TNRDA - Exam - Prep (Dental Assistant Exam Materials) PDF

Studying for the TNRDA Exam and the start the exam preparation process with a review of
DANB CDA Exam: Advice from DANB the exam content outline, reading each item and de-
ciding if it is a topic about which you feel completely
At the Dental Assisting National Board, Inc. confident, somewhat confident, or not at all confi-
(DANB), we frequently hear the question “How do I dent. After you identify areas of strength and weak-
study for a DANB exam?” ness, use this information as a blueprint for exam
preparation.
It is natural that an exam candidate may be uncertain
about the best method to use for preparing to take a Some candidates may find it helpful to engage in a thor-
DANB exam, such as the Tennessee Registered Den- ough review of every topic listed in the content outline,
tal Assistant (TNRDA) Exam administered by while others may prefer to begin by concentrating on
DANB or the DANB Certified Dental Assistant the areas where their knowledge is incomplete or im-
(CDA) Exam, because the content of these exams perfect and reviewing more familiar areas later.
does not correspond exactly to the content of any par-
ticular textbook or to any specific classroom curricu- In addition, consider your own test-taking history. If
lum. Rather, the content of DANB’s national compe- you have not taken a test in many years or feel appre-
tency exams is based on an underlying job analysis or hensive about taking an exam, you may want to en-
“task analysis” outlining the duties that dental assis- sure that you have included ample time in your study
tants perform in actual practice. The content of state- plan to familiarize yourself with the format and style
specific “registered dental assistant” exams adminis- of exam questions in order to make yourself more
tered by DANB, including the TNRDA Exam, is de- comfortable on the day of the test.
termined by the list of tasks that, by law, may be dele-
gated to dental assistants under the dental practice act Study Materials
and/or administrative rules in that state.
Whether you choose to review every topic in the con-
Because each person enters the exam process with a tent outline or to concentrate on the less familiar top-
unique combination of education, training, work ex- ics first, you will need to gather reference materials
perience, and test-taking experience, there is no one to use for studying. In general, the three primary
study plan that will serve all exam candidates equally types of materials that may be needed for studying
well. However, we do have a number of recommen- are textbooks and other reference works, exam prepa-
dations for developing a unique study plan that is tai- ration materials published by DANB, and third-party
lored to your own individual needs. exam preparation guides.
Developing a Study Plan Textbooks and Other Reference Materials. If you

have attended or graduated from a formal dental as-
To develop your unique study plan for the CDA Exam sisting education program, your textbook and course
or the TNRDA exam, DANB recommends that you materials will be invaluable in helping you prepare
begin by reviewing the content outline for the exam. for the TNRDA or CDA Exams. For those who do
not already have a dental assisting textbook, DANB
The content outline for the TNRDA Exam can be provides a sample list of reference materials in its
found on the TNDAA website at the following address: CDA Candidate Guide, beginning on page 35.
http://www.tndaa.org/Documents/TNRDA_ExamOutline (Download the electronic version of the 2005 CDA
_09_15_04.pdf. Candidate Guide in PDF format at the following ad-
dress: http://www.danb.org/PDFs/CDAweb04.pdf.)
The task analysis underlying each DANB national
exam serves as an effective outline of the exam’s You may be able to borrow a copy of one of these
content. Content outlines for DANB’s national ex- textbooks from a college or university library in your
ams, including the CDA Exam, are contained in The area. Or, if you would like to purchase a textbook,
DANB Review, an exam preparation tool published you might be able to find or order one at a college or
by DANB that is discussed in more detail below, or university bookstore, order directly from the pub-
in the stand-alone publication Task Analysis, 9th Edi- lisher, or buy a used textbook online. A list of dental
tion, both of which can be purchased from DANB. assisting textbook publishers can be found on page
21 of The DANB Review. Used dental assisting text-
The content outline contains a list of every topic that books can often be purchased at the websites
might be covered on the exam. We suggest that you www.amazon.com and www.ebay.com. It may be
wise to note the edition number or publication year be-
fore purchasing, to ensure that you are studying from An order form for The DANB Review and the Glossary
the most up-to-date materials available. can be found at the following web address:
http://www.danb.org/PDFs/pubform.pdf.
The objectivity requirements of the credentialing proc-
ess prohibit DANB from recommending a specific Third-Party Exam Preparation Guides. A number of
third-party reference work. However, any of the den- third-party publishers offer “dental assisting exam
tal assisting textbooks listed should provide ample in- preparation guides,” many of which have sample
formation about dental assisting practices and proce- questions that purport to be similar to the questions
dures. Generally, only one good textbook is needed, found on DANB exams. Exam candidates often ask
and may be supplemented by topic-specific articles or DANB if the use of these preparation guides will help
pamphlets, such as those dealing with infection con- them to achieve a passing score on DANB exams.
trol and radiography.
Because promotion of a third-party exam preparation
DANB’s Preparation Tools. The only exam prepara- guide would violate of a number of accepted compe-
tion tools that are produced and published by DANB tency-measurement principles, DANB does not re-
are The DANB Review and DANB’s Glossary of Den- view or endorse any exam preparation materials pub-
tal Assisting Terms. lished by third parties. Accordingly, you can be sure
that any third-party guide has been prepared without
The DANB Review is a 134-page booklet that con- the input, assistance, cooperation, or review of DANB.
tains the content outlines for every national Certifica-
tion exam administered by DANB, including each Some exam candidates have found some of these
component of the CDA Exam – Radiation Health and preparation guides to be helpful. On the other hand,
Safety (RHS), Infection Control (ICE), and General some exam candidates have also discovered errors in
Chairside Assisting (GC). (The DANB Review also a number of these guides. DANB neither encourages
covers the components of the Certified Orthodontic nor discourages the use of third-party exam prepara-
Assistant [COA] Exam and the Certified Dental Prac- tion guides, but does caution exam candidates against
tice Management Administrator [CDPMA] Exam.) over-reliance on this type of preparation aid to the
exclusion of other reliable sources of dental assisting
In addition to the content outlines, The DANB Review information. The practice exercises contained in these
contains a series of practice questions for each exam, guides should be used as a supplement to, and not a
along with an answer key, explanations of each correct substitute for, other types of studying and preparation.
answer, and references that point the exam candidate
to sources for additional reading. The practice ques- Study Groups and Sharing Information: A Caution
tions appearing in The DANB Review are actual
DANB exam items that have been retired. These ques- In many cases, exam candidates find it helpful to
tions can help exam candidates familiarize them- study in groups, and DANB does not discourage
selves with the style and format of questions that will exam candidates from helping each other study.
be found on the actual exam. These practice items may However, it must be noted that there are legal restric-
also be useful in preparing to take the TNRDA Exam. tions on the types of information that can be shared.
The DANB Review is not a textbook and will not tell If you have already taken a DANB exam and are ap-
you everything you need to know about dental assist- proached by a friend or fellow dental assistant for ad-
ing. The purpose of The DANB Review is to give you vice, you may help him or her by sharing the follow-
a picture of what each national DANB exam is like; ing information:
for maximum benefit, it should be used in conjunc-
tion with your dental assisting textbook and other re- Study guides or reference materials that you
liable dental assisting reference materials. found effective
Studying strategies that worked for you
DANB also publishes DANB’s Glossary of Dental As- Any information pertaining directly to the prac-
sisting Terms, which contains definitions for dental as- tice of dental assisting
sisting terms found on DANB-administered exams.
The Glossary can be a valuable resource for exam can- Please be aware that DANB’s policies and intellec-
didates who need help with dental assisting vocabulary tual property laws prohibit you from disclosing the
or who would like to review important dental assisting following information to any person:
terms.
Information about the actual questions that you
saw on the exam
Any exam item or part of any exam item
The content of all DANB exams is confidential and

proprietary. The disclosure of any DANB exam item
by an examinee is punishable by cancellation of that
examinee’s score and revocation of any Certification
or registration issued pursuant to that score, in addi-
tion to legal action. Therefore, we urge all dental as-
sistants who have already taken a DANB exam to ex-
ercise extreme caution when helping other dental as-
sistants study for the same exam.
A Final Thought
DANB is proud to be working with the State of Ten-

nessee to administer the TNRDA Exam. DANB
wishes all TNRDA and CDA exam candidates in
Tennessee the best of luck on their upcoming exams
and continued success in their dental assisting careers.

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TNRDA - Exam - Prep (Dental Assistant Exam Materials) PDF

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Studying for the TNRDA Exam and the start the exam preparation process with a review of

Developing a Study Plan Textbooks and Other Reference Materials. If you

The content of all DANB exams is confidential and

DANB is proud to be working with the State of Ten-

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