(July 2026 CBSE) How are we feeling

Started by toofuss
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omsfdentalstudent2027 said:
sadly 45. did not do well like I expected. also during the tested day, the computer was error at the beginning and delayed my exam 20minutes. I was stressed out
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ah sorry to hear that I've had my computer shut off like that before bc i kicked the cable underneath and it is stressful. you could go for it but wouldn't expect a ton if any interviews just because a large majority of programs have a minimum and sometimes even list it. Would just hate to waste a bunch of money applying "broadly". I know of people in your situation who have amazing applications except for cbse and they never get interviews because of this "minimum". Im guessing the bare minimum at a small number of programs is a 50 with most programs being higher. 4 year tends to have a lower minimum but can have stellar applicants with low cbse scores. 6 year won't interview because you need to pass step. An intern year and a 10-20 point increase would make you a completely different applicant if OMFS is your calling.
 
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Should I give up? On my 2nd non-cat, scored in low 40s again (4th take). Otherwise, confident I can get really good/favorable LORs. I think I am just dumb and perform well in residency & academics. I just am really incompetent or something and really have a serious issue performing well on this exam. I really can't afford to do another non-cat due to aging family members and developing health issues... I really want to pursue this and the thought of doing general dentistry is repulsive at this point (aside from the fact I haven't done it in 2 years since dental school). All input welcome!
 
extwizard23 said:
Should I give up? On my 2nd non-cat, scored in low 40s again (4th take). Otherwise, confident I can get really good/favorable LORs. I think I am just dumb and perform well in residency & academics. I just am really incompetent or something and really have a serious issue performing well on this exam. I really can't afford to do another non-cat due to aging family members and developing health issues... I really want to pursue this and the thought of doing general dentistry is repulsive at this point (aside from the fact I haven't done it in 2 years since dental school). All input welcome!
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How were your nbmes before the test ? Anybody can score well with enough time. So it might be worth taking next year off, finding a oral surgery heavy gp job and studying
 
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I am really sorry to hear this man truly. I know how it feels to put your all into something and not get the results you'd like. After 4 tries im sure you've exhausted all resources and done the best you can. I personally know some people who matched with scores in the 40's. Definitely apply the cycle if it's financially feasible for you. Last thing you want to have that what if in the back of your mind. 2 non cats in it self hold some weight, if anthing it shows perseverance. I know this may not be what you want to hear but after 2 non cats im sure you can get out and run laps around your gp counterparts atleast on the OS side.
 
rangs0208 said:
How were your nbmes before the test ? Anybody can score well with enough time. So it might be worth taking next year off, finding a oral surgery heavy gp job and studying
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Yeah I think with the non cat time restraints and trying to study for the cbse isnt the best. Ive seen where people advised to not even do a non cat and take that year and improve you score. at this point that's neither here nor there. This is a weird situation bc you would have to apply broadly which in itself cost a lot of money. Could you take a year and work as a gp or atleast part time and study for it? Working as a gp even full time im sure is a lot lest taxing than a non cat.
 
Congrats to everyone on their scores. I took my exam with all you guys on the 18th but there were a few people I knew who took their CBSE the week following due to testing center constraints. The CBSE that was given to those taken after the 18th was a different exam. I was able to talk with some of them afterwards to see if any of the questions were somewhat similar and they did not have any questions that were somewhat similar to the test given on the 18th. So fear not, no one was at anymore of an advantage than the rest.

First time around I scored a 64, retaking in February with aims to score a 75+. Congrats to everyone on their scores and to those who are done retaking. Big milestone for all of us just taking this in the first place
 
extwizard23 said:
Should I give up? On my 2nd non-cat, scored in low 40s again (4th take). Otherwise, confident I can get really good/favorable LORs. I think I am just dumb and perform well in residency & academics. I just am really incompetent or something and really have a serious issue performing well on this exam. I really can't afford to do another non-cat due to aging family members and developing health issues... I really want to pursue this and the thought of doing general dentistry is repulsive at this point (aside from the fact I haven't done it in 2 years since dental school). All input welcome!
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As someone who has gone down the road of doing non-cats while attempting to improve the CBSE score, my recommendation would be to take time off and focus 100% on the CBSE, even if you have to take a whole year off. How dedicated are you, how bad do you want it? Only after getting a good score, should you consider another non-cat. Personally, what I should have done was live with family or friends, as inexpensively as possible, and dedicated 6-12 months full time, to solely focus on the CBSE. Then, only after, should you do another non-cat to improve your application if necessary. To do non-cat, well... you'll have no time to improve your score.
 
PictureMeRollin said:
As someone who has gone down the road of doing non-cats while attempting to improve the CBSE score, my recommendation would be to take time off and focus 100% on the CBSE, even if you have to take a whole year off. How dedicated are you, how bad do you want it? Only after getting a good score, should you consider another non-cat. Personally, what I should have done was live with family or friends, as inexpensively as possible, and dedicated 6-12 months full time, to solely focus on the CBSE. Then, only after, should you do another non-cat to improve your application if necessary. To do non-cat, well... you'll have no time to improve your score.
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What’s up man, are you a resident now?
 
54 EPC. Kinda bummed, but an expected result. D1 year has been a lot busier than expected, and I'm like 60% done with my prep. Not even done with sketchy yet LOL. But good checkpoint; NBME has been predictive for me. My NBMEs are 55, 59, and 52.
 
TritonDent said:
54 EPC. Kinda bummed, but an expected result. D1 year has been a lot busier than expected, and I'm like 60% done with my prep. Not even done with sketchy yet LOL. But good checkpoint; NBME has been predictive for me. My NBMEs are 55, 59, and 52.
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54 EPC is very solid as a D1. Smart to take it/study for it early. Stay the course and it’ll be 70-80 in no time. Good luck with prep.
 
SutureSnake said:
54 EPC is very solid as a D1. Smart to take it/study for it early. Stay the course and it’ll be 70-80 in no time. Good luck with prep.
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Thank you! Wanted to get it out of the way early and, at the very least, get a good score before I head out for externships. Fingers crossed for a 70+ when Feb comes
 
tuneless said:
Will I be safe to match to a 6 year program? I don’t care about matching at a highly selective one, but just a 6 year in the south
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Would contact residents at the programs you’re interested in and ask if there’s a minimum/average but 70 clears the bar at most programs and comes down to fit.
 
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googleisyourbf said:
What are you doing different this time around?
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Gonna finish all of sketchy(pharm+micro), more Anking(only have 4k cards matured, will do as much as possible), finish UW (I'm at 61% completion), and reset and do some more, maybe some AMBOSS if I have time left.
 
bottom 30% rank with 80 EPC, D3 so I can't bring it up much. For those who spoke to PDs or further along the trail how likely is a match assuming 40 programs applied and externships and letters are solid?
 
Hhoff.13 said:
bottom 30% rank with 80 EPC, D3 so I can't bring it up much. For those who spoke to PDs or further along the trail how likely is a match assuming 40 programs applied and externships and letters are solid?
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Can you pls share how did you study and the total timeline for the prep? thx
 
Hhoff.13 said:
bottom 30% rank with 80 EPC, D3 so I can't bring it up much. For those who spoke to PDs or further along the trail how likely is a match assuming 40 programs applied and externships and letters are solid?
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Bottom 30% with an 80 EPC is diabolical 😂. You should be good though.
 
CHILIwithY said:
Can you pls share how did you study and the total timeline for the prep? thx
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4-5 months of studying, uworld was my main source and i used things like sketchy and pathoma supplementally not a main tool. some anki but i stopped as the test approached and focused on questions
 
Xx_Dent_xX said:
r u at p/f school how did u geet a 74 withut studying first time then
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I did, studied during my month long winter break, everyday 10 hours a day, thats were i built a foundation. then continued as much as i could in jan and feb. then took a break and studied from mid april to the exam. im not at a pf school
 
Hhoff.13 said:
I did, studied during my month long winter break, everyday 10 hours a day, thats were i built a foundation. then continued as much as i could in jan and feb. then took a break and studied from mid april to the exam. im not at a pf school
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dman bro ig u like thhat congrats bro!
 
extwizard23 said:
Should I give up? On my 2nd non-cat, scored in low 40s again (4th take). Otherwise, confident I can get really good/favorable LORs. I think I am just dumb and perform well in residency & academics. I just am really incompetent or something and really have a serious issue performing well on this exam. I really can't afford to do another non-cat due to aging family members and developing health issues... I really want to pursue this and the thought of doing general dentistry is repulsive at this point (aside from the fact I haven't done it in 2 years since dental school). All input welcome!
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Hi Extwizard23,

I was like you. but my failure was in the first year of medical school. I thought I was doing everything right I was studying hard by reading and rewriting all my notes and re-listening to lectures while I was in my car, while walking on the treadmill, while in the shower. trying to cram tall the knowledge into my brain every second I had.

but that didnt work and felt all the pressures of low scores. and I went down what I call the PTSD pathway, Post-Traumatic Self-destruct pathway. it was fear of failing, test anxiety, anger at myself that why wasn't I good enough, thoughts of quitting, the little voice saying why should I do this anymore, and of course thoughts of full self-destruction.

But then I realized I had self-compassion. Thats what I used to pick myself up. Reprogrammed the inner voice by saying, I was smart, I was strong, I was worthy.

Then I built myself back up using what I call the PTG pathway, Post-Traumatic Growth pathway. It consists of high octaine health, Driver M.A.P (Massive action plan), Ignition Ki. where you light up the fire within you to get you out of the rut.

thats how I picked myself up from failure and passed med school.

Hope this helps,

Dr. Nakata
 
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Schindlerelactobaciloma said:
what is the range of CBSE scores of the residents in these top programs?
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Probably in the high 70's, 80's and 90's. Most of the residents at these programs went to Ivy League dental schools that may have had a medical school curriculum and the school is P/F. A large majority of Ivy League dental class's go into specialties and in general people are more likely to stay in the region they went to dental school flooding the NE with applicants with high CBSE scores. Every OMFS program is "selective" as most people apply to 15+ because most programs match 2-3 residents with hundreds of applicants. Everyone will have a different list of "top omfs programs" and comes down to various factors like surgical autonomy, research, culture, volume, types of cases, etc. Each region in the country has very notable omfs programs with name brand institutions like Parkland, Mayo, MGH, Penn, LSU, UCSF, Michigan, etc.
 
Schindlerelactobaciloma said:
what is the range of CBSE scores of the residents in these top programs?
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All OMFS programs are competitive. All applications are looked at holistically. If you wanna do a 6-year, aim for 70+ to hit the benchmark for the medical school; 4-year, 65+ is competitive. Obviously, the higher your CBSE score is the more it will favor you to get more interviews, but it isn't necessarily what gets you to match at your top program. The score gets your foot in the door for an interview; the rest is how well you fit into the program and how well your LORs from the people who are vouching for you. PD's love people who do research because it will only help their program but is never really a requirement. If there is a program you like, the best way to increase your chances of matching is to extern and leave a good impression. The majority of programs rank their externs high, so choose yours wisely.
 
Schindlerelactobaciloma said:
Among the 400+ applicants each year, about how many score 75 or higher on the CBSE?
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Your guess is as good as anybody’s. Probably varies a little based on the year since ~400-500 is a relatively small sample size. Only people who would know would maybe be AAOMS/NBME and maybe they release it to program directors… the one thing people say time and time again is with a 75+ you will likely get a pretty good amount of interviews. You could get every interview at every program you apply to and be a walking red flag and not match. Arguably after a 70 you’re going to pass step so how much it correlates to being a great resident at that point probably depends on other aspects.
 
snmofficer said:
Got a 64 EPC and my rank is in the top 20% of the class. What are the chances with that?
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For everyone asking "I got a XX EPC and class rank XX %, will I get in?" we now have some data (albeit very biased) to answer your question:

https://omfsdata.com/predictor/

Please keep in mind, this is NOT your chances of matching, it's predicts your interview conversion rate (% of interview invites you might get). Also, please keep in mind the dataset used to train this model is scraped from SDN (read: biased towards successful matchers) and is very low N=73. There are also obviously a lot more factors that go into getting interviews/matching. Regardless, I hope this gives you a somewhat more objective metric of your "chances" 😛
 
For those currently working on the PASS application, are you uploading the full 10 page score report document or just that first page with your score on it? Only asking because I'm not sure if the directors look at what sections you were strong in vs weak in and use that to determine how they feel about your score. Maybe you have yo upload the full 10 pages regardless. Any help is appreciated!
 
OSwannabe said:
For those currently working on the PASS application, are you uploading the full 10 page score report document or just that first page with your score on it? Only asking because I'm not sure if the directors look at what sections you were strong in vs weak in and use that to determine how they feel about your score. Maybe you have yo upload the full 10 pages regardless. Any help is appreciated!
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Upload the whole thing. Program directors are wayyyy too busy to overanalyze your CBSE besides the EPC score. It might look a little sketchy if you don’t upload the whole thing
 
PictureMeRollin said:
As someone who has gone down the road of doing non-cats while attempting to improve the CBSE score, my recommendation would be to take time off and focus 100% on the CBSE, even if you have to take a whole year off. How dedicated are you, how bad do you want it? Only after getting a good score, should you consider another non-cat. Personally, what I should have done was live with family or friends, as inexpensively as possible, and dedicated 6-12 months full time, to solely focus on the CBSE. Then, only after, should you do another non-cat to improve your application if necessary. To do non-cat, well... you'll have no time to improve your score.
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Dont you think PDs will consider that a red flag ? I mean the gap year to study for CBSE
 
Mohamedd said:
Dont you think PDs will consider that a red flag ? I mean the gap year to study for CBSE
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Yeah potentially but if you don’t meet a minimum CBSE a lot of OMFS programs will never interview you no matter how many non-cat years you did. A non-cat could get you a higher interview/match rate at an OMFS program with a lower score as long as that score is above the minimum threshold. That minimum threshold varies significantly with some programs straight up listing 60 or 70 minimums. Wouldn’t be shocked if some 4-years have a low 50’s minimum. 6-year that minimum goes up to probably 65 or 70+ because you need to be able to confidently pass step. If I were to do a non-cat i’d be careful before committing to know have previous non-cats matched and what’s the workload because it can vary from program to program. Guessing in terms of “gap year” strength it goes Non-Cat>AEGD>Private Practice
 
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