How to Register for the INBDE

Congratulations, Doctor! You did it! You’ve attended four years of dental school under truly challenging and consistently changing circumstances. Now, you are thinking about or planning to take the INBDE exam in order to realize your dream of becoming a licensed dentist in the United States.

So here comes the toughest question yet: How do I register for the INBDE exam?

Well, the Integrated National Board Dental Examination (INBDE) is the examination dentists have to take on the road to licensure. The INBDE exam is a two-day process, however, the second administration day can take place within seven days of the first. Yes, you read that right! The INBDE exam does not need to occur over two consecutive days. Phew!

Now that you are at ease, here is the juicy bit: the first day of the INBDE exam consists of 360 case-based questions for a total of eight hours, while the second day consists of 140 questions completed in four hours. The test is administered at a testing centre in Canada or the United States only by Prometric, an official vendor of the Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations (JCNDE) and the Department of Testing Services (DTS).

Before you can even register for the exam though, the JCNDE have set out a list of eligibility requirements that must be met to sit for the exam.

Wait. How do I know if I am eligible?

Great question, Doctor! First, you must either be a current student of a Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) program, a former student of a CODA-accredited program, a dental graduate of a CODA-accredited program, or a current student of a non-CODA-accredited program, or a practicing graduate dentist of a non-CODA-accredited program. For non-CODA-accredited programs, you must have your educational degree confirmed through Educational Credential Evaluators Inc. (ECE).

Additionally, current non-CODA-accredited students must have their status confirmed by their educational program by filling out this Certification of Eligibility Form. Take particular case as completed forms must be sent by your educational program and must include both the seal of the university and the signature of the dean or registrar.

Once you meet one of these requirements, the next step out of the four steps we will lay out for you is to start your registration process.

Step 1: Create a DENTPIN®

To register for the INBDE exam, you will need a DENTPIN®. You may already have one if you have taken the Dental Admission Test (DAT) or have completed dental school applications using the ADEA Associated American Dental Schools Application Service. If you don’t have a DENTPIN®, no biggie, you can register for one on the American Dental Association website.

To find out how to register for the INBDE exam, including all three next steps in the registration process, download our handy guide here.