NBDE I Dental Question Bank and Practice Test
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- Customize practice tests by subject
- Track your progress with advanced analytics and reports
- Timed option to simulate real test conditions
- Compare your progress against the national average
“The part 1 questions were great! Overall this is a great collection of questions and medical/dental knowledge by dentists for future dentists.”
Jane Shin, former Harvard Dental School StudentEditor for BoardVitals NBDE question bank
Key NBDE Part I Board Review Features




NBDE Part I Board Review Topics Covered:
- Physiology
- Microbiology
- Pathology
- Anatomy, Embryology, and Histology
- Biochemistry
- Dental Anatomy and Occlusion
About the NBDE Part 1 Exam
As outlined by the Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations (JCNDE), the purpose of the NBDE Part I and Part II exams is to assess the ability to understand important information from the biomedical and dental sciences, and the ability to apply such information in a problem-solving context.
What content will be tested on the NBDE Part 1 Exam?
According to the NBDE Part 1 Guide, the following disciplines are tested:
- Anatomic Sciences (100 items)
- Biochemistry-Physiology (100 items)
- Microbiology-Pathology (100 items)
- Dental Anatomy and Occlusion (100 items)
How long is the NBDE Part 1 Exam?
The dental exam includes 400 questions. All questions are in the standard multiple choice format, but be aware that 20% of the exam is structured as an interdisciplinary testlet. This means that there will be a scenario presented and then a variety of questions from the different exam categories will be shown (all related to the single topic).
BoardVitals has interdisciplinary questions dispersed throughout the exam, but you may encounter them as separate questions depending on how you use our NBDE I question bank.
Please refer to Page 8 of the NBDE Part 1 Guide for more details on question formats.
Tips and Advice for the NBDE I Exam:
The test taker should also be prepared for Professional Ethics / Patient Management in addition to the 4 disciplines outlined above.
The ethical questions are generally not considered difficult, but make sure to devote a portion of your study time to knowing ADA suggested guidelines.
Additionally, be ready for the following types of structured questions: completion, paired true false, question, cause and effect, and negatives (except, all of the above). We have tried to mix in as many of the question structures as possible to give the student a realistic test experience.
Learn more about the NBDE Part I Board Exam on the blog
Are you looking for more content as you prep for the NBDE Part 1? Visit the Dental section of our blog. In addition to free practice questions, you will find NBDE study plans and other tips and tricks to help you prepare for the exam.
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