What is NDAEB Written Exam?

NDAEB Written Exam is part of the 2-step Canadian Dental Assistant Level 2 Licesning Process. The NDAEB Borad Licensing Exam provides assurance that dental assistants in Canada have met the educational requirements that allow for provincial registration/certification/licensure/listing and help facilitate labour mobility. The NDAEB certificate is a “one-time” acquisition that does not require annual renewal.

How many written exams are scheduled in a year?

The NDAEB written exams are conducted 4 times a year. If you are an Immigrant Dental Professional, you must have undergone Equivalency at least 3-4 months prior to your planned exam date and must book your slots at least 2 months before. The slots are booked on a first-come-first-serve basis only.

NDAEB Written Exam Tentative Dates (As per the NDAEB written exams conducted in 2022)

Exams are conducted 4 times a year:

• March
• June
• September
• December

How to book for the NDAEB Written Exam?

The NDAEB written exam application is online and can be made by filling in the application form and taking the fees online.

You will immediately receive an email acknowledging the payment of written exam fees with the link to download the receipt from the “Documents” section of your Candidate Portal. In some cases, it may take 5 working days to receive this acknowledgment email.

Followed by this you will also receive a “Written Exam Registration Letter” in the Candidate Portal. This is a confirmation that you have booked for the exam that will be conducted in that particular month you specifically reserved for.

After this, about 2 weeks before your exam tentative dates, you will receive the “Written Exam Admission Letter” in the same Candidate Portal. Now, this is the actual letter stating the exam time, date & location of your exam. You must carry this letter with you to submit on the exam day.

How to study/prepare for the NDAEB Written exams?

You can do your prep with Canadie Dental Self-Study Material which includes Practice Questions with correct answers and detailed explanations.

You can register at Canadie Dental for the free PDFs of the NDAEB-recommended Textbooks.

The NDAEB board provides a detailed syllabus in the Candidate Handbook. 

NDAEB Practice Tests:

Added to the Candie Dental self-preparation, once the exam is booked, the NDAEB provides each Candidate with 3 Practice Tests to be purchased at $75 each, through your NDAEB Candidate Portal. 

Pass Percentage/ Passing Score required for NDAEB Written Exam

The pass percentage varies between 60-65%, depending on the toughness of the question paper.

(The NDAEB uses the modified Angoff standard setting method to set passing scores. On average, the passing score will vary generally between the low and mid 60% range, depending on the items (questions) appearing on each test paper.)

NDAEB Written Exam Results

About one month after the exam you will receive an email mentioning the results PDF being available in your Candidate Portal. Your results will show the percentage you scored in each category, the average score, and the total percentage you scored for the exam.

Is NDAEB difficult to pass? 

It is comparatively doable, but again the level of toughness depends on the level of education you have undergone:

1. Canadian Graduate: 70% pass on 1st attempt
2. International Graduates: 65% pass on 1st attempt
3. International Dentists: 95% pass on 1st attempt

We have resources available that can provide further information on how foreign dentists can apply for dental assistant jobs in Canada. If you require additional details, we can assist you in accessing these valuable resources.