Hi, Novice 07. Here is the best advice I can give you. I failed WREB just recently at Minnesota. I took NERB in the CIF format this year; passed all sections except Operative. So I retook the Operative section because I left decay. I did not use SEEK cavity indicator the first time. You should definitely use that stuff when taking boards. I retook the Operative. In my opinion, the NERB is an easier exam to pass than the WREB, except they sometimes fail you for stupid reasons. What I would do, regardless of any board you take or retake, would be to go through a remediation program at your school. They should offer something. Do not take this the wrong way, it doesn't mean that you don't know what you are doing. Realize that the WREB takes points away for no good reason. I was shocked at how my endo was scored, though I passed. My anterior endo was perfect; my posterior endo was 1.5 mm short of the apex and had coronal voids, but that was it, and I received a 77% on the endo overall. I received an 88% on the anterior endo. I practiced the endo for over a month. If you have to, take your acadental typodont, get extracted teeth, and practice on a post, EXACTLY AS IF YOU WERE TESTING. Also, cut as many class twos as you can on live teeth, if possible. I used a patient agency to get my patients, and for operative, that was my downfall. My amalgam preparation had 4 accepted modifications, and I left .5mm caries over the pulp to avoid exposure. When the patient returned, the pulp was poked through, and I had my only pink slip throughout the exam. I wound up losing 5 points for the pulp exposure AS WELL AS all my points for the internal form on my preparation. I passed all other sections of the WREB, including my composite preparation, which was ideal. I got a perfect score on the perio, of course. Even with all of this, I lost 11 points on the amalgam, was hit twice for the pulpal exposure, which is contradictory to what their manual states, and in addition to all of this, they do not give you 5s, even though you may have achieved 5 criterion according to what the manual actually states. This makes the WREB exam just as arbitrary as any other, if you ask me. Actually, it was the worst board examination that I have yet experienced. The best way to pass the WREB, in my opinion, is to have perfect patients. Find the most ideal lesions that you can, and do it on your own. Be proactive. I am kicking myself for not being more aggressive and finding my own patients, though I am in a residency program. No matter how much money you give someone, they NEVER do the job that you would do for yourself. Realize that the people that grade this exam are taking your money. It is a business. You just have to be smart enough to remove the ammunition from them so that they don't have an excuse to fail you. You are NOT a failure, and don't let anyone or anything tell you that you are. I know that I am a good dentist, and I know that I can render good care. I have been working with the operative faculty at my school who told me that I could leave perio and make a good living as a competent operative dentist. You know, these boards are a game, a psychological game, and you must strategize so that you can win. I learned some painful lessons along the way, but you must PICK YOURSELF UP, and LIVE TO FIGHT ANOTHER DAY. Take a proactive stance, and look around. YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY ONE. Don't focus on others, focus on yourself. Furthermore, you cannot allow a couple of weekends of your life to dictate your future. Take it from me, I know one of the WREB examiners very well, and you are much better off than he will EVER be. Don't give up. I never will. Take care.
