Celebration Amongst Impending Doom

While I am begining to feel the full weight of the CRDTS licensure exam as I mailed out my 1,900 doller chasier's check, there was a nice ray of sunshine to brighten up the begining of this semester - I passed the written boards part 2.

I didn't knock it out of the park, but I didn't sneak by either, a satisfying "in-yo-face' moment to open the letter and see that magical word PASS.

What makes it more gratifying is that aparently my class is being subjugated to a mandatory 'mock' NBDE part II exam in three weeks. If we do not attain an acceptable percentage - we will not be certified to take the exam. This is bad form in general because three weeks notice is not enough time to prepare for anything, not to mention we have mock boards in 2 weeks as well as more rotations to deal with.

But I can't complain because I already passed and am excused from the test. What actually appears most interesting is that I think I am the only person that has taken it in my class. This roughly makes me a hollywood action star in the school as droves of my classmates congratulate me and ask for advice. Fun times.

It is the same as with part I. The summer semester is the best time to prepare for any big exam - get it done.

Studying for this test amongst licensure preparation would simply be too much for me.

For those wondering - I used the MOSBY text, the dental decks only for prosth, pharm, path, and radiology, and finally, all of the old released ADA exams. Studied lightly from May until August. Some days of heavy cramming but not much, usually averaged 1-2 hours a day.

Passing the test requires a much higher raw score compared with part I, so study accordingly.

Enough of the test though, on to more pressing matters.

Let me explain how the Central Region Testing Services (CRDTS) is handled during this final stretch of dental school.

The test is broken into 5 parts.

Part 1 = NBDE exams (both 1 and 2) - DONE
Part 2 = endodontic exam
Part 3 = prosthodontic exam
Part 4 = periodontal exam
Part 5 = operative exam

So Part 1 gets done on your own time. Everyone should be done with the first NBDE exam by now, it is simply a matter of knocking out part II.

Part 2 and Part 3 will be taken in october, with a mock exam in two weeks. This is known as the manikin portion of the test because we work with plastic teeth. This makes the endodontic portion seem a bit absurd to me..but hey whatever.

For the endo section we must access, cleanse/shape, and obturate #8. We must also access #14. We need to follow all sterile protocols and place a rubber dam. We actually get to measure #8 by hand prior to placing it in the dentech to determine working length (see why this is sorta dumb?)

Afterwards we have the prosthodontic exam which we already practiced once over the summer. This entails preparing #3 FGC and #5 PFM for a bridge and #9 ACC. We must make PVS occlusal indexes prior to preparing the teeth as these will be used to evaluate reduction.

Still with me?

The big daddy is Part 4 and Part 5 which we will be taking in March. There is also a mock test for these portions as well in February. The periodontal portion involves probing, detecting calculus as well as removing said calculus. The operative portion involves completing one class III and one class II prep/restoration. This will be the most stressful portion simply because the patients are real and not always predictable - both in terms of what the tooth will look like when you start working and if they actually show up on time.

I will go into this more later because the thought of it is stressing me out right now.

We got a big packet of info regarding the test that I have just begun to read through. Needless to say, this will be the most stressful/important exam of my entire existance. Fitting as it will be the last major exam I ever take.

Two semesters left.

I am also apparently one of the "top 30 dental blogs of 2010.'

Back pats for all!