Examination Day

OCE Examination Information

What to Expect

Confidentiality of Examination Content

Registration will occur at the testing center and will last approximately 20 minutes.
- During registration, you will be required to present a valid government ID

After registration, a short candidate orientation will be presented, and a restroom break.
After orientation, you will proceed to your examination room.

What to Bring

Personal Items

Small personal items, such as purses, phones, keys, and small electronic items, such as watches, can be brought to the testing center. These items will be placed in a locker and cannot be accessed during the break.
- Small snacks such as a granola bar, will be provided in the examination rooms.
Larger personal items will not be allowed and should not be brought to registration. Please make other arrangements for your larger personal items.

Monitoring of Oral Examinations

To assist with training, candidate examinations will be monitored using closed circuit television. Two cameras will be used in the testing room, one focused on the candidate and one focused on the examiner. Recordings will be used only in connection with ABPD’s training and calibration of OCE examiners. The candidate’s face will be electronically hidden to protect identity.

Examination Overview

The examination is administered at a facility specifically designed for administration of professional specialty board oral examinations. The examination is composed of two one-hour sessions administered successively by two examiners from the ABPD’s Examination Committee, Consultant Examiners, or a Board Director. Each session consists of clinical vignettes that are presented to the candidate for discussion.

The candidate will be presented a brief introduction of the patient to be discussed, followed by a series of questions regarding the patient’s medical/dental history, diagnosis and treatment options. Many, but not all, cases will include images projected on a flat-panel monitor. The candidate will be permitted to ask questions about the patient and request that an image or images be revisited.

Examiners utilize ‘open-ended’ questions to assess the candidate’s knowledge and skills. Candidates will benefit by giving evidenced-based answers and occasionally citing references to support rationale. Candidates will be expected to have evidenced-based knowledge of all currently acceptable therapy whether they perform the procedures in practice or not and in all types of pediatric patients.