NEBDN Dental Nurse Exam Details and Fees

NEBDN REGULATED DIPLOMA IN DENTAL NURSING EXAMINATION

Dental Nurses must pass 2 exams in order to get the qualification:

First exam: Knowledge Test Exam (theory) is a 2 hour multiple choice questions exam containing 100 questions. Knowledge exams are taken either in April or November.

  • Portfolio of Evidence (PoE) must be fully completed and submitted on PebblePad no later than 4 weeks before the exam.
  • Students must complete the mock exams, this allows us to see indivudual student results and decide your suitability for the examination. Mock exams are free for Dental Tutors students who undertake our Regulated Diploma in Dental Nursing.

External students are welcome to choose a suitable subscription and purchase our Exam Preparation material.

Second exam: Professional Discussion Exam (practical) – divided into 2 assessments:

First assesment – the candidates will be required to describe verbally the steps they would take to complete a procedure or give patient advice. This will last about 40 minutes.

Second assessment – the candidates will be asked to select the correct instruments for a certain procedure, to put the steps of process in the correct order and interpreting dental charts. Candidates will be given a maximum of 1 hour.

Professional Discussion exams are taken either in January or June.

To register for the exam, the fee of £525 pounds has to be transferred to the course provider’s account. NEBDN do not accept any payments from students.

Once a student passes both Dental Nurses exams, they are eligible to register with the General Dental Council (GDC). Please use this link to register.

Note: Every student will have 3 attempts for each exam. If they fail either of the exams 3 times then they would have to restart the course from the beginning and pay the full fees.

STUDENT TRANSFERS

We have noticed that there is an increased number of students from the NEBDN accredited Dental Nursing courses who are looking for options to transfer to Dental Tutors.

We are pleased to announce that you can now continue your NEBDN Regulated Diploma in Dental Nursing course as a Dental Tutors student.

More information about transferring to Dental Tutors.

EXAMINATION DETAILS AND FEES

Regulated Diploma Exam registration deadlines:

For the examination in November (Knowledge Test) and January (Professional Discussion) the deadline is March.

For the examination in April (Knowledge Test) and June (Professional Discussion) the deadline is August.

Course extension:

In case the student has to extend the course, the following fees will apply (this includes if the student decides to take the exam later, is not ready to take the exam, does not complete PoE, or fails the exam):

Exam deferral fees:

  • Change the Knowledge Test exam date – £35, or £150 if it is within 4 weeks of the exam date.
  • Change the Professional Discussion exam date – £150, or £300 if it is within 4 weeks of the exam date.

    Re-sit fees:

    • Knowledge Test exam – £150
    • Professional Discussion exam – £300

    Course extension fees:

    • If for any reason you need to extend the course, then a fee of £100 per month will be applied until you pass both dental nurses exam or decide to leave the course.

    NEBDN fees

    Addititional guidance for the NEBDN Regulated Diploma Examination

     

    PORTFOLIO OF EVIDENCE (PoE)

    We offer full support and guidance when students start completing their compulsory Portfolio of Evidence.

    The purpose of the PoE is to ensure student dental nurses receive summative assessments carried out in the workplace to an approved standard. All those involved in the assessment process must adhere to the benchmarks and performance criteria set out in the Portfolio of Evidence Checklists and Marking Guide.

    The PoE is composed of a series of Practical Experience Record Sheets (PERS), covering all areas of general dentistry set out in five units. The PERS provide a written record of the student’s performance during the relevant clinical procedures that they refer to, and indicate whether that performance was satisfactory or not.

    The range of procedures and the number of PERS to be completed ensures that all registered dental nurses have had a documented minimum of workplace training experiences as a starting point for their careers. Students must provide support to a range of patients during the completion of the RoE and are required to indicate on the tracking document at least one occasion where they have assisted each of the following: an adult patient, a child patient, an elderly patient, a patient with special care requirements.

    EXAM CRITERIA

    To be able to take the NEBDN Dental Nurses Exams, you must meet the following 2 criteria:

    1. Your PoE must be fully completed and submitted on PebblePad. PoE takes a minimum of 6months to complete, and you should start working on it as soon as you get the PebblePad login details.

    There is a lot of information and guidance on the Students Hub in regards to PoE and PebblePad.

    In case you get stuck or something is unclear – we are always happy to help with any questions that you may have in regards to completing, submitting the PoE, or using the PebblePad.

    2. Students must regularly complete the Mock Exams that are located on the Students Hub, under the blue section “EXAM PREPARATION”.

    You should be practicing Mock Exams regularly throughout the duration of your course, and should be passing them without any issues, if you expect to pass the actual Exam.

    We can see your results and this helps us to decide whether you results are sufficient to sit the NEBDN Knowledge Test Exam.

    If either of these conditions is not met 4 weeks before the exam date, your exam will be deferred to the next one (6months later) and you will have to cover the NEBDN deferral fees as well (currently £35 to defer the Knowledge Test Exam).

    These are the clear and strict instructions from the NEBDN that we as the course provider and you as a student must follow.

    CHEATING DURING EXAMS

    We do not tolerate cheating during the examination and anyone found cheating or manipulating the examination in any way will be investigated and withdrawn or will have to resit the exam as well as cover the full fees of resit as well as any other fees involved. Students will face up to £1000 investigation charges if found cheating during the exams. This may include renting a classroom, paying the tutor travel fees and accommodation, admin fees, investigation fees and any other fees involved.

    The fees that you would have to cover are as follows:

    Investigation fee: £150

    Exam resit fee: £150 (Knowledge Test Exam) or £300 (Professional Discussion)

    Invigilation fee: £500 (this includes travel fees, accommodation, classroom rent etc.)

    During the examination you will be monitored throughout using Invigilation software in the MaxExam app. This will be done using your webcam and microphone allowing invigilators to remotely monitor your behaviour, in real time, during the exam. Your data is also available for NEBDN to review post exam for more in-depth analysis. The data will be stored, saved, retrieved, and disposed of in line with GDPR requirements.

    It is important to remember that:

    • You must be in a quiet environment where you are comfortable to take your examination without being disturbed. Please ensure nobody else is in the room with you. Do not have childrend or pets in the room.
    • You must not obstruct the camera during the examination. Do not disappear from the camera view at any point.
    • The use of Mobile phones, tablets and smart watches are not permitted during the examination. Do not use any electrical devices.
    • You must ensure your workspace is clear, textbooks and exam materials are not permitted during the examination. However, learners can use a pen and paper during the examination to make small notes.

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