Spotlight on exam delivery

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Tim O’Brien
Convenor of Examinations, FDS

Iain Foster-Smith
Director of Examinations,
Education and Faculties

D uring December 2023 the Faculty of Dental Surgeons (FDS) held its first online development session with a focus on dental examination delivery. In 2023 the FDS delivered examinations to 2,220 candidates (700 candidates more than in 2022) and we provided examinations across the majority of the 13 dental specialties.

Our exams assess a candidate’s knowledge and ability within their chosen field. The reason why they remain so popular is that success in our exams demonstrates a high level of expertise in the planning and delivery of treatment in a field.

However, to successfully run exams we require the continued support of our Members, particularly in two key roles: examiner and assessor. 

As an examiner what will be required of you? Our governance processes require that an examiner should normally be a Dental Associate, Fellow or Member of the RCSEd in good standing or be willing to affiliate to the College following provisional approval of their application.

Although this can prolong the application process for those not already affiliated, our College’s rules mean we are obliged to take this approach. You will normally hold a primary dental qualification for at least 10 years and during this time should have demonstrated a commitment to developing advanced-level skills. 

We provide training for all examiners and, in addition to examining, they are expected to contribute to the question bank for the relevant examination. For each examination the requirements to be an examiner may vary depending on the specific skills required.

Critical friends

The assessor role is another key way our Members can help support examination delivery. Assessors help us quality assure our examinations, acting as ‘critical friends’ to the College by monitoring the standards when exams run. They also help reassure candidates that they will be examined in a fair and consistent manner.

To be successful as an assessor you should be experienced in clinical and academic practice, and ideally be involved in undergraduate or postgraduate training. As a minimum, applicants should hold the BDS qualification and have prior experience as an examiner. We provide full training for all assessors and expect to attend a minimum of two examination diets per year.

Without these two extremely important roles we would not be able to run our examinations and support the next steps in trainees’ careers. We are immensely grateful to all our volunteer Members and Fellows, who proactively support the College by dedicating their time and expertise to assist us, along with their valued and trusted input.

There have been significant increases in costs and a greater focus placed on the delivery model used for all activities, including examinations. Post-COVID, the cost of dental examination delivery has increased by approximately 15% and the number of candidates taking the examination has fallen by 9.5% during 2021. The reduction in candidate numbers has since recovered, but the costs for examination delivery continue to rise.

“Your support is needed to spread
the word about the quality of our examinations”

To ensure the sustainability of our activity we have been working hard to understand more about the data we have collected. During 2023 a deep dive into the financial data for all dental examinations has been completed with further refinements taking place during 2024. As part of this activity a full review of all fees has been undertaken and a new examination fee structure launched for 2024 for both our UK and overseas delivery.

Bolstering the MFDS

One examination that has seen a continual drop in candidate numbers is the Diploma of Membership of the Faculty of Dental Surgery (MFDS). This long-established, quality-assured assessment is a bi-collegiate examination between the RCSEd and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, or a standalone examination managed by RCS England. The MFDS enables dental graduates to demonstrate the acquisition of knowledge, understanding and clinical competence that will have been obtained during Dental Foundation Training.

The MFDS marks a level of achievement above and beyond the primary dental qualification and clearly exhibits an early commitment to professional development. A working group was established to consider what further enhancements and short-term activity could be made to keep this important examination alive. These included running fewer exam diets, using more local examiners, and improving marketing and website information.

Other important action taken during 2023 from our deep dive into the data was working much more closely with individual Advisory Boards and Specialty Advisory Boards to help promote examinations and increase candidate numbers. This has been clearly demonstrated by the successful numbers achieved during 2023.

Global reach

The Dental Executive has been working tirelessly at a College-wide level to promote the dental examinations around the globe by helping those outside the UK to understand the benefits of our respected qualifications in international career structures.

We are hoping to gather even more support for the development of our College examinations and hope our Members and Fellows will support us in this endeavour. It is important to highlight a key area of developmental activity – examination question banks. Key to running an examination in a credible manner is the ongoing need to keep question banks refreshed and up to date. We rely on our Members and Fellows to develop new questions for our examinations, ensuring an appropriate number of higher-order questions and suitably challenging clinical cases within each bank, ensuring the relevant curricula are adequately tested. 

We have taken a good look at our examiner numbers and demographics, and confirm we have a need for recruitment from across all specialties. We plan during 2024 to complete a more in-depth monitoring programme of examiner characteristics. Currently 22% of the examiners on our records are international Members, and we thank you all for your dedication and support of the College.

Since 2021, with the world coming out of COVID, the number of diets delivered globally rose significantly from 51 diets in 2021 to 68 diets in 2023. This is seen as a key area of growth and we are working hard to translate our international relationships into candidates. As Members and Fellows your support is needed to spread the word about the quality of our examinations and how they help people in their careers by demonstrating their competence.

Your College needs you

The future of our activity across examinations in dentistry requires us to make what are frequently difficult considerations. How can we as an organisation work together to reduce our delivery costs, continue to meet the curricula developments and meet our delivery needs? Can Members and Fellows support us worldwide with facilities in which we can deliver our examinations or recommend accommodation to stay in during our time in a specific country? 

We are also looking at how technology can assist with examination delivery. We plan to continue to increase our candidate recruitment by educating prospective candidates as to why an RCSEd examination can help bolster their career opportunities.

If you would like to find out more about opportunities as either an examiner or assessor, click here to visit the examiner vacancies area of the College’s website or email DentalExaminerRecruitment@rcsed.ac.uk. Alternatively, speak to us at one of our engagement events – we welcome Members and Fellows with open arms.