The logical approach seems obvious: practice only on the teeth and procedures you know will be tested, focusing your time and budget on what matters most. We understand this thinking completely – it appears both smart and efficient to avoid purchasing materials you might not need.

The Reality of Changing Exam Requirements

Unfortunately, the reality we have observed over our years in this field are less straight forward. The knowledge of what's "on the exam" tends to shift over time, sometimes significantly.

Since 2010 and the beginning of the modern direct licensing exam process, we have witnessed teeth and project requirements change from one examination session to the next. This creates a challenging situation where each new group of applicants often prepares based on the previous group's experience rather than their own upcoming reality.

What We have Learned from Customer Experiences

Through feedback from our customers over the years, we have seen candidates caught off-guard when exam requirements shifted after they had already committed to practicing exclusively on specific tooth types. The stress of trying to catch up on preparations they were convinced "couldn't possibly be on the exam" has proven particularly challenging for last-minute preparation periods.

It is a common occurrence for a batch of applicants to arrive at the exam and find that the type of prep they thought would never be on the exam is what they will be tested on. We find out, because they typically communicate this to their acquaintances and the following day we find a huge number of orders for items that were in stock for months, but being avoided because of the mindset that they will never appear on the exam.

A More Strategic Purchasing Approach

We're not advocating that you spend more money or buy additional materials than needed. Instead, consider a more diversified approach to your purchases. Rather than concentrating your budget on 50 units of a particular tooth type (say, just one particular #6 or #7), consider splitting that same investment – perhaps 25 units each of two different preparation types.

This strategy becomes increasingly valuable the longer the time period before your examination date. The more time between your preparation phase and exam date, the higher the chances that requirements may have evolved from what recent candidates experienced.

Long-term Benefits Beyond Exam Success

What our customers often discover is that broader preparation experience serves them well beyond the licensing examination itself. The additional attention to detail and varied technique practice that comes from working with different tooth types benefits both their future practice capabilities and ultimately their patients.

The goal is to avoid the last-minute stress of scrambling to prepare for unexpected requirements while positioning yourself to handle whatever the examination presents with confidence.