NBDE vs INBDE: What Changed and Which Old Material Still Works
The old NBDE exam is gone. NBDE Part I was discontinued on 31 December 2020 and NBDE Part II on 1 January 2023, and the INBDE, launched on 1 August 2020, replaced both. Today it is the single written National Board exam for US dental licensure. Here is what changed, where an old Part I pass leaves you, and which NBDE-era material still helps.
How The Study Boards helps you move from the NBDE to the INBDE
- Built for today’s exam: our faculty-created Modules teach each subject clinically, with the science attached, so you never study for an exam that no longer exists.
- Practice that looks like the INBDE: 35,000+ focused questions, case vignettes, the Master and Grand Test Series (8-hour mock exams), daily tasks and nightly live tests at 9 PM New York time, all built on active recall.
- Built around you: 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.
Holding an old Part I pass? We start from where you are. See the INBDE Course Blueprint.
What the NBDE exam was
The National Board Dental Examination (NBDE) was the written exam US dental boards used to license dentists. It came in two parts, taken at different stages.
The basic science exam
One day, 400 multiple-choice questions, spread evenly over four disciplines. About 20% of the questions sat in short patient-scenario sets called testlets.7
- Anatomic Sciences
- Biochemistry-Physiology
- Microbiology-Pathology
- Dental Anatomy and Occlusion
The clinical exam
Two days, 500 questions: 400 discipline-based questions on day one and 100 patient-case questions on day two.4
- Endodontics, Operative Dentistry, Periodontics, Prosthodontics
- Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Pain Control, Oral Diagnosis
- Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry, Pharmacology, Patient Management
NBDE to INBDE: the timeline
The end dates moved twice, for COVID-19 and for candidates held up by visas. These are the final dates from the JCNDE’s own documents.
NBDE Part I, Part II and the INBDE, side by side
The INBDE is not “Part I plus Part II glued together”. It is a new exam with fewer questions, and every question is built around clinical use.
| Feature | NBDE Part I | NBDE Part II | INBDE (current) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Status | Retired Last day 31 Dec 2020 | Retired Last day 31 Dec 2022 | Current Since 1 Aug 2020 |
| Questions | 400 | 500 (400 discipline-based + 100 case-based) | 500 (300 standalone + 200 in patient cases) |
| Testing time | 1 day, 8 hours 30 minutes | 2 days, 12 hours 30 minutes | 2 days (8 h 15 min + 4 h 15 min), second day within 7 days at the same centre |
| How content is built | Four biomedical disciplines, tested mostly on their own | Nine clinical disciplines plus a patient-case section | Integrated: 56 clinical content areas crossed with 10 foundation knowledge areas |
| Content weights | 25% each discipline | By discipline | Diagnosis and Treatment Planning 36%, Oral Health Management 42%, Practice and Profession 22% |
| Results | Pass/fail from 2012 | Pass/fail from 2012 | Pass/fail; a fail shows a scale score from 49 to 99, with 75 to pass |
Sources: 2014 NBDE Part I Guide, 2022 NBDE Part II Guide and INBDE 2026 Candidate Guide.147
Numbers to pass/fail: what really changed
Many guides say the INBDE “brought in” pass/fail. It did not. The switch happened under the old NBDE.
Numeric scores
NBDE candidates received scores on a 49 to 99 scale, with 75 as the passing standard. If you tested before 2012, those numbers still appear on your record.17
Pass/fail for the NBDE
The JCNDE moved to pass/fail reporting. A pass showed only the word “Pass”.2
Pass/fail from day one
A pass shows no number. A fail shows your overall scale score and a graph of your 13 areas. Pass or fail depends only on the overall score.1
Passed NBDE Part I before it retired? Here is where you stand
Pick the line that describes you.
- The JCNDE’s rule: anyone who did not complete Part I and Part II before they were discontinued must pass the INBDE to get National Board certification.6
- Your Part I pass gives no exemption. The INBDE is one 500-question exam, and its biomedical science is woven through the clinical cases.
- Your Part I result stays on your record. INBDE results list every previous NBDE Part I, NBDE Part II and INBDE attempt.1
- Check each school’s wording. Some school pages still say “NBDE Part I”. As of October 2026, the University at Buffalo IDP page still asks applicants to pass “Part I NBDE” and gives preference to those who passed “NBDE Part II or the Integrated NBDE”.10 Ask each school in writing how it treats your Part I pass and an INBDE pass.
- Passing both parts completes the National Board requirement. The JCNDE planned for dental boards to accept either sequence: Part I plus Part II, or the INBDE.9
- You may not take the INBDE unless a dental board or regulator requires it.5
- Your next step is the application, not another board exam. See the routes after the boards below.
- You must pass the INBDE.6
- INBDE attempts are counted separately from NBDE attempts under the five years or five attempts rule. Even five or more failed NBDE attempts still leave you five years or five attempts on the INBDE.1
- Old NBDE attempts still appear on your results report.1
- Today’s retest rules: 60 days between attempts, a maximum of 4 attempts in 12 months, and one attempt every 6 months after five years or five attempts.1 Full details: INBDE retake rules 2026.
After the boards: every US route
Passing the National Boards does not make you a US dentist on its own. It opens these doors:
The full Advanced Standing route costs roughly $250,000 to $450,000 all-in. That sounds frightening, but almost everyone finances it with loans: private loans, co-signer loans with a US citizen or green-card holder, and a few international lenders that need no co-signer. Our Master the CAAPID Application program walks you through the application step by step.
Which NBDE-era material still works
Most international dentists inherit a drive full of NBDE material from seniors. Some of it helps. Some of it costs marks. Filter by verdict.
The JCNDE itself recommends textbooks and lecture notes as your primary study sources.1 Use current editions, because guidelines change. Our faculty-written Modules follow the same idea: one per subject, kept current.
Part II already had cases with a health history, charting, radiographs and photos, and at least 15% of case questions dealt with medically compromised patients.4 That is the closest ancestor of INBDE reasoning. Check any guideline in them against today’s version.
Fine for fast recall of numbers and classifications. Weak for case reasoning, and older sets can carry outdated content. Example: the 2017 World Workshop classification replaced “chronic” and “aggressive” periodontitis with one disease, periodontitis, staged I to IV and graded A to C.12 At The Study Boards, our daily tasks, nightly live tests and test series do this recall work on current content, and red lines and assignments bring weak facts back to you on the go.
Keep the science that explains a clinical decision: why a drug interacts, why a lesion behaves the way it does. Cut long memorisation lists that never change what you would do for a patient. The INBDE tests foundation knowledge inside clinical content.1
Useful only to see how a question is worded. The JCNDE warns that even its INBDE practice questions may be outdated and should be used to learn item formats, not as your main preparation.1 Part I papers are the furthest from today’s exam: they test single disciplines, not patients.
Recalled questions are rebuilt from memory, and their “answers” are often wrong. Posting or discussing memorised exam questions also breaks JCNDE rules and can void results.1 Use an RQ only to spot a concept, then study the concept. Read why RQs backfire and master the concept, not the question.
Pass rates from before the 1 June 2024 standard and the old 90-day retest wait no longer apply. Today it is 60 days between attempts.126
Months of pure basic science before any clinical work matches an exam that no longer exists. Study each subject clinically, science attached, from week one.
Before you study any old resource, check these
Canada uses the NDEB, not the NBDE
The NBDE and the INBDE are US licensing exams. Canada has its own national board: the National Dental Examining Board of Canada (NDEB).
Sitting the INBDE in Canada
Prometric delivers the INBDE at test centres in both the US and Canada.1 Graduates of programs accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada (CDAC) can take it under a reciprocal agreement, if they want a US licence.1
Practising in Canada
Dentists from non-accredited programs go through the NDEB Equivalency Process: the AFK, the ACJ and the NDECC. Graduates of accredited programs take the NDEB Virtual OSCE. A provincial regulator then issues the licence.11
We teach the first Canadian exam in our AFK course, and the ADAT for Canadian degree completion programs in our ADAT course. To compare all three Canadian pathways with real costs, read how to become a dentist in Canada.
How to prepare: our full plan
Whether you are starting fresh or carrying an old Part I pass, start with a plan built for today’s integrated exam.
INBDE Premium Boards
- 12 sequenced course sections, from faculty-written Modules to 8-hour Grand Tests
- 35,000+ focused questions, with case vignettes in the Master Diagnosis Series
- A live test every night at 9 PM New York time
- Questions answered by US-licensed dentists, not AI
Know the exam first
Frequently asked questions
Is the NBDE exam still offered?
What is the difference between the INBDE and the NBDE?
I passed NBDE Part I. Do I still need to take the INBDE?
Is “integrated NBDE” the same as the INBDE?
Can I take the NBDE in Canada?
Are my old NBDE flashcards still useful for the INBDE?
INBDE Premium Boards by The Study Boards
99% of our students who complete the course pass the INBDE on their first attempt. Finish on time with no overdue days and score 60% or more on every TSB test; if you still do not pass, we refund your course fee and your INBDE registration fee (about $1,000).
Holding an old Part I pass? Let us map your next step.
Tell us what you passed, when, and where you want to practise. Our Admin Team with Dr. T and Dr. Kaur will contact you over WhatsApp.
References
- Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations (JCNDE). INBDE 2026 Candidate Guide (updated 08/04/2026): content and test specifications, schedule, scoring, retest policy, eligibility, Prometric US and Canada, practice questions, confidentiality. jcnde.ada.org
- JCNDE. INBDE Technical Report, 2025 edition: NBDE history (1992, 2007, 2009, 2012) and the passing standard implemented 1 June 2024. jcnde.ada.org
- JCNDE. Notice of INBDE Implementation and NBDE Discontinuation, 18 July 2018, with INBDE Quick Facts. jcnde.ada.org
- JCNDE. NBDE Part II 2022 Candidate Guide: Part II format and schedule; INBDE launch and Part I discontinuation dates. jcnde.ada.org
- JCNDE. Unofficial Report of Major Actions, 29 June 2022: NBDE Part II available through 31 December 2022, discontinued 1 January 2023. jcnde.ada.org
- JCNDE. INBDE, NBDHE and NBDE Part II Update, April 2022: Part I extended through 31 December 2020; transition retest policy. jcnde.ada.org
- JCNDE. National Board Dental Examination, Part I: 2014 Guide (archived copy). web.archive.org
- JCNDE. INBDE Information for Dental Education Programs (updated July 2019). jcnde.ada.org
- JCNDE. INBDE Implementation Plan and Recommended Actions, March 2016. jcnde.ada.org
- University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine. IDP Admissions Requirements (checked October 2026). dental.buffalo.edu
- National Dental Examining Board of Canada (NDEB): Equivalency Process and Certification Process. ndeb-bned.ca
- American Academy of Periodontology. Press release on the 2017 World Workshop classification, 21 June 2018. perio.org
Current as of October 2026. Exam rules change; confirm current policies with the JCNDE or NDEB before you apply. The Study Boards is not affiliated with the JCNDE or the NDEB.