A few days ago I took my written exam for RDA – both written RDA and law and ethics exam. Originally I liked to take both exams on one day however PSI for some reason doesn’t allow it. Law and Ethics exam is only 1 hour and it would save me a trip to do the RDA exam on that day too.

Anyway I scheduled my exam online through psiexams.com. First I check for my records and I entered my control number which is given by the boards. Initially I didn’t have eligibility for the Law and Ethics exam because I think I forgot to mail the Boards my copies of Dental Practice Act and Infection Control certificates. So I diligently called DBC to rectify this problem and they were able to give my eligibility record for Law and Ethics 4 weeks before I take my RDA written exam. I then scheduled Law and Ethics a day before the RDA written exam.

There were no testing centers less than 20 miles from where I live so I chose the nearest venues which are Santa Clara for Law and Ethics exam, and San Francisco for the RDA exam. Fees are 23 and 43 respectively. It is compulsory to arrive 30 minutes before the scheduled exam time because registration can take a while especially if there are lot of people taking the exam. Basically you can’t carry anything with you even a jacket without a pocket. The testing site is warm so jacket or long-sleeved shirts are not needed. They’ll provide you scratch paper, pencil and ear plugs, none of which I used. Leave your bags in the car, just bring your keys and ID. The proctor will provide you a big brown envelope to store your keys and other stuffs which you bring inside to the testing room because they don’t have lockers.

Law and Ethics Exam

I didn’t have a game plan on how to study for the Law and Ethics exam until I decided to research it over the Internet on tips for this exam. It’s a good thing I did that because the exam comprises a lot of stuff. Even though it’s only 1 hour and 60 questions, a thorough knowledge of the law and ethics as implemented and regulated by the Boards is needed.

So where will the questions be coming from? In the PSI handbook, there is an outline for the exam. I looked for the information on the citations provided in different sources:

1. the Business and Penal Code,

2. California Code of Regulations,

3. Penal Code 11166,

4. American Dental Association code of ethics,

5. California Dental Association code of ethics, and

6. Dental Assisting National Boards

I printed all the citations and read through them twice and made notes. This served me well because the exam was very objective in questions and not much into situational problems. I finished in under 30 minutes having reviewed all the questions and my answers twice. I thought I would get my results immediately but when I came to the front, the receptionist told me that the board will mail me my results. The board is actually reviewing the exam so it’ll take 30 days before I get my results. Hopefully I pass.

CA Dental Assisting Exam

The next day I went to Candlestick Point, San Francisco to take my CA Dental Assisting exam. This exam has 155 questions and 3 hours in duration. My exam started at 1030am and as usual I went in the center 30 minutes ahead of time to do the registration first.

I didn’t have any reference books to study for this exam except the review/exam books I borrowed from our city’s public library. And those sample questions in the books are really hard making me worry that the exam will be more difficult than I thought. I just prayed that I will wing it.

As it turned out, it was easier than I anticipated. I couldn’t remember the exam questions because I think they flew from head as soon as I stepped out of the building. I got my exam result immediately after I hit the end button in the computer. Although the test duration was 3 hours, I finished in under 1.5 hours that’s with reviewing all the questions and my answers twice. I don’t want to stay late because my dad who drove was getting hungry. Hahahaha.

God is so good! The exam was easy. Lots of questions about infection control especially on hazardous materials, sterilization, disinfection, waterlines; restorative procedures such as base, sealants, cement; smattering questions on medical emergency eg seizure, candidiasis, smokeless tobacco, endo procedure on paper points, periodontal dressing, ortho wire, ortho molar band remover, tooth and caries identification, nitrous oxide, coronal polishing, etc. There’s no questions on dental office management.

After the exam, the proctor gave me my copy of my test result and informed me that the board will give me my license in 30 days since I’ve already submitted my fingerprinting summon papers at the time when I mailed my RDA exam application forms.

Hopefully the license issue process will be smooth sailing and I can get my license within a month. I’ll keep you posted.

God bless to all those who are going to take the exams. I hope you pass!

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