FAQ - Oral Certifying Examination

A Candidate will have three consecutive years to take and pass the OCE after successfully completing the Qualifying Examination.

Application fee $450.00

Examination fee $2850

All fees are non-refundable

Candidates must have the ability to manage patient care at a hospital where they maintain privileges to perform core oral and maxillofacial surgery procedures. A hospital is an institution primarily engaged in providing, by or under the supervision of physicians, in patient diagnostic and therapeutic services or rehabilitation services; and is accredited by the Joint Commission or approved by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Privileges at an ambulatory surgery center are acceptable if it is associated with a hospital where the Candidate maintains surgical privileges.

Candidates that are actively enrolled in an ADA accredited fellowship may use their hospital privileges they have as part of their fellowship. Candidates must provide documentation from the institute verifying their enrollment in the fellowship that includes their start and anticipated end date. An individual with limited licensure, which permits practice only under supervision, such as a “resident license” or a “fellowship license”, is not enough to satisfy the licensure requirement.

Candidates must use the ABOMS approved form labeled Verification of Hospital Staff Privileges and upload the completed the document to their application. Pending privileges are not accepted.

The category of staff appointment a Candidate holds on the medical staff of a hospital does not matter as long as the individual has current privileges that permit them to perform core procedures in oral and maxillofacial surgery.

All application documents should be uploaded on the Candidate’s profile.

The ABOMS requires a photo for identification purposes to use on the day of your examination. All photos must be uploaded to the Candidate’s profile. The photo will be added to the Candidate’s badge which will be worn during the examination.

The OCE is administered at a testing facility in Raleigh, North Carolina.

You will be assigned a date and session. Each day has AM and PM sessions. All Candidates are required to arrive to Raleigh the night before their examination.

All Candidates must check into the Marriott Crabtree Valley hotel the day before their examination. Candidates are responsible for travel and room fees.

Once you are assigned a date, no changes can be made. If you would like to request a certain date, you must contact the ABOMS Administrative office by October 1^st for consideration.