ADEX Dental Exam 2026: Cost, Dates and How to Register

  • Dr. T
  • October 14, 2026
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ADEX Dental Examination · Updated October 2026

ADEX Dental Exam 2026: Cost, Dates and How to Register

As of October 2026, the ADEX Dental Examination costs $2,995 plus a facility fee set by the clinical site, and you register online through a candidate profile at adextesting.org. As an internationally trained dentist, you can only sit it once you are in, or have finished, a CODA-accredited US program, such as an Advanced Standing DDS/DMD, a 2-year GPR or AEGD, or a specialty residency.

$2,995series fee, plus a facility fee
6 partsthe DLOSCE plus 5 hands-on clinical exams
18 monthsto pass every part, from your first attempt
$695to retake the DLOSCE

Who runs itStatesEligibilityRegisterFeesCost plannerDatesDLOSCE partRetakesPrep planFAQ
How The Study Boards helps

How The Study Boards helps you with the ADEX exam

  • The DLOSCE part: our DLOSCE course gives you 4,500 questions and 34 timed tests in 45 days for $399, with nightly live tests at 9 PM New York time and a free re-teach guarantee.
  • Before ADEX: you need the INBDE and a place in a US program first. Our INBDE Premium Boards course and our CAAPID application program cover both steps.
  • Personal help: The Study Boards courses are extremely personalised. Red lines and assignments are given to you on the go, the course learns from the way you study, and faculty are there to assist you.

We do not run a course for the five hands-on clinical exams, and this guide tells you how to prepare for them. See our full plan.

The organization

Who runs the ADEX exam now

Older guides send you to CDCA, WREB or CITA. Those names are gone.

In August 2025, CDCA-WREB-CITA and ADEX finished merging into one body, the American Board of Dental Examiners, which now writes and runs the exam.1 Its website is adextesting.org; the old cdcaexams.org site points there.2

The computer-based half is the DLOSCE (our DLOSCE prep plan). The American Dental Association (ADA) owns it, the JCNDE oversees it, and ADEX uses it under an exclusive ADA licence.5 All DLOSCE sittings now run through ADEX.9

What the ADEX Dental Examination includes

Part What you do Time allowed Where
DLOSCE Computer-based clinical cases, 3D models and 2 prescription tasks About 6 h 45 min seat time Prometric test centre
Periodontal Calculus detection, calculus removal on an assigned quadrant, probing depths Up to 90 min Clinical site
Endodontic One anterior and one posterior procedure Up to 3 h Clinical site
Fixed Prosthodontic All-ceramic crown prep on a central incisor, zirconia crown preps on a premolar and a molar Up to 4 h Clinical site
Anterior Restorative Class III preparation and restoration on a maxillary incisor Up to 3 h Clinical site
Posterior Restorative Class II preparation and restoration on a mandibular molar or premolar Up to 3.5 h Clinical site

Clinical work is done on ADEX-supplied typodonts in a manikin, not on patients. Periodontal became required on 1 August 2026, and amalgam is no longer used.36 As an outside candidate you take the Traditional Format, with all clinical parts over two days; the Curriculum Integrated Format is only for the host school’s own students.47

For what each part tests and how it is graded, read our ADEX exam explainer.

Where it counts

Which states accept the ADEX exam

ADEX publishes an acceptance map. In the version updated on 9 September 2026, ADEX names Delaware and New York as jurisdictions that do not accept the ADEX Dental Examination for initial licensure.8 If you plan to work in either state, ask that state’s dental board which clinical route it wants instead.

ADEX is one piece of your licenceState boards also look at your education and your INBDE (our INBDE prep plan), which the JCNDE says is accepted in all US states and territories.10 Read your target state’s licence application before you register; ADEX puts this on the candidate.4

Clinical exams run at sites across the US and at a few sites in Jamaica, Mexico, Nova Scotia, Puerto Rico and Saudi Arabia.4 Results are pass or fail and do not expire, but some states limit how old a result can be.7

Can you sit it?

Eligibility for internationally trained dentists

A foreign BDS or DDS on its own does not make you eligible. You need a link to a CODA-accredited US program. Pick the line that describes you.

Choose an option above to see your route.
Eligible

Current student of a CODA-accredited US DDS/DMD program, including Advanced Standing. At account set-up, choose ENROLLED. Your school’s designated representative authorizes you.4

Eligible

In the final academic year of a CODA-accredited US 2-year GPR or AEGD: choose RESIDENT; your program authorizes you. Already completed one: choose NOT-ENROLLED and upload your diploma, certificate or official transcript.4

ADEX says a 2-year program. If yours is 1 year, ask ADEX before you pay.

Eligible with a state letter

Current or completed CODA-accredited US specialty certificate program (for example prosthodontics, oral surgery or orthodontics), or a hospital residency, fellowship or postdoctoral program affiliated with a CODA-accredited US dental program. Choose NOT-ENROLLED and upload a State Board Authorization Letter that names the exam.4

The letter is valid for up to 18 months from its date, and only for the exams it names.4

Not eligible yet

The Candidate Guide lists no route for a graduate of a non-CODA school who has no US program.4 Your first steps are the INBDE and a place in a US program. Two exceptions: King Abdulaziz University (Saudi Arabia, graduates after 1 August 2019) and Yeditepe University (Turkey, graduates after 1 February 2024) are CODA-accredited, so their graduates apply like US graduates.4

Where ADEX fits in your US route

Every route starts with the INBDE. If you have not passed it yet, start with our INBDE course blueprint. After the boards, these are your options:

1

Advanced Standing / IDP2 to 3 years to a US DDS/DMD through ADEA CAAPID; you take ADEX as an enrolled student. See our CAAPID program.

2

AEGD or GPRThrough ADEA PASS. Some states give a limited licence after an AEGD; rules vary. A 2-year program opens ADEX eligibility.

3

Specialty residency through PASSMore competitive. ADEX eligibility comes with a State Board Authorization Letter.

4

TeachingSome schools hire internationally trained dentists as faculty. Licence rules depend on the state.

On the bigger costThe full US route usually comes to roughly $250,000 to $450,000 all-in. Almost everyone finances it with loans: private loans, co-signer loans with a US citizen or green-card holder, or one of the few international lenders that need no co-signer. Our cost of becoming a US dentist guide breaks it down.

Step by step

How to register for the ADEX exam

Create your candidate profileAt adextesting.org, go to Candidates, then Login, and create an account. Enter your legal name exactly as on your primary US government-issued ID, without accent marks.4
Fill in your personal detailsPhone, address, birth date and a recent photo. Some states need your Social Security Number and DENTPIN for results reporting.4
Set your enrollment status and upload documentsChoose ENROLLED, RESIDENT or NOT-ENROLLED for your route and upload its documents.4
Find a clinical site that takes outside candidatesOn the exam calendar, check each site’s “i” icon. “Outside Candidates: YES” means you can register; “NO” means that school’s students only.11
Register and pay in fullPress “Register for an Exam” and pay in full, by Visa or MasterCard only. Seats are first come, first served, and there are no waitlists.47
Book your DLOSCE at PrometricUse the green “Schedule My Exam” button. Need accommodations? Get them approved before you book.4
Watch for your clinical scheduleADEX emails your official schedule and Q&A Session about 2 to 3 weeks before. Travel booked earlier is at your own risk.4

Your registration checklist

Check your ID earlyThe Candidate Guide says the primary ID must be a valid US government-issued photo ID, and it lists a passport as an example.4 If your only photo ID is a foreign passport, confirm with ADEX through Contact Us before you book. Without the right ID you are a “No Show” and lose the fee.

As of October 2026

Every ADEX dental exam fee

All figures are from ADEX’s own fee list.3

Fee Amount When you pay it
ADEX Dental series fee $2,995 At registration. Covers all 5 clinical exams and the DLOSCE, plus one free retake per clinical procedure.
Facility fee Varies by site Set by the host school to cover its costs. Shown for each clinical location.
Typodont fee $150 per procedure On your free second clinical attempt, for each procedure you redo.
Third clinical attempt $1,495 Perio, Endo and/or Prosth: $1,495. Anterior and Posterior Restorative: $1,495. Plus any facility fee.
DLOSCE retake $695 Second or third attempt.
Extended Registration and Transfer Fee $345 Requests after the clinical registration deadline.
Prometric reschedule or cancel $50 or $100 $50 at 6 to 30 days out, $100 at 1 to 5 days out. Under 24 hours: not allowed, fee lost.4
Refund

Before the deadline: full refundWithdraw before the clinical registration deadline and you get everything back. After it, you get a refund minus $345, but only if you have not attempted any part.

Credit

2 years to use itRegistration credit must be used or refunded within two years of the original payment. Once you attempt any part, unused parts are not refunded.3

Not on ADEX’s list: travel, your own instruments, practice typodonts, a fee-based score report if your state wants one, and your state licence fee.4

Plan your budget

ADEX cost planner

Pick a scenario to see what you would pay ADEX. Add your site’s facility fee to each total.

Choose a scenario above to see the breakdown.
Best case

ADEX Dental series fee$2,995
Facility fee, one clinical sittingyour site’s fee
Total to ADEX$2,995 + 1 facility fee
One clinical retake

ADEX Dental series fee$2,995
Second attempt exam fee$0
Typodont fee: 3 procedures x $150$450
Facility fees, two sittingsyour site’s fee x 2
Total to ADEX$3,445 + 2 facility fees

Fail one crown prep and you redo all three, because the Prosthodontic exam is graded as one part.4

One DLOSCE retake

ADEX Dental series fee$2,995
DLOSCE second attempt$695
Facility fee, one clinical sittingyour site’s fee
Total to ADEX$3,690 + 1 facility fee
Third attempt

ADEX Dental series fee$2,995
Second attempt: typodont fee, 2 procedures x $150$300
Third attempt fee$1,495
Facility fees, three sittingsyour site’s fee x 3
Total to ADEX$4,790 + 3 facility fees

A third failure of the same part fails the whole series, and you start again and pay again.4

Dates and calendar

How to find ADEX test dates

There is no single national date. Each clinical site sets its own, and the live calendar at adextesting.org shows real-time seats and deadlines.11 We do not copy dates here because seats change daily. Log in and press “Register for an Exam” to see only the sites open to you.

Aug 2026 to Jul 2027current exam season and manuals
2 to 3 weeksbefore the exam: your clinical schedule
10 daysminimum wait before any retake

How fast results arrive7

24 to 48 hoursDLOSCE official result
2 to 3 business daysRestorative exams
3 to 4 weeksProsthodontic, Endodontic and Periodontal

Key dates in the 2026 changes

27 August 2025CDCA-WREB-CITA and ADEX finish their mergerThe new body is the American Board of Dental Examiners.1
14 April 2026ADA and ADEX announce the DLOSCE agreementThe DLOSCE becomes part of every ADEX Dental Examination.12
1 August 2026New exam season startsThe Periodontal exam becomes required, and the DLOSCE is no longer sold on its own to new candidates.312
After 9 October 2026Standalone DLOSCE endsAll standalone DLOSCE administrations stop.12
31 December 2026Old DSE OSCE deadlineCandidates who started with the old DSE OSCE must pass their initial DSE OSCE attempt by this date.7

The computer-based half

The DLOSCE inside the ADEX exam

The DLOSCE is no longer a separate exam you buy on its own. It is part of the ADEX Dental series, and you cannot register for it separately.7 You take it at a Prometric centre. The JCNDE’s 2026 schedule sets out the format:13

Section Content Minutes
1 37 questions 75
2 37 questions 75
3 2 prescription tasks (one antibiotic, one analgesic) 10
4 37 questions 75
5 37 questions 75

ADEX’s own manual gives a total seat time of about 6 hours 45 minutes, including a 25-minute introduction and tutorial and three optional scheduled breaks.5 You see “pass” or “fail”. Behind that is a scale score from 49 to 99, and 75 is the minimum pass. If you fail, your report shows your scale score.5

The DLOSCE is the part you can prepare for with questions and timed tests. Our DLOSCE course blueprint is the full prep plan. For study habits, read how to study for the DLOSCE and our 12 DLOSCE preparation tips.

If a part goes wrong

Retake rules and the 18-month rule

These rules apply across the whole ADEX examination series, computer-based and clinical.

18 mo

The 18-month ruleYou must pass every part within 18 months of your first attempt at any part. Miss it and you repeat the whole series.4

10 d

10-day waitAt least 10 days between a failure and the next attempt, for both clinical and DLOSCE parts.4

3x

3-time fail policyThree failed attempts in a row at the same part fail the whole series. You restart and pay for every part again.4

6 mo

After 3 DLOSCE failsWait at least 6 months from the last failed DLOSCE before trying it again in a new series.5

All

Endo and Prosth: redo everythingFail one procedure and you redo every procedure in that exam. Anterior and Posterior Restorative are graded separately, so you redo only the one you failed.4

State

Remediation rulesADEX does not ask for remediation proof, but many states do. California requires it after a third failure. Virginia needs board approval before a 4th attempt.7

How the 18 months play outSay you sit the DLOSCE first, in March 2027. Your clock starts that day, not on your clinical date. Every clinical part, and any retake, must be passed by September 2028, 18 months later. So book your clinical site soon after the DLOSCE, and keep time for one retake inside the window.

How to prepare

How to prepare: our full plan

ADEX has two halves. We teach one of them, and we are honest about the other.

DLOSCE

DLOSCE course by The Study BoardsBuilt for the computer-based half of the ADEX exam:

  • 4,500 DLOSCE questions and 34 timed tests
  • Prescription practice for the two Rx tasks
  • Nightly live tests at 9 PM New York time
  • Questions answered by a US-licensed dentist on our faculty, not AI
  • $399 for 45 days. Score 60% or more in our tests and still do not pass? We teach you again at no cost.

See the DLOSCE Course Blueprint

Clinical

The five hands-on examsWe do not run a course for the ADEX clinical exams. Start here instead:

  • Practise every procedure to the ADEX criteria sheets under the real time limits.
  • Read our 12 ADEX clinical exam tips.
  • Have a question about your situation? Message us on WhatsApp. Our Admin Team with Dr. T and Dr. Kaur will contact you over WhatsApp.

Ask us on WhatsApp

The ADEX manuals you need (2026 to 2027 season)

ADEX tells you to rely only on its official publications. For exams from 1 August 2026 to 31 July 2027, the Manuals and Forms page has:6

  • Candidate Guide: eligibility, registration, fees, ID, 18-month rule and results.
  • Dental Clinical Examination Manual: the five clinical exams, timings, instruments and penalties.
  • DLOSCE Computer-based Examination Manual: content, question types, scoring and test-centre rules.
  • Criteria sheets and scoring rubrics for each procedure, plus sample candidate worksheets.
Quick answers

Frequently asked questions

How much does the ADEX dental exam cost in 2026?
$2,995 plus the site’s facility fee, as of October 2026. That covers all six parts and one free retake per clinical procedure (you pay $150 per procedure for typodonts on that retake).
Can I take the ADEX exam with only my BDS from India or Pakistan?
No. You need a CODA-accredited US program first: a DDS/DMD (including Advanced Standing), a 2-year GPR or AEGD, a specialty program or an affiliated hospital program.
Is the DLOSCE still a separate exam?
No. Standalone sittings stopped after 9 October 2026. It is now the computer-based part of the ADEX Dental Examination.
Where can I download the ADEX manual?
On adextesting.org, open ADEX Dental, then Manuals and Forms. The current set covers 1 August 2026 to 31 July 2027.
What happens if I do not pass every part within 18 months?
You repeat the entire series, including parts you passed. The clock starts at your first attempt at any part.
Does New York accept the ADEX dental exam?
No. ADEX’s map (updated 9 September 2026) shows New York and Delaware as not accepting it. Ask those boards which route they require.
For the DLOSCE part of ADEX

DLOSCE Course by The Study Boards

4,500 questions, 34 timed tests and prescription practice, with US-licensed dentists answering your questions.

$399 for 45 days34 timed testsNightly 9 PM NY live testsFree re-teach

See the Blueprint

Not sure if you are eligible yet?

Tell us your degree, your US program and the state you want. Our Admin Team with Dr. T and Dr. Kaur will contact you over WhatsApp.

Message the Admin Team on WhatsApp

References

  1. American Board of Dental Examiners. CDCA-WREB-CITA, ADEX finalize merger, 27 August 2025. adextesting.org
  2. cdcaexams.org: notice that CDCA is now the American Board of Dental Examiners, with a link to adextesting.org. cdcaexams.org
  3. ADEX. ADEX Dental: examination fees, retake fees, refunds, Periodontal requirement. adextesting.org
  4. ADEX. Candidate Guide, exam year 2026 (version 20260723): eligibility, profile, ID, registration, scheduling, 18-month rule, retakes, formats, locations. adextesting.org
  5. ADEX. DLOSCE Computer-based Examination Manual, 2026 (version 20260727): licence from the ADA, content weights, seat time, scoring, retake waits. adextesting.org
  6. ADEX. Dental Clinical Examination Manual, 2026 to 2027 season, and the Manuals and Forms page. Clinical manual · Manuals and Forms
  7. ADEX. FAQs: formats, registration, attempts, results timing, DLOSCE and DSE OSCE, remediation. adextesting.org
  8. ADEX. Acceptance Maps, dental map last updated 9 September 2026. adextesting.org
  9. JCNDE. DLOSCE page: all administrations conducted through ADEX. jcnde.ada.org
  10. JCNDE. INBDE page: accepted in all US states and territories. jcnde.ada.org
  11. ADEX. Exam Calendars: real-time availability and outside-candidate status. adextesting.org
  12. ADEX. ADA and ADEX Advance Dental Licensure Through New Agreement, 14 April 2026. adextesting.org
  13. JCNDE. 2026 DLOSCE Candidate Guide (now marked for historical reference): administration schedule. jcnde.ada.org
  14. The Study Boards: DLOSCE course facts. DLOSCE course blueprint

Current as of October 2026. Fees, dates and eligibility rules change; confirm with ADEX and your state dental board before you register. The cost planner shows fees paid to ADEX only and is an illustration, not a quote.

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