INBDE exam fee, eligibility and how to apply

What does the INBDE exam fee cover?

These are the figures in the JCNDE’s 2026 guide, updated August 4, 2026, in US dollars. CODA is the Commission on Dental Accreditation.

The exam fee covers your results, up to three licensing jurisdictions you name when you apply, and your program if it’s CODA accredited. Fees are non-refundable and non-transferable.

For 2027, the JCNDE’s June 24, 2026 meeting proposed keeping $890, $435 and $55. It said those are subject to change and that final fees would be in the 2027 Candidate Guide, due online in December 2026. Check the guide for the year you test.

Two lines to confirm before you pay. The JCNDE’s INBDE page lists the audit at $65, against $105 in the 2026 guide. And the 2026 guide lists a $1,080 INBDE and DLOSCE bundle, but the ADA said standalone sittings of the Dental Licensure Objective Structured Clinical Examination (DLOSCE) would cease after October 9, 2026, and the JCNDE’s DLOSCE page says all administrations run through the American Board of Dental Examiners. Ask the JCNDE if either affects you.

How to apply and choose your INBDE test date

1. Create or retrieve your DENTPIN. If you’ve applied for or taken any dental exam, you already have one.
2. Read the Candidate Guide. You must confirm that you have when you apply.
3. Submit your application and pay. Your name must match your IDs exactly.
4. Wait for the eligibility email from the JCNDE, and check your spam folder if it’s slow to arrive.
5. Book with Prometric using your DENTPIN as your eligibility ID, then choose the INBDE.

Applications are processed Monday through Friday during US business hours. The 2026 guide says retest rules or program requirements can make the six months shorter. If six months isn’t enough, you can buy one 45-day extension per application, as long as you have no appointment scheduled. Miss the window and you lose the fee.

Retake rules if you don’t pass

Each attempt needs a new application and fee. If you pass, you can’t retake the exam unless a dental board or regulator requires it. If you don’t, these limits apply, and the 2026 guide says none of them is open to appeal:

• Wait at least 60 days between attempts.
• Take no more than four attempts in any 12 months. After a fourth, your fifth waits until 12 months after the first of those four.
• Pass within five years of your first attempt or within five attempts, whichever comes first. After that, you may test once every six months.

Your attempt counts once you’ve sat down and agreed to the confidentiality statement on screen. The JCNDE encourages formal remediation before you try again.