May 2018

Overseas Registration Examination (ORE) – Part 1 Feedback

The following are responses to general comments provided by candidates at the April 2018 examination.
Responses have been provided where similar concerns were raised by more than one candidate.

Please note, positive feedback was also provided about the assessment and has been shared with the
relevant parties (please see graphs below). The following is a tool for candidates to clarify certain aspects
about the part 1 exam.

The exam should be held on a single day only, using the morning and the afternoon.

Setting back-to-back examinations (papers A and B on the same day) would pose an unacceptable risk to
the assessment should there ever be a malfunction of the computers on the day. Also, some candidates
would find a longer day tiring.

Paper A has questions not related to the dental profession

All questions in paper A are mapped to learning outcomes in the General Dental Council (GDC) document
‘Preparing for Practice’ (PfP).

Questions were extremely irrelevant and had nothing to do with dental practice. It felt like a medical exam.

Candidates should appreciate that the part 1 examination is designed to test knowledge that might be
acquired during all years and levels of a UK BDS programme. It is not equivalent to the ‘final (exit)
examinations’ you will have sat in your own university. As a dental professional, it is expected that you will
have knowledge of anatomy, physiology, general medicine, general surgery etc. All questions in both
papers are mapped to learning outcomes in the GDC document ‘Preparing for Practice’ (PfP).

There should be a clear demarcation of syllabus between both papers. If possible both the papers should
be merged into a single paper.

There will inevitably be some degree of ‘cross-over’ between the learning outcomes covered in both
papers. This is because the papers are designed to test not just basic recall of facts but the clinical
application of knowledge.

The structure of the examination, i.e., two written papers for part 1 is set out in a ‘Statutory Instrument’.
This means it is ‘defined by UK law’. Therefore, The GDC is not in a position to make changes to the
format at this point in time.

Questions in both Paper A & B were repeated for the same topic.

There are no duplicate questions across the papers. Different aspects of a topic may be tested in both
papers.

Overseas Registration Examination

Examinations Team, General Dental Council, 1 Colmore Square, Birmingham, B4 6AJ
Tel: +44 (0)20 7167 6000 Email: [email protected] Page 1
Place separators between the computers.

The ‘open-plan’ layout is necessary because the invigilators need to be able to observe the candidates at
all times. This is not only to ensure that candidates do not engage in malpractice, but to help with the
speedy identification of individuals who have become unwell or require other assistance during the
examination.

It should be made clear that the exam does not begin until 11:00am and that there is time to study after
registration. Bringing study material and food should be encouraged.

The examination providers will ensure that the start time for the examination is made clearer to
candidates and that they may wish to bring a snack with them to eat before the examination begins.

There is too much time between the registration and the start of the examination.

All candidates need to be registered. Any time delay is used to make final checks on the examination
rooms.

The exam room was too cold or too hot.

As many comments are received about rooms being too hot as too cold. The exam provider makes every
effort to ensure that the room temperature is comfortable for everyone. Candidates are advised to bring
sufficient clothing that can be removed or worn as appropriate.

I want to be able to get my results the same day.

Every effort is made to send candidates the results as quickly as possible. Once the examination has
ended, additional cross-checks are made by the examination providers and the GDC chief external
examiner. These checks form an essential part of the quality assurance process, and work to the
advantage of all candidates. Following this, the results are ratified at a meeting of the part 1 examination
board. The results are then forwarded to the GDC who carry out further checks before disseminating them
to the candidates.

The GDC should provide a clear guide and reference for students to prepare from because candidates
end up reading too many books for the exam some of which have contradictory data. Also, the GDC
should be aware of ORE courses provided - as some materials/notes given by them have wrong
information.

All questions included in the examination are mapped to the learning outcomes in ‘Preparing for Practice’.
The GDC cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of information disseminated on courses provided
by external bodies.

Overseas Registration Examination

Examinations Team, General Dental Council, 1 Colmore Square, Birmingham, B4 6AJ
Tel: +44 (0)20 7167 600 Email: [email protected] Page 2
The following graphs provide an overview of candidate’s responses to the post exam survey, conducted
after the April 2018 part 1 exam. This information will be used to improve the exam for candidates in the
future and to highlight the positive experiences of many candidates.

The GDC would like to thank candidates for completing the survey and encourage all candidates to take
part. Please note, not all questions from the survey have been included.

Q) The joining instructions provided helpful information.

120

100

80
Count

60

40

20

0
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree
Candidate Responses

Q) The registration arrangements were satisfactory.

120

100

80
Count

60

40

20

0
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree
Candidate Responses

Overseas Registration Examination

Examinations Team, General Dental Council, 1 Colmore Square, Birmingham, B4 6AJ
Tel: +44 (0)20 7167 6000 Email: [email protected] Page 3
Q) I was satisfied with the service I received from the examinations department before and during the
examination.

140

120

100

80
Count

60

40

20

0
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree
Candidate Responses

Q) The final instructions given before the examination were clear.

140

120

100

80
Count

60

40

20

0
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree
Candidate Responses

Overseas Registration Examination

Examinations Team, General Dental Council, 1 Colmore Square, Birmingham, B4 6AJ
Tel: +44 (0)20 7167 6000 Email: [email protected] Page 4
Q) The exam paper was fair.

140

120

100

80
Count

60

40

20

0
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree
Candidate Responses

Q) The questions were relevant to clinical practice.

120

100

80
Count

60

40

20

0
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree
Candidate Responses

Please see above questions and answers for further information about this specific area

Overseas Registration Examination

Examinations Team, General Dental Council, 1 Colmore Square, Birmingham, B4 6AJ
Tel: +44 (0)20 7167 6000 Email: [email protected] Page 5