ORE Exam Pass Rate 2026: A Realistic Look at Part 1 and Part 2 Outcomes
The Overseas Registration Exam (ORE) is the assessment internationally qualified dentists must pass to register with the UK General Dental Council. Like every gateway exam, prospective candidates rightly want to know: what is the pass rate, and what does it really mean for me? This 2026 guide draws on recent GDC published data and our own work supporting overseas dentists to give you a realistic picture — not a marketing pitch.
Headline ORE pass rates in 2026
The ORE is split into two parts, each with its own pass rate dynamics.
| Component | First-attempt pass rate (recent sittings) |
|---|---|
| ORE Part 1 — Paper A (clinical sciences) | ~45–60% |
| ORE Part 1 — Paper B (clinical dentistry) | ~55–65% |
| ORE Part 2 — overall | ~50–65% |
| ORE Part 2 — OSCE component | ~70% |
| ORE Part 2 — Dental Manikin Tasks (DMT) | ~55% |
| ORE Part 2 — Treatment Planning & Diagnostics (TPD) | ~60–65% |
| ORE Part 2 — Medical Emergencies (ME) | ~75% |
These figures fluctuate by sitting and by year. They are based on GDC published statistics and our internal observations of recent ORE candidates. Treat them as a useful directional reference, not exact predictions for any single sitting.
Why ORE Part 1 sits in the 45–65% range
ORE Part 1 is a written exam covering two papers — Paper A (clinical sciences) and Paper B (clinical dentistry). Each paper has its own pass mark, set by standard-setting after the sitting using the Angoff method. There is no fixed pass percentage.
Three patterns drive the typical pass rate in 2026:
- UK-specific content is heavily tested. Paper A asks about UK clinical regulations (GDC Standards, Health & Safety at Work Act, Mental Capacity Act, decontamination protocols like HTM 01-05) and UK prescribing (BNF Dental Practitioners' Formulary). Overseas candidates trained outside the UK can have strong dental knowledge yet still miss these UK-specific marks.
- Question style differs from many home-country exams. Paper A uses best-of-five questions; Paper B uses extended matching questions (EMQs). The EMQ format in particular requires fast eye movement between a question stem and a long answer list — a learnable skill but rarely practised before.
- Paper A and Paper B test different skills. Candidates often score well on Paper B (where their clinical pattern recognition transfers easily) but fall short on Paper A's science detail and UK-specific governance. Strong candidates allocate roughly 60% of Part 1 study time to Paper A.
Practical implication: if you sit Part 1 fresh from BDS without UK study, expect to be slightly below average. With 3–4 months of targeted UK preparation, your odds rise to the upper end of the 45–65% band.
Why ORE Part 2 has the lowest manikin pass rate
ORE Part 2 is a three-day clinical assessment, scored across four components: OSCE, Dental Manikin Tasks, Treatment Planning & Diagnostics, and Medical Emergencies. You must pass every component — there is no compensation between them.
This rule alone reduces the apparent pass rate. A candidate may be brilliant in three components and weak in one — and still need to resit the entire Part 2. The component most often responsible: the Dental Manikin Tasks (DMT).
- DMT is hands-on technical work — cavity preparations, crown preparations, endodontic access cavities, suturing — performed on a dental simulator under exam conditions. You cannot prepare for this from books.
- UK manikin practice is essential. Most overseas candidates who pass DMT first time have booked 4–12 weeks of hands-on manikin sessions at a UK ORE preparation centre.
- Speed plus accuracy is rare. The exam timing penalises both slow precision and fast carelessness. Candidates who practise without a stopwatch are routinely shocked by the pace in the exam.
Practical implication: budget seriously for UK-based DMT practice before Part 2. Candidates who skip this step typically pay for it twice — once in retake fees (£2,929 per attempt) and once in lost time to start UK practice.
Components with the highest pass rates — and why that can mislead
The OSCE (~70%) and Medical Emergencies (~75%) carry the highest pass rates in recent sittings. This is partly because:
- OSCE rewards communication skills — signposting, explanation in lay terms, summarising, checking understanding. These are skills most candidates already have at some level from their home-country clinical work, and they polish quickly with practice.
- Medical Emergencies has a predictable scenario bank — cardiac arrest, anaphylaxis, hypoglycaemia, syncope, asthma exacerbation. With a UK Resuscitation Council ABCDE-trained drill, most candidates pass.
However, the trap is complacency. Because OSCE and ME look easier on paper, candidates over-allocate revision time to DMT and TPD and under-prepare these components — only to lose the entire Part 2 on a missed OSCE station they could have aced.
Practical implication: every Part 2 component needs an explicit preparation block. Do not skip a component because its pass rate looks comfortable.
How ORE pass rates compare with similar regulator exams
| Exam | First-attempt pass rate | Format |
|---|---|---|
| NMC OSCE (nurses) | ~40–54% | UK-based 10-station OSCE |
| PLAB 1 (doctors, written) | ~70–80% | Multiple-choice, taken in home country |
| PLAB 2 (doctors, clinical) | ~75% | UK-based OSCE |
| OSPAP final exam (pharmacists) | ~70–80% | UK-based, taken after a 1-year UK PG Dip |
| ORE Part 1 (dentists) | ~45–65% | UK-based, written |
| ORE Part 2 (dentists) | ~50–65% | UK-based, 3-day clinical |
The ORE is among the harder regulator exams in terms of first-attempt pass rates, broadly comparable to the NMC OSCE for overseas nurses. Both exams test UK-specific clinical practice and require UK-based hands-on practice for the most predictive components.
What the pass rate is not telling you
Pass rate alone is misleading. Three caveats matter for your planning:
- Selection effects. Many candidates who sit the ORE Part 1 only because their preparation is incomplete pull the pass rate down. Well-prepared first-time candidates pass at noticeably higher rates than the headline.
- Year-on-year variation. Specific sittings can be tougher than the average — particularly when standard-setting catches a difficult question set. The headline rate is an aggregate.
- 4 attempts maximum, per part. The GDC allows 4 attempts at each part. Multiple resits become financially and emotionally expensive — and the cumulative pass rate over 4 attempts is much higher than the first-attempt figure.
Implications for your preparation plan
If you are committed to the ORE pathway, three preparation decisions are worth more than any other:
- Allocate 60% of Part 1 study to Paper A. Paper A is where most candidates lose marks, and where UK-specific content concentrates. Paper B benefits from your clinical pattern recognition.
- Book UK manikin practice for Part 2 — 4–12 weeks before your sitting. DMT is the lowest pass-rate component and cannot be prepared from textbooks. UK ORE preparation centres in London and surrounding areas offer manikin sessions; popular slots book up 6 months ahead.
- Drill all 4 Part 2 components separately — including OSCE and Medical Emergencies. Even apparently easier components can sink a candidate. Allocate explicit weekly practice for each.
For more detail on each ORE component see our complete ORE preparation guide. For the full GDC registration pathway including English language requirements and final registration see our GDC registration overview for overseas dentists.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the ORE pass rate in 2026?
Recent GDC sittings show first-attempt pass rates around 45–60% for Paper A, 55–65% for Paper B, and 50–65% for Part 2 overall. Within Part 2, the lowest pass rate is on the Dental Manikin Tasks (~55%) and the highest is on Medical Emergencies (~75%).
Which ORE component has the lowest pass rate?
The Dental Manikin Tasks (DMT) component of ORE Part 2 has the lowest pass rate — typically around 55%. This is because DMT requires hands-on technical work on a dental simulator under exam-pace conditions, which cannot be prepared from textbooks alone.
Is the ORE harder than the NMC OSCE for nurses?
The ORE Part 2 and the NMC OSCE have broadly similar first-attempt pass rates (~50–65% for ORE, ~40–54% for NMC). Both test UK-specific clinical practice. The ORE is more financially demanding (£3,735 in test fees vs. £794 for OSCE) and longer in duration.
How many attempts at the ORE am I allowed?
The GDC allows a maximum of 4 attempts at each part of the ORE. After 4 unsuccessful attempts at either Part 1 or Part 2, you cannot continue on the ORE pathway and must consider alternatives such as the Licentiate in Dental Surgery (LDS).
Does the pass rate change if I prepare in the UK?
Yes — substantially. Candidates with 4+ weeks of UK-based manikin practice and a UK-style mock OSCE programme show first-attempt pass rates well above the headline averages, often above 80% for Part 2. The largest single factor is hands-on UK manikin practice.
Where are the ORE exams held?
ORE Part 1 is held at King's College London Guy's campus and a small number of other UK centres. ORE Part 2 is held at the Royal College of Surgeons of England Dental Skills and Innovation Centre in London. Both parts require travel to the UK.
If you are planning your ORE sittings and want a tailored study plan that targets the components with the lowest pass rates — Paper A and Dental Manikin Tasks — book a free consultation with Global Pathways. We help overseas dentists structure their preparation, book UK manikin practice and time their sittings for the best chance of first-attempt success.