DANB - General Chairside Exam (GC)

The Dental Assisting National Board, Inc. (DANB) offers the Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) Examination for national certification purposes. Dental assistant jobs can be pursued after completing the CDA certification process. Candidates must successfully complete three tests - GC, RHS and ICE - in 5 years. The tests are acknowledged and/or mandatory in 37 states. The General Chairside (GC) examination is one of the three tests included in the CDA Exam as a whole.

Candidates must meet specific eligibility requirements before taking this assessment. Candidates can choose to take a computer-based or paper and pencil version of the test.

For the GC assessment, candidates will have 1 hour and 30 minutes to finish 120 multiple-choice questions. The content of the test is broken down as follows:

• Collection and recording of clinical data - 10%
• Chairside dental procedures - 45%
• Chairside dental materials (preparation, manipulation, application) - 11%
• Lab materials and procedures - 4%
• Patient education and oral health management - 10%
• Prevention and management of emergencies - 14%
• Office management procedures - 6%

The raw score, or the number answered correctly, will be converted to a scaled score in the 100-900 range. The minimum passing scaled score is 400. If unsuccessful in the attempt, a candidate may apply to take it again, but check with the local jurisdiction to find out if additional educational requirements have to be met first.