Frequently Asked Exam Questions

Why can’t DANB just call the candidate/program director/employer and ask for the missing information, and allow them to make corrections by phone or fax? The course I took to prepare for my DANB examination did not cover all the material that was on the exam! Why? I purchased an examination review book. It was expensive and did not look anything like the exam! Why? The questions on the examination were worded strangely and were unclear. It often seemed like there was more than one correct answer. Why? One of the items on the examination was missing an answer. Will I be penalized for an incorrect answer because of the misprint on the exam? Six to eight weeks is too long to wait for written test results! Why does it take so long? Four hours is entirely too long to sit and take an examination! Why is it so long? I really studied for this test but still didn’t pass it. Is there any way that I can have my results checked over by hand? I am having a hard time finding study materials. Do you have any suggestions? How do I interpret my scores? How many questions do I have to answer correctly in order to pass? How do I interpret my subtest performance results? Why can’t DANB just call the candidate/program director/employer and ask for the missing information, and allow them to make corrections by phone or fax? DANB requires that test applications be complete at the time of submission. DANB administers approximately 16,000 examinations annually, and since not all applications are complete, DANB processes even more than 16,000 examination applications. Each year, approximately 10% of applications are submitted without the required information and/or the correct fee and returned to the candidate by mail for corrections. (DANB grants a refund to these incomplete candidates minus the $50 non-refundable incomplete application fee. Candidates must correct deficiencies and then resubmit their complete application.) Based on this figure, if DANB were to accept 1 to 3 documents per incomplete application, we would receive 1600 to 4800 individual pieces of documentation by fax which staff would have to link to incomplete applications. DANB staff does not have the time or resources to match up extensive amounts of individual pieces of documentation or to make personal phone calls to those candidates who are declared incomplete. Return to Frequently Asked Questions The course I took to prepare for my DANB examination did not cover all the material that was on the exam! Why? DANB publishes detailed content outlines for all of its national examinations. These outlines include all materials that MAY BE included on examinations. Courses, dental assisting programs and other experiences prepare their own content coverage that may or may not reflect that of the DANB examination. DANB does not develop, review, or sponsor these courses and therefore cannot dictate what courses should or should not teach. If you feel material on the exam was not covered in your course, you may wish to speak with the course provider and share your observations. Return to Frequently Asked Questions I purchased an examination review book. It was expensive and did not look anything like the exam! Why? DANB neither reviews nor approves any preparation books or materials not developed by DANB. In each Candidate Guide, candidates are provided with reference lists and content outlines to assist in exam preparation. These lists, however, do not include all textbooks that could be helpful in preparing for the examinations, nor are they intended to be endorsements of the publications listed. Claims made by publishers or authors that “this book will prepare you for a DANB exam” can be neither confirmed nor denied by DANB. Study aids that have been developed by DANB to assist with exam preparation are The DANB Review, the Task Analysis, and the Glossary of Dental Assisting Terms. The DANB Review features sample examination questions and provides an answer, rationale, and reference for each question, plus bibliographic notations. This guide includes separate review sections (including sample questions) for the General Chairside (GC), Infection Control (ICE), and Radiation Health and Safety (RHS) components of the CDA as well as sections on Orthodontic Assisting (COA) and Dental Practice Management (CDPMA-I & II). The Task Analysis is the foundation for DANB's national examinations. It provides outlines for all of the tasks performed by dental assistants, orthodontic assistants, and dental assistants/office personnel in practice management nationwide. DANB item writers and test construction committee members use this publication as the basis for test question/examination development. These are regularly updated through national surveys. The Glossary of Dental Terms is the DANB guide to applied practical and clinical dental terminology. This reference tool will help familiarize candidates with vocabulary they may encounter on the DANB examinations as well as in the office/clinical setting. The Glossary is an ideal companion to The DANB Review and a great addition to any dental assisting library. It is not necessary to use any of these books in order to pass the DANB certification examinations, and conversely, reading all of these books will not guarantee that a passing score will be achieved. In fact, of the 11,000 to 16,000 candidates DANB tests annually, fewer than 25% ordered a DANB preparation guide last year. Somewhere between 60-80% of DANB examination candidates pass a DANB examination each year (the percentage dependent on the particular examination component). So, certainly one does not have to purchase a DANB book in order to pass. Candidates should also rely on their educational background as well as their practical experience to prepare for the exams. Return to Frequently Asked Questions The questions on the examination were worded strangely and were unclear. It often seemed like there was more than one correct answer. Why? Each item appearing on a DANB examination has been reviewed by leading national content experts for clarity and correctness. Items are not written to confuse or to trick. The answer to the question is generally straightforward. Candidates sometimes can overanalyze items, since they expect to be “tricked.” The goal of all DANB exams is to assess knowledge, not to trick candidates. Sometimes however, an answer choice may be partly correct but not the best answer. Candidates are instructed to choose the best answer to each question. Return to Frequently Asked Questions One of the items on the examination was missing an answer. Will I be penalized for an incorrect answer because of the misprint on the exam? Occasionally, there are printing errors in examination booklets. While DANB tries very hard to avoid these errors, on rare occasions they do occur. DANB takes great steps to protect the integrity of the exam process and the fairness of candidate scores. Poorly performing items and printing errors are always reviewed during scoring. While these may show up on subsequent exams administered that year, these items do not count toward a candidate’s final score. Return to Frequently Asked Questions Six to eight weeks is too long to wait for written test results! Why does it take so long? As you know, persons taking DANB written examinations make use of scannable answer sheets. These answer sheets dramatically speed up the mechanical grading process. However, they do not take the place of intensive examination review. All exams are reviewed for their statistical performance, so that candidates are only graded on fair and functional items. DANB could speed up the process by eliminating this intensive scrutiny. The result would be unfair exams that penalize candidates for errors that were not their fault. DANB believes fairly graded examinations are more important than quickly graded examinations. It takes a minimum of 4 to 6 weeks to turn results around from exam date to score mailing. The time can be allotted as follows: One week for DANB to receive answer sheets from Examiners. Two weeks for DANB to scan answer sheets, verify that candidates entered demographic information correctly, and generate item analysis statistics. One week to review any faulty item performance with content experts and rescore answer sheets if necessary. One week to print collate, stuff, and mail results packets. One week for candidate to receive scores through the mail. Return to Frequently Asked Questions Four hours is entirely too long to sit and take an examination! Why is it so long? Examinations are constructed to allow for quality measurement. Tests must be certain lengths or measurement precision is lost. DANB realizes that 4 hours may be a long time for some individuals. For that reason, DANB offers candidates the opportunity to take each certification examination by single components. For instance, the Certified Dental Assistant examination could be taken in three small parts (100-200 items). We are pleased to allow this option for certification. Also, candidates do not have to remain at the testing center until four hours are up. Candidates are free to leave early if they complete their exam before the conclusion of the 4 hour time limit. Return to Frequently Asked Questions I really studied for this test but still didn't pass it. Is there any way that I can have my results checked over by hand? Yes! Hand-scores of examinations are available to all interested parties. To complete a hand-score, your request MUST be in writing and accompanied by a $25 check or money order. All hand-score requests must be received within 60 days after the scores are mailed. You will be notified if any change in your status was indicated. Return to Frequently Asked Questions I am having a hard time finding study materials. Do you have any suggestions? In the DANB candidate guide reference books are listed, along with their publishers. These references are available for loan from many community college, university and public libraries. You may also purchase the books directly from the publisher or from collegiate booksellers. Return to Frequently Asked Questions How do I interpret my scores? DANB computes an overall score for each candidate. Passing and failing decisions are based upon this TOTAL score. An overall scaled score of 400 is needed to pass the exam. A simple mathematical formula is used to convert cumulative exam ‘raw scores’ to scaled scores. Scaled scores have many advantages, among the most popular: They are stable from year to year. Instead of shifting percentages, which may vary from year to year because of changes in the difficulty of the examination, scaled scores remain on the same linear ruler year to year. For example when using percentages, if a test is composed of easier items one year the pass point may be answering 75% or more of the questions correctly. If the next year’s exam is composed of harder items the pass point may be answering 70% or more of the questions correctly. A scaled score of 400 represents a passing score now, and in the future. This makes interpretation by candidates easier; particularly those who are repeat test takers. They are more familiar to most students/examinees. As more and more institutions (most notably the Educational Testing Service) report in scaled scores, candidates quickly understand their meaning. For instance, the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) reports on a scale from 100 to 800. Return to Frequently Asked Questions How many questions do I have to answer correctly in order to pass? Passing requirements are based on content, not percentage correct. The Board has developed a standard that requires examinees to answer items correctly at or above certain levels of difficulty across the content areas. The difficulty of each item presented is reviewed and measured. Examinees who are able to answer a majority of items correctly at this required level are passed. Those who cannot, are failed. Return to Frequently Asked Questions How do I interpret my subtest performance results? DANB provides three descriptions for subtest performance: Low Average, Average, High Average. DANB highly recommends studying in areas in which the candidate receives a descriptor of ‘Low Average.’ DANB recommends reviewing areas in which the candidate receives a descriptor of ‘Average.’ A descriptor of ‘High Average’ in a subtest indicates a solid understanding of the area. When deciding which areas to focus any future studying it is important to consider both the subtest performance result and the percentage of questions on the exam for each subtest. For example, if subtest A covers 35% of the exam and a result of ‘Average’ was received and subtest B covers 5% of the exam and a result of ‘Low Average’ was received, it would be advantageous to review both areas but focus on subtest A a little more because it contains more questions and leaves the candidate more room for improvement. Subtest performance results are ONLY provided to help candidates focus any future studying in areas in which they performed relatively low. When subtest results are calculated, only the items from that subtest are considered in the ‘scoring’ formula. Each subtest is considered as “its own exam,” when calculating subtest performance and converting these to a subtest performance result. However, because of examination reliability considerations, a pass/fail decision is made on the exam as a whole so performance on all subtests put together is considered when making a pass/fail decision on the entire exam. When DANB calculates subtest results, we do not take into consideration the percentages of each subtest. That is, there is no weighting of subtests involved in the determination of ‘Low Average,’ ‘Average’ and ‘High Average.’ Each subtest is evaluated independently to determine these comparative candidate ratings. Return to Frequently Asked Questions