.

UWSAs are good, NBME retakes wouldn't be bad, just have to be entirely honest with yourself as to why you got something correct, whether you remembered the answer or actually understood the question, correct answer and incorrect answers.

 

[Life of Pablo]

Keep. Doing. Uworld.

 

[Schindlerelactobaciloma]

Im currently in residency at a southern program and I scored a 75 on the CBSE. I also went to a school with a curriculum designed for general dentist and so I had to learn most of the material on my own. I think you have to have a different mentality when studying for the CBSE. You aren’t going to be able jam in two years of medical school into a couple of months and expect to score well. You really need to understand the material so that you can remember it long term.

Best material IMO are;

Bootcamp videos: These are incredibly high yield videos and teach you in a way that you can really understand the underlying physiology. The other thing you gain is that they do practice questions. Something I dont think a lot of applicant understand is that the vignettes are designed to presented in a very classic manner. If you understand this and know the common presentations you will see a big point increase. This is how i honored most of my shelf exams. The biochem portion is the best out here as it simplifies the material to the presentation and you wont be spending time memorizing cycles.

Sketchy: Pharm and micro are unparalleled here. I still get questions right from sketchy because of this. I used ANKI to solidify my understanding and memory here. I wouldn’t use other source for these two subjects.

Uworld questions: This is the gold standard. This is what the vast majority of medical students use. I would do this at least once start to finish. If you have time then do it again. Take the time to understand the presentation and review the questions you are missing. Don’t get frustrated when your scores suck because this isn’t meant to be used as a measurement but rather a learning tool.

Nmbe exams: This is the last thing you will do before the exam. I didnt do this and I regretted it. I heard several friends say that on occasion they saw the exact same question and had an easy increase in points. Even if not you will be able to see the presentations of the pathology and see similar vignettes. I started using this for my shelf and Step 2 exams and I felt it was very helpful.

Other helpful things: Anki is pretty good and is essentially first world. I think it can be good if there are particular sections you struggle on. Just make sure you have the settings in a way that you aren’t spending all day on it.

There is a biostatistics guy on YouTube who just pratice questions. Breaks all the questions down and makes it very easy. There is a genetic guy as well but i cant remember their names.

Sounds like you are taking the time but you probably just need to improve how you are studying. You are just as smart as the medical students and if they can do it then so can you.

Thank you so much for such a detailed reply. Thank you for your time and care!

 

[Schindlerelactobaciloma]

The reality is you need to know the fundamentals, those qbanks are good and all but are only really useful if you’re using them as a studying resource. If you don’t have fundamental knowledge, uworld qbank percentile doesn’t mean anything because you’re a dentist and you don’t know anything about medicine regardless of what your oral medicine professor says .

So build your fundamentals in old school manner - read book

1. Read first aid cover to cover. Know the info like the back of your hand, this sucks and takes time but if you do this then guess what - you know the test

2. I did Kaplan qbank during my reading bc the question explanations reference page numbers in first aid which reinforced the fundamental knowledge in the book

3. Do uworld qbank

4. Don’t ignore the tough topics. Face them head on. Spend as long as you need to to understand those topics. Write on the walls if you need to. This mindset will help you after you get in OS


This method took me from a 64 to an 81 score. It made me from a guy who barely graduated dental school into a dual degree OMFS.


PS

I’m an old man. There are probably newer resources but in my experience the ones who crush are the ones who read the book

Read the book!

Good luck

Thank you so much for all the great advice. I have started reading the FA book very closely and watching BnB too.

 

[Schindlerelactobaciloma]

The reality is you need to know the fundamentals, those qbanks are good and all but are only really useful if you’re using them as a studying resource. If you don’t have fundamental knowledge, uworld qbank percentile doesn’t mean anything because you’re a dentist and you don’t know anything about medicine regardless of what your oral medicine professor says .

So build your fundamentals in old school manner - read book

1. Read first aid cover to cover. Know the info like the back of your hand, this sucks and takes time but if you do this then guess what - you know the test

2. I did Kaplan qbank during my reading bc the question explanations reference page numbers in first aid which reinforced the fundamental knowledge in the book

3. Do uworld qbank

4. Don’t ignore the tough topics. Face them head on. Spend as long as you need to to understand those topics. Write on the walls if you need to. This mindset will help you after you get in OS


This method took me from a 64 to an 81 score. It made me from a guy who barely graduated dental school into a dual degree OMFS.


PS

I’m an old man. There are probably newer resources but in my experience the ones who crush are the ones who read the book

Read the book!

Good luck

How long did you study before you got 64? How long did you study after that before you got 81? What did your days look like when you studied for CBSE?

 

[Schindlerelactobaciloma]

Im currently in residency at a southern program and I scored a 75 on the CBSE. I also went to a school with a curriculum designed for general dentist and so I had to learn most of the material on my own. I think you have to have a different mentality when studying for the CBSE. You aren’t going to be able jam in two years of medical school into a couple of months and expect to score well. You really need to understand the material so that you can remember it long term.

Best material IMO are;

Bootcamp videos: These are incredibly high yield videos and teach you in a way that you can really understand the underlying physiology. The other thing you gain is that they do practice questions. Something I dont think a lot of applicant understand is that the vignettes are designed to presented in a very classic manner. If you understand this and know the common presentations you will see a big point increase. This is how i honored most of my shelf exams. The biochem portion is the best out here as it simplifies the material to the presentation and you wont be spending time memorizing cycles.

Sketchy: Pharm and micro are unparalleled here. I still get questions right from sketchy because of this. I used ANKI to solidify my understanding and memory here. I wouldn’t use other source for these two subjects.

Uworld questions: This is the gold standard. This is what the vast majority of medical students use. I would do this at least once start to finish. If you have time then do it again. Take the time to understand the presentation and review the questions you are missing. Don’t get frustrated when your scores suck because this isn’t meant to be used as a measurement but rather a learning tool.

Nmbe exams: This is the last thing you will do before the exam. I didnt do this and I regretted it. I heard several friends say that on occasion they saw the exact same question and had an easy increase in points. Even if not you will be able to see the presentations of the pathology and see similar vignettes. I started using this for my shelf and Step 2 exams and I felt it was very helpful.

Other helpful things: Anki is pretty good and is essentially first world. I think it can be good if there are particular sections you struggle on. Just make sure you have the settings in a way that you aren’t spending all day on it.

There is a biostatistics guy on YouTube who just pratice questions. Breaks all the questions down and makes it very easy. There is a genetic guy as well but i cant remember their names.

Sounds like you are taking the time but you probably just need to improve how you are studying. You are just as smart as the medical students and if they can do it then so can you.

Would you mind sharing how long it took you to prepare for the CBSE and what your typical days were like during that time?

 

[Wisetoothshucker]

I got 78 and I'm a first year resident. I did mainly Uworld and first aid, some B&B, no anki.

I would narrow your resources from UFAP to just the U lol (just use the others as supplemental). More Uworld will be the greatest game changer in my opinion. My first CBSE was a 55, I maybe had completed 50% of Uworld. Second CBSE was a 72 (completed maybe 80%) and third CBSE was 78 (completed a bit more than 1 pass). I took all three CBSEs during D3/D4 years, so managing clinic with studying is a bit tough, but I would really try to do at least 40 questions a day. Sometimes you won't, don't worry about it. But give it your best shot.

The most important thing is time is on your side, you can do really well in 2.5 months. If I were to give myself advice as a D2, I would tell myself aim for 2 passes of Uworld. I'm not saying that's necessary, but just have it as a goal. 2 passes of Uworld and you'll be bulletproof in my opinion. That would take longer than 2.5 months, so keep it in mind if you have to take it after July.

 

[Schindlerelactobaciloma]

I got 78 and I'm a first year resident. I did mainly Uworld and first aid, some B&B, no anki.

I would narrow your resources from UFAP to just the U lol (just use the others as supplemental). More Uworld will be the greatest game changer in my opinion. My first CBSE was a 55, I maybe had completed 50% of Uworld. Second CBSE was a 72 (completed maybe 80%) and third CBSE was 78 (completed a bit more than 1 pass). I took all three CBSEs during D3/D4 years, so managing clinic with studying is a bit tough, but I would really try to do at least 40 questions a day. Sometimes you won't, don't worry about it. But give it your best shot.

The most important thing is time is on your side, you can do really well in 2.5 months. If I were to give myself advice as a D2, I would tell myself aim for 2 passes of Uworld. I'm not saying that's necessary, but just have it as a goal. 2 passes of Uworld and you'll be bulletproof in my opinion. That would take longer than 2.5 months, so keep it in mind if you have to take it after July.

Thank you so much for the advice! I will take it to heart.