How do WREB defines equivalent? (Hey Gavin, you can ask your uncle about this)
For example, if your tx plan is:
Phase I: SC/RP 4 quads (what's the equivalent of this?)
Phase II: Restorations: #3 MOD amalgam or onlay or 3/4 crown or FVC. (I can kind of see the equivalent here, but is FVC an equivalent of 3/4 crown? because last time I checked, not that many dentist doing 3/4 crown).
Remember these kinds of definitions (equivalent) makes it easy to fail, impossible to appeal. While they reduce the perio score from 20 to 16, which is a 20% reduction. Restoration score is reduced from 52 to 48, which is not that much. The point here is that the easy score is greatly reduced, while the more difficult score is not reduced as much. I have question why do they need to revise their exam format while they just did it in 2005? And what is the motivation for doing all of this? To improve passing rate?
PATP will be easy (paperwise), no one can ask a newly grad to treatment plan a whole mouth reconstruction. However, it's only easy if xray, pictures and models are clear and carious lesions are visible. I remember the NDBE 2 and even the WREB CSW have poor quality xray and pictures and no matters how many test takers complain, over the year, I have heard that nothing improves much. If those cases are sent in by non-educators practitioners (those guys who let their assistants point and shoot and then collect money), god bless all test takers.
You guys will have a hell of a time trying to look at those xrays and pics
I would like to camp out near NOVA to see how many people cry afterward. I'm not trying to sound blue over an exam that I don't take, but these are real points that I do have questions after reading the candidate guide
