INBDE pass rate by year and candidate group, 2020 to 2025
Six years of INBDE pass rates are below, converted from the failure rates the Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations prints in Table 16.1 of the INBDE Technical Report 2025, checked on September 22, 2026. The newest year, 2025, runs from 92.8 percent for first attempt candidates out of CODA accredited programs down to 49.5 percent for retake candidates out of programs without that accreditation, on 12,239 administrations in all. The passing score is 75 on a scale of 49 to 99. Every number below carries its year, its candidate group and its source.
INBDE pass rate by year, 2020 to 2025
The INBDE pass rate in 2025 was 92.8 percent for first attempt candidates from CODA accredited dental programs, 65.1 percent for first attempt candidates from programs not accredited by CODA, and 79.2 percent across all 12,239 administrations, from Table 16.1 of the INBDE Technical Report 2025, checked on September 22, 2026.
The JCNDE prints failure rates rather than pass rates, so every pass rate here is 100 minus the printed failure rate, this article's arithmetic. For 2025 the printed failure rates are 7.2, 34.9 and 20.8 percent.
| INBDE year | Pass rate, first attempt, CODA accredited | Pass rate, first attempt, not CODA accredited | Pass rate, retake, CODA accredited | Pass rate, retake, not CODA accredited | Pass rate, all candidates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| INBDE 2020 (from August 1) | 99.0 percent of 205 | 61.2 percent of 147 | 92.7 percent of 69 | 41.9 percent of 117 | 75.5 percent of 538 |
| INBDE 2021 | 98.7 percent of 2,021 | 66.9 percent of 1,341 | 84.0 percent of 245 | 44.2 percent of 971 | 77.7 percent of 4,578 |
| INBDE 2022 | 99.2 percent of 5,852 | 74.7 percent of 2,154 | 86.8 percent of 234 | 55.3 percent of 1,145 | 87.9 percent of 9,385 |
| INBDE 2023 | 99.6 percent of 6,659 | 84.1 percent of 3,301 | 86.0 percent of 136 | 66.2 percent of 1,212 | 91.3 percent of 11,308 |
| INBDE 2024 (new standard from June 1) | 95.2 percent of 6,636 | 74.7 percent of 4,137 | 67.9 percent of 168 | 47.2 percent of 919 | 83.9 percent of 11,860 |
| INBDE 2025 | 92.8 percent of 6,816 | 65.1 percent of 3,480 | 73.0 percent of 608 | 49.5 percent of 1,335 | 79.2 percent of 12,239 |
Source: failure rates and counts from Table 16.1 of the INBDE Technical Report 2025, repeated as Table 1 of the JCNDE 2026 annual report, checked on September 22, 2026. Pass rates are 100 minus the printed failure rate.
Those four groups are the only breakdowns the JCNDE prints. Table 1 of its 2026 annual report, which repeats those figures, defines a first attempt candidate as one who had never attempted the INBDE, NBDE Part I or NBDE Part II before, and every group pools all schools, so none of them stands for one school's class.
First attempt candidates from CODA accredited programs passed at 99.6 percent in 2023, 95.2 percent in 2024 and 92.8 percent in 2025, a drop of 6.8 points across those two years. The INBDE pass rate for 2024 across all 11,860 administrations was 83.9 percent. The 2026 annual report gives the reason: in June 2024 the JCNDE implemented a new performance standard that raised the rigor of the exam, dated June 1, 2024 in the Technical Report 2025, so 2024 is a part year under it and 2025 the first full year.
- First attempt, CODA-accredited programs
- First attempt, programs not accredited by CODA
- All candidates
INBDE passing score and where the 75 comes from
The INBDE passing score is 75. Scale scores run from 49 to 99 in one point increments, and a candidate must reach 75 or higher to pass, from the INBDE 2026 Candidate Guide and the Technical Report 2025, both checked on September 22, 2026. The JCNDE's own term for that 75 is the minimum passing score.
The 75 does not move when the standard changes: the guide says the scoring scale is modified alongside any updated standard so that 75 keeps meaning the minimum passing score. What changed in 2024 shows up in the pass rates, not in the number you have to hit.
A JCNDE panel set the current standard in January 2024 with the Bookmark method. The Joint Commission approved it in May 2024 and implemented it on June 1, 2024. JCNDE exams are criterion referenced, so the bar is set by subject matter experts rather than against whoever tests that month.
Why the 75 is not a count of correct answers
The JCNDE publishes no percent correct or number of questions you may miss, no count of its experimental items, no list of INBDE exam dates for 2025 or 2026, no recommended study time, no pass rate by dental school and, until its next technical report, no 2026 pass rate, all checked on September 22, 2026.
The 2026 Candidate Guide says why there is no count of questions to get right: scale scores are not raw scores, and a scale score of 74 does not mean a candidate would have passed by answering one more question correctly, checked on September 22, 2026.
Each INBDE form includes questions that let the JCNDE place scores from different forms on one common measurement scale, adjusting for minor differences in form difficulty. Reading that adjustment through, a harder form needs slightly fewer correct answers for the same 75, this article's inference, not a JCNDE statement. Some questions on the examination are experimental and unscored, and look identical to scored ones; data from them decides whether an item is used in future test construction.
One rule does follow: candidates are not penalized for guessing. With three to five options, a blank is worth zero and a guess between one in five and one in three, so answer every item before the 105 minutes on a section run out.
How many questions are on the INBDE
The INBDE has 500 items across two days: 360 on day one and 140 on day two, from the administration schedule in the 2026 Candidate Guide, checked on September 22, 2026. The Technical Report 2025 prints the 500 total outright, and the six sections in the Candidate Guide schedule add to the same 500. The INBDE exam page splits that 500 into 300 standalone items and 200 case based items.
The Technical Report puts 60 percent of items as standalone and 40 percent inside cases, with 2 to 5 items per case. Every item is multiple choice with three to five options and one best answer.
| INBDE day and section | Items | Minutes allotted | Seconds per item (computed) |
|---|---|---|---|
| INBDE day 1, section 1 | 100 standalone | 105 | 63 |
| INBDE day 1, section 2 | 100 standalone | 105 | 63 |
| INBDE day 1, section 3 | 100 standalone | 105 | 63 |
| INBDE day 1, section 4 | 60 case based | 105 | 105 |
| INBDE day 1, tutorial and three breaks | None | 15 tutorial, then breaks of 15, 30 and 15 | Not applicable |
| INBDE day 1 total | 360 items | 495 minutes, or 8 hours 15 minutes | Not applicable |
| INBDE day 2, section 5 | 70 case based | 105 | 90 |
| INBDE day 2, section 6 | 70 case based | 105 | 90 |
| INBDE day 2, tutorial, break and survey | None | 15 tutorial, 15 break, 15 survey | Not applicable |
| INBDE day 2 total | 140 items | 255 minutes, or 4 hours 15 minutes | Not applicable |
| INBDE, both days added | 500 items | 630 minutes of section time inside 12 hours 30 minutes of appointment time | 75.6, or 76 rounded |
Source: administration schedule in the INBDE 2026 Candidate Guide, updated August 4, 2026, checked on September 22, 2026. Seconds per item is this article's arithmetic: 6,300 seconds over 100 items is 63, over 60 is 105, over 70 is 90, and 37,800 over 500 items is 75.6.
Appointment time and section time are not the same number. Appointment time is 12 hours 30 minutes, counting the tutorial, the breaks and the survey. Section time, the clock that runs while you answer, is 630 minutes. The same split for ten other exams is in the post on how many questions are on each medical exam.
Booking your own INBDE date, and the 2026 fees
You choose your own INBDE date with Prometric, per the JCNDE apply page, inside a six month eligibility period that starts when the ADA Department of Testing Services processes your application, per the 2026 Candidate Guide, both checked on September 22, 2026.
Four numbers set your date. Book the Prometric appointment 60 to 90 days before the day you want to test, per the JCNDE INBDE page. Day two must fall within 7 days of day one, at the same test center. Results follow three to four weeks later. Processed today, booked 90 days out and given a 4 week wait, that is a decision about 118 days away, this article's arithmetic.
| INBDE fee or rule in 2026 | Number | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| INBDE examination fee | USD 890 | One administration, bought alone |
| INBDE processing fee, non-CODA candidates | USD 435 on top of the examination fee | Programs not accredited by CODA |
| INBDE total, non-CODA candidate | USD 1,325 (890 plus 435, computed) | One attempt |
| INBDE and DLOSCE bundle | USD 1,080, a saving of USD 470 | Both bought at application, 2026 fees |
| INBDE eligibility period | Six months | From application processing |
| INBDE booking lead time | 60 to 90 days before the date you want | The Prometric appointment |
| INBDE gap between day one and day two | Within 7 days, same test center | Every administration |
| INBDE reschedule fee | USD 50 with 30 or more business days of notice, USD 70 with 5 to 29, USD 150 with 1 to 4 | Moving an appointment |
| INBDE eligibility extension | USD 150 for 45 more days | Once per application |
Source: fee table and rules in the INBDE 2026 Candidate Guide, updated August 4, 2026, and the booking lead time from the JCNDE INBDE page, checked on September 22, 2026.
INBDE test dates in 2026 come from Prometric centers across the USA and Canada, and the exam is no longer offered in the province of Quebec. A no show, or an arrival more than 30 minutes after the scheduled start that is refused admission, forfeits the full testing fee.
How long INBDE results take
INBDE results take three to four weeks. The JCNDE scores page says results are typically available approximately three to four weeks after the examination date, and the 2026 Candidate Guide says the JCNDE aims to report within four weeks and in most cases reports within three, both checked on September 22, 2026.
Reporting is covered by the USD 890 fee: to you, to three licensing jurisdictions you name at application and to your CODA accredited program. A recipient added later costs USD 55.
If you doubt a result, the audit is the only formal path: USD 105, requested within 30 days of the reporting date, four to six weeks to complete. Counted from the exam date, three to four weeks to the report plus four to six for the audit is 49 to 70 days, either side of the 60 day minimum wait between unsuccessful attempts, this article's arithmetic.
INBDE pass rate for international students
The INBDE pass rate for international students is published as one figure, for candidates educated by dental education programs not accredited by CODA: 65.1 percent at first attempt in 2025, on 3,480 administrations, from Table 16.1 of the Technical Report 2025, checked on September 22, 2026. The JCNDE reports no group called international: its performance table splits candidates by CODA accredited against not accredited and first attempt against retake, so that non-CODA group is the number to use.
Against the 92.8 percent for first attempt candidates from CODA accredited programs that year, the gap is 27.7 points, this article's subtraction. Retake candidates from programs not accredited by CODA passed at 49.5 percent in 2025 on 1,335 administrations.
How many times can you take the INBDE
You can take the INBDE five times, or for five years from your first attempt, whichever comes first, under the JCNDE 5 Years/5 Attempts Eligibility Rule in the 2026 Candidate Guide, checked on September 22, 2026. Past the fifth year or fifth attempt, candidates may test once every six months.
Inside that rule sits a minimum wait of 60 days between unsuccessful attempts and a ceiling of four administrations in any 12 month period. An attempt counts from the moment you are seated at a test center computer and agree to the confidentiality statement.
Each attempt needs a new application and a new fee, so four attempts in a year costs USD 3,560 for a CODA candidate and USD 5,300 for a non-CODA candidate, this article's arithmetic on USD 890 and USD 1,325.
INBDE attempts are counted independently of earlier NBDE attempts, so a candidate who failed NBDE Part I or Part II five times or more still gets five years and five attempts here. The same limits for four other exams are in the post on how many times you can take Step 1, NCLEX, the MCAT and PLAB 1.
A 13 week INBDE study plan, counted from the booking lead time
The only official number to plan INBDE study around is the JCNDE's own booking lead time of 60 to 90 days, from the JCNDE INBDE page, checked on September 22, 2026. Ninety days is 12.9 weeks, so this article plans the study in 13 weeks, or 91 days, this article's arithmetic.
Thirteen weeks divides into the content: ten weeks for the ten foundation knowledge areas, one each, then three weeks of case practice for the 200 case based items. The 2026 test specifications print percentages: 36 percent diagnosis and treatment planning, 42 percent oral health management and 22 percent practice and profession. On 500 items that is 180, 210 and 110, this article's arithmetic. Behavioral sciences, ethics and jurisprudence at 11 percent plus research methodology, analysis and informatics at 10 percent make the 21 percent, or 105 items on the same arithmetic, that the INBDE exam page names as the slice missing from most notes.
The generator here turns your own notes into standalone items: upload a module of oral pathology or pharmacology and get multiple choice items in that format, each printing the sentence it was written from and the page it sits on. Guests get 200 verified questions, a confirmed account gets 500 a month free, a 90 day Exam Pass is £39.99, and it does not renew. Questions with no upload are on the sample exam.
What the INBDE replaced, and when
The INBDE replaced the NBDE Part I and Part II as the written examination for dental licensure. The last NBDE Part I was administered on July 31, 2020, the first scored INBDE the next day, and the NBDE Part II was discontinued on December 31, 2022, from the JCNDE history page and the 2026 annual report, checked on September 22, 2026.
| Examination | First or last administration | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| NBDE Part I | Last administration July 31, 2020 | Part I and Part II together totaled 900 questions |
| NBDE Part II | Last administration in 2022, discontinued December 31, 2022 | Part I and Part II together totaled 900 questions |
| INBDE | First official scored administration August 1, 2020 | 500 items over two days |
Source: JCNDE history of the INBDE, the JCNDE 2026 annual report and the JCNDE information for test takers, checked on September 22, 2026.
That end date explains the volume in the first table: administrations went from 538 in 2020 to 12,239 in 2025, about 22.7 times as many, because the Part II population moved across: 12,239 divided by 538 is 22.75, this article's arithmetic.
The 900 in that table is the JCNDE's own comparison with the INBDE, from its information for test takers. All 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the US Virgin Islands recognize the INBDE, so one INBDE pass at 75 is recognized by every US licensing jurisdiction.
Cite this data
These figures are published by the Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations (JCNDE): JCNDE, 2026 annual report, Table 1, INBDE failure rate by candidate group and year, checked on ; JCNDE, INBDE Technical Report 2025, Table 16.1, checked on . This page keeps them in one table at a permanent address, https://meduniexam.com/blog/inbde-pass-rate-passing-score-and-2026-dates, with the same table as a CSV file.
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The table and its CSV file are published here under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. The figures themselves belong to the JCNDE, whose own terms apply to them. Name the JCNDE as the source of the numbers. Linking to this page is never required: a plain-text mention is enough, and any link attributes are fine.
Questions people ask
Do INBDE results come out on a Wednesday?
No fixed weekday exists. The JCNDE reports INBDE results approximately three to four weeks after your examination date and publishes no release calendar, so a result can appear on any business day in that window. You view it by signing in to your DENTPIN account rather than waiting for mail. The Candidate Guide adds that the JCNDE aims to report within four weeks and reports within three in most cases.
Where do I log in to see INBDE results?
INBDE results are viewed online by signing in with your DENTPIN and password on the ADA website, which is the same account used to apply. The JCNDE scores page states that results are typically available approximately three to four weeks after the examination date. Unsuccessful candidates also see the overall scale score and performance information for the three clinical content areas and the ten foundation knowledge areas.
Is the INBDE hard to pass?
The INBDE success rate in 2025 was 79.2 percent: that share of the 12,239 administrations ended in a pass, and 92.8 percent of first attempt candidates from CODA accredited programs passed. Difficulty depends heavily on the group: first attempt candidates from programs not accredited by CODA passed at 65.1 percent. Rates dropped after a new performance standard took effect on June 1, 2024, which the JCNDE says raised the rigor of the examination.
What is the INBDE fail rate?
The JCNDE publishes failure rates rather than pass rates, and for 2025 they are 7.2 percent for first attempt candidates from CODA accredited programs, 34.9 percent for first attempt candidates from non-CODA programs and 20.8 percent across all 12,239 administrations. Retake candidates failed at 27.0 percent from accredited programs and 50.5 percent from non-accredited ones, all from Table 16.1 of the Technical Report 2025.
Published , updated .