ADC Written Exam Pass Rate and Grading Explained: Clusters, A–D Grades and 5-Year Validity

By the KeysMedic team · Published 10 October 2026 · Last reviewed 10 October 2026 · 8 min read

The Australian Dental Council does not advertise a pass rate, but its annual reports contain one — and the recent numbers are sobering. This guide sets out the official figures year by year, explains the cluster-based grading that decides a pass, and draws out what that means for preparation.

Official pass rates, from the ADC's annual report

The ADC Annual Report 2024–25 tabulates written-examination candidates and passes by financial year. The percentages below are calculated from those figures.

Two caveats. The figures combine both sittings in each financial year, and the report's table is not explicitly labelled as general dentistry only. Even so, the direction is clear: candidate numbers have almost tripled in four years while the number of passes has not kept pace, and in 2024–25 roughly one candidate in eight passed. The practical examination in the same year had 1,880 candidates and an 11% pass rate.

How a pass is decided: four clusters, no fixed pass mark

There is no single pass mark. The 240 scored questions are grouped into four competency clusters drawn from the ADC's Professional Competencies of the Newly Qualified Dental Practitioner, and each cluster has its own cut score:

You must pass all four clusters. Each is reported as a grade:

• A — more than 10% above the cluster's cut score (pass)
• B — within 10% above the cut score (pass)
• C — within 10% below the cut score (fail)
• D — more than 10% below the cut score (fail)

Cut scores are set by a panel using the modified Angoff method and equated between sittings with Rasch (item-response) modelling, so a harder paper does not disadvantage you. The cut scores themselves are not published, and the exam contains 40 unscored pilot items you cannot identify.

Why cluster grading should change how you study

Because every cluster must be passed, a brilliant restorative or endodontic score cannot rescue a weak Cluster 1. That cluster — professionalism, ethics, law, infection control, radiation safety, cultural safety and health promotion in the Australian context — is only 20% of the paper, but it is the part most overseas-trained candidates have never formally studied, and a C in it fails the whole exam. Treat it as a subject in its own right: the Dental Board's guidelines, the ADA infection-control guidelines, ARPANSA's radiation code, mandatory reporting, consent and record-keeping, and the ADC's own topic resource sheets on cultural safety, rural and remote practice and family violence.

Conversely, the two 30% clusters reward the same skill: reading a scenario with its radiographs and photographs and extracting the right diagnosis and plan. Practise scenario sets of five linked questions rather than isolated recall, and review your performance by cluster after every mock — an overall 70% with one cluster at 55% is a fail in waiting.

Results, reviews and re-sitting

• Results appear in ADC Connect around six weeks after the exam (the ADC says it may take longer) as a grade per cluster. They are not given by phone or email.
• An administrative review of a result costs AUD 1,008; an independent appeal AUD 5,305.
• There is no limit on attempts and no credit carried over from a previous attempt — each sitting is marked afresh at AUD 2,122.
• A pass from the March 2026 sitting onward is valid for five years (earlier passes carried three), which gives more room to schedule the practical examination.

Frequently asked questions

KeysMedic is an independent exam-preparation service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the Australian Medical Council (AMC), the Australian Dental Council (ADC) or Ahpra. Exam rules, fees and dates are set by those bodies and can change — always confirm current details on their official websites before you apply. Figures above are quoted from the official sources listed, as at 10 October 2026.