1. Mock Board Preparation Materials for the Operative Dentistry Section of Regional Dental Licensure Examinations
- Author
-
Michael J. Metz and Cynthia J. Miller
- Subjects
Licensure ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Medicine (General) ,Operative dentistry ,business.industry ,education ,Dentistry ,General Medicine ,WREBS ,SRTA ,Regional Licensure Exams ,Education ,Mock Board Preparation ,Dental licensure ,R5-920 ,Operative Clinical Proficiency Exam ,Medicine ,Medical physics ,business - Abstract
Introduction Mock board examinations are created in order to prepare students for high-stress examination conditions while also gauging each candidate's readiness for regional examinations. However, our institution had been utilizing subjective pass/fail evaluations for mock exams, and the pass rate was lower on the mock exam than on the regional dental licensure exam in both 2011 (75.3% mock exam vs. 93.8% regional exam) and 2012 (68.2% mock exam vs. 92.9% regional exam) on the first attempt. To address this assessment gap, we gathered input from operative dentistry examiners and daily operative competency forms to create an objective form more closely aligned with the one used during regional licensure examinations. Methods This resource includes all materials needed to implement a 3-hour mock board exam to mimic the direct restorative section of regional dental licensure examinations, including the revised objective evaluation form. Students and clinical staff were given two 1-hour calibration sessions on the resources for trial runs excluding patients. Operative examiners were given five 1-hour calibration sessions on the resources with case-grading exercises for consistency. Results When used for the first time in 2013, the evaluations for mock board examinations were more in alignment with the regional licensure outcomes (93.0% mock exam vs. 95.1% regional exam). Discussion The nature of objective evaluations, blinded format, and routine operative faculty calibration are the most probable reasons for the minimal variation in the documented outcomes. The data will be continually followed to ascertain if the resources can be a positive predictor of candidate performance on regional licensure examination outcomes. The initial results show promise for alignment. This mock board examination has improved the overall approach of our operative faculty in evaluating and preparing our students.
- Published
- 2013
- Full Text
- View/download PDF