AFK exam dates 2027

Time left to register

Last checked 23 October 2026. Source: NDEB exam dates and locations.

AFK sittings

• Additional seats for the February 2027 AFK open on 22 December 2026 at 10:00 ET.
• The AFK is on paper at Canadian locations and on computer at Prometric test centers in Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
• The AFK is offered twice a year, in February and August. Dates are normally set one year ahead and can change.

NDEB posts its dates on a calendar that also lists the ACJ, the NDECC and the Virtual OSCE. Every posted deadline is at 21:00 Eastern time on the date shown, which is the time to use if you live in another zone. Sittings that show an opening date open for registration at 10:00 ET on that day.

Last checked 23 October 2026. Source: NDEB exam dates and locations, NDEB AFK page.

How to register, step by step

1. Apply to the Equivalency Process. You need an NDEBConnect account, which takes a current photograph in JPEG or PNG format, a desktop or laptop computer and a valid credit card. NDEB then asks for a list of documents that depends on the country where you earned your dental degree, such as notarized copies, certified translations and a complete academic record.
2. Wait for credential verification. NDEB's current time is about 10 weeks when every document is right the first time, and a document sent in the wrong format delays approval. When every required document is accepted, NDEB emails that the application is approved, and the candidate can then register for the AFK.
3. Pick a sitting and note the dates. Registration for a sitting opens on a date NDEB posts ahead of time. Locations in North America open for registration one week before locations in Australia and New Zealand. Candidates who plan to test in Canada or the United States use the earlier date.
4. Register and pay on the opening day. Log in to NDEBConnect and join the registration queue. You choose a location and a paper or electronic exam, then pay the $1,000 CAD exam fee.
5. Read your registration for the location memo. NDEB posts location memos to your online profile usually within 2 weeks of the registration deadline, with an email when new information is there.
6. Book your seat if the exam is electronic. For a computer exam, scheduling instructions appear under Documents in the registration after the registration deadline. The candidate then books the seat at Prometric. A paper exam needs no scheduling step after registering.
7. Watch the orientation. A candidate registered at a Prometric test center must watch NDEB's AFK and ACJ Electronic Exam Orientation before the exam.

The document rules are NDEB's. A notarized photocopy bears the original seal and signature of a Notary Public or Commissioner of Oaths, who makes the photocopy from the original document. Candidates do not photocopy it themselves. A translation must be done by a certified translator, who seals it and secures it to a photocopy of the original. A translation attested by a school official is not accepted. Documents received from a third party, such as a university or licensing authority, become the property of NDEB and are not returned. A candidate who cannot get a document for reasons beyond their control can ask NDEB about its alternative document process, and NDEB offers appointments with a credential verification specialist, limited to 15 minutes each, so prepare your questions first.

NDEB does not require Canadian citizenship or permanent residency for the Equivalency Process, and it cannot help with visas or other travel documents. If you will travel to an exam site, plan that separately and allow time.

Last checked 23 October 2026. Source: NDEB AFK page, NDEB how to apply, NDEB required documents, NDEB FAQ, NDEB news, 13 August 2026.

February or August, Canada or Australia and New Zealand

The AFK runs twice a year. Choose the sitting by how much preparation time you have before it, and remember that the ACJ, offered in May and November, needs its own registration once you pass. The pathway page sets out the order and the months each exam is offered.

For the earliest posted sitting NDEB lists two exam days with the same registration deadline: Friday 5 February 2027 in Canada and Saturday 6 February 2027 in Australia and New Zealand. The Friday 13 August 2027 sitting is listed for Canada only. NDEB does not say whether Australia and New Zealand will get a sitting in that month, so a candidate there who misses the first sitting should watch the calendar for new dates.

The region you pick locks in your choice. Candidates registered in Australia and New Zealand cannot transfer to Canada or the United States, and the other way round. NDEB gave this as a reason for the rule: it wants candidates to register only in the region where they intend to test, so that seats are not left unused.

The gap between the registration deadline and the exam is about a month. For the 5 February 2027 sitting the deadline is 4 January 2027, 21:00 ET, which leaves 32 days.

Last checked 23 October 2026. Source: NDEB exam dates and locations, NDEB Equivalency Process dates and locations.

Computer or paper

Some sittings are on paper at sites in Canada and some are on computer at Prometric test centers in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. When you register you select the delivery method based on availability. The electronic version shows "Prometric" in the exam title when registering.

The exam content is the same in both formats: 200 single answer multiple-choice questions in two parts of two hours with one scheduled break. The rules around the room differ. At Prometric you go through the test center's check-in, which can include a metal detector wand, fingerprinting and emptied pockets. A computer-based exam may have short technical delays, and NDEB has allowed for them in the time given. A booklet exam has its own rules. On a booklet exam, answers must be moved from the booklet to the answer sheet within the session time, and writing stops when the invigilator calls time.

The format page covers the check-in rules, what you may bring and how the two parts run. If you have used only paper exams before, practice on a screen: reading 200 stems on a monitor and moving between questions feels different from turning pages, and a timed mock on screen is the closest practice you can do. A free mini mock gives you a first taste.

Last checked 23 October 2026. Source: NDEB Equivalency Process dates and locations, NDEB AFK Protocol 2026.

Seats, queues and the extra seats

Seats are limited and they go quickly. NDEB's FAQ says it is not unusual for exams to fill before the registration deadline, and its news posts describe long waits in the registration queue. A candidate can enter seat selection and find that locations in Canada and the United States are full.

NDEB changed the process in 2026 to deal with this. From 1 June 2026, regions open on different days. Registration now has two periods: the first opens on a set date and time and closes when all locations are full, and the second opens 6 to 8 weeks before the exam for seats that free up through withdrawals or extra capacity. Candidates may transfer between exam locations only when registration is open. They may not transfer between registration periods.

NDEB has also posted a one-off note for February 2027: additional seats for that sitting open on 22 December 2026 at 10:00 ET. NDEB does not say how many seats are added or where. If you miss the first registration, mark both dates and be ready to log in at 10:00 ET.

Have your account working, your payment card ready and your documents approved before the opening day. If you cannot register, NDEB's FAQ first suggests checking that registration is open and that seats remain.

Last checked 23 October 2026. Source: NDEB FAQ, NDEB news, 28 May 2026, NDEB news, 13 August 2026, NDEB exam dates and locations.

Withdrawing, transferring and changing your plan

You withdraw in your NDEBConnect account, and every withdrawal carries a fee. NDEB states the fee as a share of the exam fee. For the AFK at $1,000 CAD the figures work out as follows.

NDEB's page calls these withdrawal fees and does not spell out the amount returned, so confirm the refund with NDEB before you rely on a figure. The new percentages took effect on 1 September 2026 for future AFK, ACJ and Virtual OSCE exams. If you do not attend the examination, you will not lose an attempt. If a health problem or personal circumstance will keep you from showing your ability, NDEB says you must withdraw.

For the lower fee after a serious medical or exceptional circumstance, NDEB's policy sets conditions. You withdraw in NDEBConnect before the exam starts and give a reason. Then you email a refund request to NDEB within 7 days of the withdrawal, with supporting documents. Health care documentation must be issued at the time of illness or injury by a licensed provider, on official letterhead, with a diagnosis, a statement that the candidate is not fit to take the exam and an expected recovery date, in English or French. Handwritten letters and diagnoses based on self-report are not accepted.

The transfer rules are in the section on seats above. On language, a request to change the language of an exam goes by email to NDEB before the exam. If the change cannot be made, the candidate may withdraw at no charge or take the exam in the original language. NDEB's pages describe no reschedule; withdrawing and registering again is the route they describe. NDEB does not state how Prometric appointments are moved, so read Prometric's own policy for that.

Last checked 23 October 2026. Source: NDEB withdrawal page, NDEB examination and appeal policies, NDEB news, 13 August 2026, NDEB AFK Protocol 2026.

When results arrive

NDEB normally releases AFK results within 8 weeks of the exam. For the 5 February 2027 sitting that is by about 2 April 2027. NDEB emails when results are available in the online profile. Results are not given by phone, email or fax, and NDEB cannot say anything before release.

The release date matters for planning. If you fail, you have 30 days from the day results are released to ask for a verification of your score, and the next sitting's registration deadline may fall before or soon after your result arrives. NDEB's calendar shows registration for the 13 August 2027 sitting opening on 2 March 2027, which can come before an earlier sitting's results. Plan for both outcomes and know the next dates before results come out, so a decision to register is quick.

If you pass the AFK, the ACJ is next. NDEB's ACJ page says you can register once you pass the AFK, and ACJ sittings are posted on the same calendar.

Last checked 23 October 2026. Source: NDEB AFK Protocol 2026, NDEB FAQ.

A month-by-month plan back from the exam

This is our suggested plan. NDEB sets no such schedule. It counts back from the exam day of the 5 February 2027 sitting, with the registration deadline and the accommodation deadline marked, since those come before the exam and are easy to miss. Stretch or squeeze the first months to suit your work and family commitments. For a plan by the week, with your own hours and mock checkpoints, enter the sitting date in the study planner.

• Six months before. Start or finish the NDEB application, since credential verification takes about 10 weeks. Read the AFK protocol and the NDEB list of reference texts. Take a baseline mock to see where you stand.
• Five months before. Build a weekly schedule around the blueprint, giving the most hours to Applied Biomedical Sciences at about 20% of the questions and the least to Evidence-Based Dentistry, Prevention, Infection Control, Ethics and Jurisprudence at about 5%. Start with your weakest subjects from the baseline.
• Four months before. Study each blueprint area once, with practice questions after each topic. Note every miss and the reason for it.
• Three months before. Know the sitting: NDEB's registration date, your location choice and your paper or electronic delivery. If you need an accommodation, the request must reach NDEB no later than eight weeks before the exam, which for this sitting is 11 December 2026.
• Two months before. Registration should be done by now. It opens months before the exam (NDEB posted 2 March 2027 for the 13 August 2027 sitting), and seats can fill before the deadline. Take a second full timed mock, both parts in one sitting, and compare the weak areas with the baseline.
• One month before. The registration deadline is about here. Watch the orientation video, read the exam day rules and check your ID against them. Review the topics you keep missing.
• The final two weeks. Take a last full mock under exam conditions at the time of day you will sit. Look for the location memo. For an electronic exam, book your Prometric seat as soon as the scheduling instructions appear under Documents. Rest the day before.
• After the exam. Keep studying lightly for the ACJ while you wait up to 8 weeks for results.

If a retake comes up, the schedule shifts by six months. The pass rate page shows how common a second attempt is, and the fees page shows what a retake costs.

Questions candidates ask

Last checked 23 October 2026. Source: NDEB exam dates and locations, NDEB FAQ, NDEB withdrawal page, NDEB news, 13 August 2026.