The NDECC: two days, two components

The two days

The NDECC takes two days. The Clinical Skills component is a full day and the Situational Judgement component is half a day, in the morning or the afternoon. Either component can fall on Day One or Day Two, so a candidate plans to be at the Test Centre for both days. The schedule arrives when registration is confirmed. The Clinical Skills day holds two sessions of 4 hours each with a mandatory 30 minute break between them. The day includes registration and orientation at the start. By-law 2 describes the NDECC as two components over two consecutive days, or such other format as NDEB sets.

NDEB shows a video orientation for Clinical Skills when you enter the clinic and an orientation for Situational Judgement before it starts. You must be on time for each, and a late arrival gets no extra time. A candidate who misses Situational Judgement stations cannot make them up.

The mandatory 30 minute break happens during the Clinical Skills day. You must leave the clinic for the examinee lounge. You can also take unscheduled breaks, to the lounge, a washroom or the private room, at any time, without extra time. During Situational Judgement there is no scheduled break, and a washroom visit may cost you time at a station. You must not leave the Test Centre during the exam, including at breaks, and a candidate who leaves is not allowed back in to finish.

Last checked 24 October 2026. Source: NDEB NDECC page, NDEB NDECC Protocol 2026, NDEB NDECC Practical Guide, NDEB By-law 2.

Clinical Skills: seven requirements

The Clinical Skills component has seven clinical requirements, done on a manikin, plus infection control and safety: a Class II amalgam preparation, a Class II amalgam restoration, a Class II composite resin restoration, a Class IV composite resin restoration, an endodontic access cavity preparation, a crown preparation and a provisional crown restoration made on the crown preparation. The requirements can be done in any order. A dental dam is part of the standard of care, but candidates do not have to use it for any clinical requirement in this exam.

NDEB says the requirements assess clinical skills and techniques relevant to current Canadian standards, and that you must perform them as if you were working on a real patient. Infection control and safety are graded throughout. Each requirement is graded in one of three categories.

Each clinical requirement is graded Competent or Minimally Competent, which pass, or Not Competent, which fails. A candidate needs a pass on every clinical requirement, and any error in the Not Competent category fails the Clinical Skills component. The protocol prints detailed criteria for each requirement, such as outline form, internal form, finish and damage for the Class II amalgam preparation, and it is the document to study line by line.

Infection control and safety

A candidate may make two infection control and safety errors. Three or more errors, or one critical error, fail. The morning and afternoon sessions are graded separately, so the same error in both counts twice. Infection control and safety is graded during the exam only. It is not graded before the start, during the mandatory break or after the exam ends. NDEB lists these critical errors: no mask, no gloves, no eye protection, supplies left loose in the mouth at the end that threaten patient safety (burs, Gates Glidden drills, matrix bands, endo files), and a clear lack of understanding of infection control and safety.

The protocol lists the errors that count. They include hand hygiene not performed, a mask or eye protection worn wrongly, hair not controlled, torn gloves, touching the face, hair, mask, loupe cord, battery or clothing with treatment gloves, contaminated surfaces or instruments, unacceptable handling or disposal of amalgam or sharps, too little cooling water with the high-speed handpiece, leaning on the manikin, and treating the manikin as anything less than a real patient. NDEB also lists actions you may do with gloves on, such as moving the lever, using the amalgamator and adjusting the water and air knobs.

What NDEB says about mistakes

NDEB's tips say to practice the seven clinical requirements with infection control in the time allowed, with equipment comparable to what NDEB supplies and on various teeth. The common mistakes it lists are working on the wrong tooth and repeating restorations, which leaves too little time. NDEB does not answer questions about preparation design and says a competent dentist knows the reduction and margin design each tooth and material needs.

Last checked 24 October 2026. Source: NDEB NDECC Protocol 2026, NDEB NDECC Practical Guide, NDEB tips for the NDECC, NDEB FAQ.

Situational Judgement: ten stations

The Situational Judgement component has 10 stations, five with a written answer and five conversations with an actor. All stations last the same time, and every station is video or voice recorded. A candidate's rotation order is printed on the back of the NDECC card. The Situational Judgement exam is 2.5 hours long, after registration and orientation, with no scheduled breaks.

The 10 Situational Judgement stations cover five requirements, two stations each: Patient-Centered Care, Professionalism, Communication and Collaboration, Practice and Information Management, and Health Promotion. The table gives NDEB's own examples of the tasks in each. NDEB says the examples do not cover every situation that can be assessed.

Each Situational Judgement station is graded Pass or Fail. A candidate must pass at least six of the 10 stations and at least one station in each of the five requirements. A rubric lists behaviors in the Competent, Minimally Competent and Not Competent categories, a candidate needs all the Minimally Competent behaviors to pass a station, and any Not Competent behavior or critical error fails it. NDEB's sample station asks the candidate to discuss treatment options for one tooth with a simulated patient. To pass it, the candidate summarizes the problems with the tooth, gives more than one complete treatment option, explains the advantages and disadvantages of each and the preferred option, checks that the patient understands and communicates in an organized way. Answering the patient's questions and discussing fees count as Competent behavior and do not decide a pass.

Advice from NDEB

NDEB's tips for the Situational Judgement component say to read each scenario and directive carefully, give a medical or dental diagnosis and explain it in plain terms, write precise progress notes (tests and radiographs, local anesthetic type, quantity and site, material brand and shade, complete prescriptions), list every problem in a problem list, order treatment options from most to least appropriate and practice informed consent.

NDEB lists these common Situational Judgement mistakes: a rehearsed answer that does not fit the scenario, omitting part of a directive, offering only one treatment option, skipping the advantages and disadvantages or the risks and benefits, wrong tooth numbers, incomplete prescriptions, vague restoration types, abbreviations in written answers and illegible writing. NDEB says candidates are not graded on their English skills at the Situational Judgement component, and they must be ready to write and speak in English.

NDEB's Situational Judgement Reference List (updated March 2026) starts with the Dental Act of each province and the ACFD educational framework, then lists documents by requirement, such as medical history recordkeeping under Patient Centered Care and human rights policies under Professionalism. NDEB says candidates would not read all of them but would use some to review certain topics.

Last checked 24 October 2026. Source: NDEB NDECC Protocol 2026, NDEB NDECC Practical Guide, NDEB tips for the NDECC, NDEB NDECC Situational Judgement Reference List.

The NDECC Test Centre in Ottawa

The NDECC is held at the NDECC Test Centre, 340 Albert St., 12th Floor, Ottawa, Ontario K1R 7Y6. It is a 4 minute walk from Lyon station on the O-train, 4 km from the Ottawa train station and 11 km from the airport. The NDEB pages name one NDECC site, the NDECC Test Centre in Ottawa. The NDECC Test Centre opened in September 2022 with room for 20 candidates in each session, 10 in the clinic and 10 in the situational judgment rooms. A renovation finished in January 2025 added two simulators and raised clinical skills capacity by 20%. NDEB says travel times vary with the time of day, transit schedules and weather, so plan your route ahead for both exam days.

• Inside. Each candidate gets a locker that is too small for a suitcase and has no access to it during the exam. The examinee lounge has a kitchen with a refrigerator and microwave, and NDEB provides tea, coffee, water and snacks. A private room is available if the candidate asks beforehand. The Test Centre is monitored by closed-circuit television, and family and friends may not enter it.
• What to bring. NDEB provides all equipment, instruments and supplies. A candidate may bring eye protection and a light attachment (dental loupes with spare batteries or a charger), a cleaning cloth, lunch, snacks, drinks, and medication and health products as needed, with medication approved beforehand, in a clear plastic bag. Gloves and masks are not allowed unless approved as a test accommodation. Watches, phones and other transmitting devices are not allowed.
• What to wear. NDEB suggests comfortable professional streetwear or scrubs and offers a disposable gown on request. Open toed or perforated footwear is not allowed in the clinic, and the Test Centre is a scent free environment.
• Equipment. NDEB uses A-dec simulators with manikin heads and Kilgore Series 700 typodonts, KaVo air-driven handpieces, an SDI Ultramat 2 amalgamator fixed at 7 seconds, and a cassette of Hu-Friedy instruments listed in the Practical Guide. NDEB lists coarse and extra coarse diamond burs because fine and medium diamonds burned the plastic teeth in its tests.
• Teeth. The pre-prepared teeth used in the exam are proprietary to NDEB and cannot be bought. For the endodontic access cavity NDEB uses Series S12-700 teeth with a 3D printed root and will switch to Series A12-700 teeth from 1 January 2027. NDEB says a candidate can practice on any simulated teeth made of melamine and gives each candidate a practice arch during the Clinical Skills component.
• Handedness. A candidate keeps the language of the exam and left or right handedness current in the online profile. NDEB sets simulators up for right handed or left handed operators from that profile.
• Communication Form. A candidate may write comments about the individual exam situation on the Communication Form, which must be finished during exam time with no extra time.

Any food, drink, medication, health product or loupes you bring are shown to staff for inspection and placed in a provided basket. The Practical Guide lists every instrument, handpiece, bur and material by name and has photographs of the simulators, for right handed and left handed set-ups.

Last checked 24 October 2026. Source: NDEB NDECC Practical Guide, NDEB Equivalency Process dates and locations, NDEB annual report 2024-25, NDEB FAQ.

Registering, windows and results

A candidate who passes the ACJ is offered registration for a first NDECC attempt. Others register when registration opens, by logging in to the online profile at 10:00 a.m. on the registration date. A candidate with approved proof of Canadian citizenship or permanent residency registers at 9:00 a.m. The chosen date is tentative and NDEB confirms the exact date when registration closes. NDECC registration opens in stages: first for candidates who passed the most recent ACJ, then for those with approved proof of Canadian citizenship or permanent residency, then for everyone eligible.

The NDECC is given throughout the year in windows of several weeks. NDEB's dates page lists two NDECC windows: 28 September to 26 November 2026 (registration deadline 10 August 2026, 21:00 ET) and 4 January to 11 March 2027 (registration deadline 20 October 2026, 21:00 ET). Both were marked closed on 24 October 2026, and no later window was posted. The pathway guide shows the ACJ and Virtual OSCE sittings, which follow the calendar, and NDEB's dates page is the place to see when the next NDECC window opens.

NDEB releases NDECC results normally within eight weeks of the evaluation session, with an overall Pass or Fail, a Pass or Fail for each component and one for each requirement. A candidate who fails has 30 days from release to request a verification of the score. NDEB tells candidates when their work will be evaluated at registration. Four evaluation sessions per year are planned, so the wait for results depends on the schedule. NDEB says it tells you when your work will be evaluated and the estimated release of results before the exam.

A candidate who fails one component retakes only that component. NDEB's FAQ says a candidate who fails both components must repeat the full NDECC. A candidate who passes the ACJ after 1 September 2022 can take the NDECC any number of times within 60 months of first passing the ACJ. For a candidate who passed the ACJ before that date, the 60 months run from 1 September 2022. By-law 2 (effective 15 July 2026), section 16.8, still lets a candidate who does not pass the NDECC within 60 months apply to be redesignated one additional time. NDEB's news of 27 January 2026 says that effective in May 2027 candidates who cannot show minimal competence on both components after five years will cease to be candidates and will not be able to reapply. The current By-law text does not contain the May 2027 change, so the two statements conflict. Confirm the rule that applies to you with NDEB. The Equivalency Process guide lays out how the NDECC clock fits with the attempt limits of the AFK and ACJ, and NDEB charges a 50% withdrawal fee for an NDECC withdrawal during the registration window. For a compassionate appeal, an appeal of the exam conduct or an accommodation request, the process is the same as for the other exams.

Last checked 24 October 2026. Source: NDEB NDECC page, NDEB exam dates and locations, NDEB NDECC Protocol 2026, NDEB news, 27 January 2026, NDEB FAQ, NDEB By-law 2.

Fees and pass rates

The NDECC costs $6,500 CAD, effective 1 July 2025, made up of $3,250 CAD for the Clinical Skills component and $3,250 CAD for the Situational Judgement component, in Canadian dollars. It is the most expensive exam on the route by a wide margin: the AFK costs $1,000 CAD and the ACJ $1,350 CAD. NDEB's pages do not say outright what a retake of one component costs. The fees page and the pathway cost calculator carry the rest of the route.

In calendar 2025, repeat takers made up 897 of the 1,667 Clinical Skills candidates, and 326 of them passed. NDEB reports results by component and gives no breakdown by requirement or station in public, and no pass rate for the whole NDECC. A candidate sees a Pass or Fail for each requirement in their own result.

Last checked 24 October 2026. Source: NDEB fees, NDEB exam results, NDEB annual report 2024-25.

Preparing for the NDECC

NDEB's exam resources page holds what it offers for the NDECC: the protocol, the Practical Guide, the Situational Judgement Reference List, the tips document, a sample Situational Judgement station with its grading scheme, a What to Expect video and candidate orientation videos for both components. NDEB says candidates should review the Protocol and the Practical Guide before the exam and watch the What to Expect video. Everything on that page is for personal use only. NDEB is not affiliated with any third-party preparation course, and it forbids commercial use of its exam content.

For Clinical Skills, the sensible plan from NDEB's own tips is to practice the seven requirements with infection control, against the clock, with equipment close to what NDEB supplies. NDEB says candidates can practice on any simulated teeth made of melamine if they cannot buy Series 700 teeth. For Situational Judgement, practice writing precise progress notes and explaining diagnoses in plain language, and use the province's Dental Act and the reference list as a base.

MolarPath is an independent study app and is not affiliated with NDEB. It prepares you for the AFK and has no clinical simulation, so it does not prepare you for the Clinical Skills component, and our questions are not written for the Situational Judgement stations. The free mini mock is for the AFK. Use the pathway timeline to see where the NDECC falls after the ACJ.

Last checked 24 October 2026. Source: NDEB exam resources, NDEB tips for the NDECC, NDEB NDECC Practical Guide, NDEB NDECC Protocol 2026.

What NDEB does not say

• How long each Situational Judgement station lasts. NDEB says only that all stations have the same duration and that the component runs 2.5 hours.
• A pass rate for the whole NDECC. NDEB reports each component separately.
• How the evaluation sessions fall across the year, beyond its statement that four are planned.
• What a retake of one component costs.
• Whether the 60 month clock pauses while a candidate waits for a seat.
• A reason for the year-to-year movement of any pass rate.

Ask NDEB at info@ndeb-bned.ca or 613-236-5912 when your plan depends on one of these.

Last checked 24 October 2026. Source: NDEB NDECC page, NDEB NDECC Protocol 2026, NDEB FAQ.

Questions candidates ask

Last checked 24 October 2026. Source: NDEB NDECC page, NDEB NDECC Protocol 2026, NDEB NDECC Practical Guide, NDEB By-law 2.