Select Schools Based on Regional Licensure Exam?

[MRZ8]

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As some of you know, five testing agencies (below) offer different clinical exams as part of the requirement for dental licensure. I currently live in VA. Say, I want to attend school in California. If I attend a school in California, will I able to choose which regional testing agency through which I take the clinical exam? In other words, am I obligated to take the WREB or, if I want to practice in VA, take the CDCA?

• Central Regional Dental Testing Service (CRDTS)
• Commission on Dental Competency Assessments (CDCA, formerly the NERB)
• Council of Interstate Testing Agencies (CITA)
• Southern Regional Testing Agency (SRTA)
• Western Regional Examining Board (WREB)

Knowing this piece of information will help me determine if I can apply to schools not covered by the CDCA (i.e west coast schools).

Thanks in advance SDN.

 

[I want to go to there]

You can take both. You aren't limited to take just one.

 

[sjv]

Yeap, you can take whichever test you like. However, you may have to travel to another site or state to take that exam if it is not offered where you attend dental school.

 

[futuredoc2019dds]

Dental schools decide which test they want to host. For example Colorado does the WREB and CRDTS, UNLV does the CDCA and WREB, but there's also some schools that only do one test. You don't have to do both, but some schools offer multiple because a single licensure exam doesn't cover all 50 states. Almost always dental students take the test that covers the state they want to practice in rather than taking both. If your school only offers one test and that test doesn't cover the state you want to practice in, you can travel to another school to take that specific exam but it gets expansive because you probably would have to pay for your patients transportation and lodging and "babysit" them to make sure they actually go to the school when they need to (I've heard of time when dental students would fly their patients to another state and they end up not being at the school on time, etc.).

My personal advice, don't worry about the licensure exam and don't make it a deciding factor for which schools you're applying to. Your worry now should be on getting accepted even if it's for a school that doesn't offer the licensure exam you need. Face that problem when you're ACTUALLY in dental school.

 

[MRZ8]

Thank you all for the great advice.