The Impact on Dental Students of Changes to the National Board Dental Examination Grading System

The purpose of this study was to assess how the change to pass/fail grading of the National Board Dental Examination (NBDE) Part I has impacted dental students' study habits and their perspectives on pursuit of postdoctoral specialty education. This cross-sectional survey-based study included over 75 percent of U.S. dental schools and a total of 1,843 responses. This sample was 18.5 percent of all potentially eligible U.S. dental students. Participating schools distributed the electronic survey to their last class to take the NBDE Part I for a numerical score and the first class to take the NBDE Part I pass/fail. Respondents who took the exam for a numerical score and were interested in a specialty reported studying the most (average 167 hours) compared to respondents who took the exam pass/fail (average 114 hours). Respondents who took the exam pass/fail and reported feeling that this change decreased their chances of getting into a specialty program outnumbered those who thought the change increased their chances (3:1). This study observed a correlation between the recent grading changes to the NBDE Part I and decreased reported study time. Eighty percent of the respondents preferred a standardized, objective measure to help differentiate them when applying to specialty programs, and the majority reported feeling that the change in grading practices negatively affected their chances of pursuing a specialty.