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Canada · Licensing exam

NDEB pass rates and exam results

The National Dental Examining Board of Canada (NDEB) reports that 90.36% of candidates passed the Virtual OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Examination) in 2025. The NDEB pass rate was lower on the equivalency exams: 52.29% on the Assessment of Fundamental Knowledge (AFK), 62.44% on the Assessment of Clinical Judgement (ACJ), and 38.33% and 57.46% on the two parts of the NDECC. Each figure covers every sitting in the year, first-time and repeat candidates together.

  • 1,646Dentists NDEB certified in 2025
  • 745Certified through equivalency in 2025
  • Seven daysTime to file a compassionate appeal
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Updated October 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

What was the NDEB pass rate in 2025?

ExamCandidatesPass rateFirst-time passesRepeat passes
Virtual OSCE1,57690.36%1,313 of 1,441111 of 135
AFK1,54952.29%532 of 1,073278 of 476
ACJ89262.44%393 of 643164 of 249
NDECC clinical skills1,66738.33%313 of 770326 of 897
NDECC situational judgement1,22757.46%440 of 769265 of 458

NDEB publishes the pass rate for all candidates and the counts behind it, not a separate first-time rate. On its Considering Canada page, written for graduates of non-accredited programs, NDEB puts the share of candidates who succeed on each exam the first time at 28%, as of May 2025.

NDEB: Equivalency Process Exam Results ↗NDEB: Certification Process Exam Results ↗

How many dentists NDEB certifies

YearCertifiedThrough equivalency
20251,646745
20241,303447
2023948131
20221,037246
202171623

NDEB doesn’t limit how many certificates it issues; anyone who meets the requirements is certified. It says about half of the people it certifies each year studied general dentistry outside Canada.

NDEB: NDEB Certification numbers ↗

Getting your NDEB results

Results for the AFK, ACJ and Virtual OSCE are normally released within eight weeks of the exam. You get an email, then log in to NDEBConnect and choose “results”. NDEB doesn’t give results by phone, email or fax, or before they’re released.

You see a pass or a fail. The 2026 AFK, ACJ and Virtual OSCE Protocols say that only a score under 75 also comes with your test equated, rescaled score, with no breakdown by topic. NDEB’s AFK web page says every AFK result includes the score.

NDECC results follow a different schedule, set by evaluation sessions through the year.

How the NDECC is graded →

If you fail: verification of score

Only a failed result can be verified. Ask through “Service Requests” in NDEBConnect within 30 days of the results release, or within one month for the Virtual OSCE. For computer and paper exams, NDEB compares your answers with the answer key by hand and recalculates your score. For the NDECC it rechecks the grade calculations but doesn’t re-mark your work, so NDEB says a change is unlikely.

If something during the exam stopped you showing your ability, such as a serious medical problem, a compassionate appeal is the route instead. It has to be filed in NDEBConnect within seven days of the exam. NDEB says exam anxiety alone doesn’t qualify unless it’s a diagnosed disorder.

NDEB: Appeals ↗Verification and appeal fees →
Sources: NDEB and 9 more. Checked October 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

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Equivalency exams

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