Canada · Licensing examHow does the NDEB Virtual OSCE work?
It’s a computer exam taken in a single day. About 50 questions are standard single-answer multiple choice. The rest are case-based: you read a case history, charts, images or radiographs and answer a single-answer, multi-answer or short-answer question.
The short-answer questions ask you to complete a prescription for a medication general dentists in Canada commonly prescribe, and each is worth four marks. Multi-answer questions are scored the same way as on the Assessment of Clinical Judgement (ACJ), and wrong answers on single-answer questions cost nothing.
The Virtual OSCE runs at locations across Canada and at some in the US, Ireland and Australia. In May and November it’s held at Prometric centres in Canada and the US, and you book your Prometric seat after you register. NDEB says to watch its Virtual OSCE orientation video beforehand.
Virtual OSCE blueprint
| Area | Questions |
|---|---|
| Operative dentistry | 16 ± 5% |
| Periodontics | 14 ± 5% |
| Oral medicine and pathology | 12 ± 5% |
| Pain | 12 ± 5% |
| Medical emergencies, complex patients | 12 ± 5% |
| Endodontics | 10 ± 5% |
| Prosthodontics | 10 ± 5% |
| Surgery | 8 ± 5% |
| Orthodontics | 6 ± 5% |
Each area includes diagnosis, treatment planning and management, pharmacology included, for patients of all ages and patients with special needs. Radiology and dental anesthesia questions are spread across every area, and there may be questions on scientific literature, health promotion and professionalism.
Who can take the Virtual OSCE
You apply to NDEB’s Certification Process before you can register. You’re eligible if one of these fits you:
- You’ll finish an accredited dental program within four months
- You’ll finish an accredited degree completion program within four months
- You received a BDS, DDS or DMD from an accredited program in the last five years
- You received it more than five years ago, in which case you send a Special Consideration Application that NDEB’s Executive Committee reviews
- You’ve completed the NDEB Equivalency Process, in which case you use your existing NDEBConnect account and NDEB ID
Your university confirms your degree and graduation date with NDEB directly. If that isn’t confirmed at least 15 days before the exam, NDEB may withdraw you, and withdrawal fees apply.
You can take the Virtual OSCE three times. Attempts at the old Written Examination and OSCE count toward that limit.
Getting your NDEB certificate
NDEB issues your certificate once you’ve passed the Virtual OSCE and it has your proof of graduation. What proof it needs depends on where you studied:
- Canadian dental programs: the school generally sends confirmation for its final-year students, so you don’t send anything unless NDEB asks.
- Accredited programs outside Canada: an official final transcript showing the date your degree was conferred, sent by your university in a sealed envelope or through MyCreds, Parchment, National Student Clearinghouse or My eQuals.
- The Equivalency Process: no proof of graduation is needed.
NDEB mails the certificate to the address in your NDEBConnect profile and adds your name to its National Register, where provincial regulators can look it up. The certificate doesn’t expire.
Sources: NDEB and 6 more. Checked October 2026.
- NDEB: Virtual OSCE ↗
- NDEB: 2026 Virtual OSCE Protocol, effective January 19, 2026 (PDF) ↗
- NDEB: Certification Process, How to Apply ↗
- NDEB: Registering for the Exam ↗
- NDEB: Getting Your Certificate and License ↗
- NDEB: How to Become a Licensed Dentist in Canada ↗
- NDEB: November Written and OSCE results are now available (December 18, 2019) ↗
Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.
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