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United States · Certification exam

DANB General Chairside Assisting (GC) exam

General Chairside Assisting (GC) is the only one of the three Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) exams with eligibility rules. The Dental Assisting National Board (DANB) gives three pathways to it, based on your education, your work hours, or a dental degree or past CDA status, and each also needs current hands-on CPR. The DANB General Chairside exam has 95 multiple-choice questions in 75 minutes, and you can take it online or at a Pearson VUE test center.

  • 3Eligibility pathways, as for the CDA
  • 95Multiple-choice questions
  • 75 minutesTesting time, and the clock doesn’t stop
Where to study

Updated October 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

What’s on the DANB general chairside exam?

Half of it is chairside dentistry: four-handed technique, dental dams and moisture control, restorations, crown and bridge work, local and topical anesthetic, oral surgery and preventive procedures such as sealants, coronal polishing and fluoride.

DomainShare
Evaluation17%
Patient management and administration17%
Chairside dentistry50%
Dental materials16%

Evaluation covers vital signs, health histories, head and neck anatomy, charting and the medical conditions behind emergencies. Patient management and administration takes in oral health education, legal records, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) rules, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), inventory and equipment upkeep. Dental materials runs from alginates and elastomerics to cements, composites and gypsum.

DANB: GC Exam Outline and References (PDF) ↗

Who can take the GC exam?

You need one of DANB’s three CDA and GC pathways: graduating from a dental assisting or hygiene program accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA), 3,500 hours of verified work experience with a high school diploma, or a dental degree, dental school enrollment or former CDA status. The CDA page sets out each pathway and the documents it takes.

You can take GC on its own, paired with RHS or ICE, or as part of the full CDA exam. Only the single GC exam is listed with an online option.

CDA eligibility pathways and fees →DANB: General Chairside Assisting exam page ↗

Preparing for the general chairside exam

DANB’s GC Study Guide Plan comes in three lengths and uses the DALE Foundation’s GC Practice Test and its Chairside Assisting 101 and 102 courses, which DALE used to call GC Review I and II. DALE says its practice test has more than 200 questions that mirror the GC outline, though none come from real DANB exams.

DANB’s GC study guide plans →GC practice test prices →
Sources: DANB · The DALE Foundation and 3 more. Checked October 2026.

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

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