ORE pass rate drops by 29%

The pass rate for Part 2 of the Overseas Registration Exam (ORE) fell to 27% in September 2026, down from 56% in the previous sitting.

The September sitting was the first under new contractual arrangements, which the General Dental Council (GDC) said contained ‘refreshed assessment content to reflect contemporary clinical practice’. The April 2026 sitting saw a 56% pass rate, with the previous three sitting between 76-77%.

A spokesperson for the GDC said the exam was subject to quality assurance by external examiners and its ORE Advisory Group at every stage. They said: ‘Analysis shows that all four components performed reliably, that examiners marked consistently, and that the pass standard was set appropriately.’

Part 2 is the practical element of the exam, composed of four components which must all be passed for an overall pass grade. In the September sitting, the largest proportion of candidates failed just one component (36%), while only two failed all four.

The most commonly failed component was the medical emergencies exercise, with a 44% failure rate – followed closely by the objective structured clinical examination at 41%. In contrast, 96% of candidates passed the diagnosis and treatment planning exercise.

The GDC said it recognised the time, cost and commitment involved in preparing for the exam, and understood that unsuccessful candidates would be disappointed. It emphasised that detailed feedback would be sent to candidates by 30 October, and that those who failed could resit the exam up to a maximum of four total attempts.

ORE technical errors

At the end of June, candidates attempting to book a place to sit the ORE Part 1 experienced payment issues, errors and overloaded servers. Many candidates had payment taken but received no confirmation that they had successfully booked a place.

A Part 2 booking scheduled for 14 July was then delayed by a week so the GDC could carry out further testing. A spokesperson for the GDC said: ‘We understand any change to timing can be unsettling for candidates, and we apologise for any inconvenience this causes.’

Ahead of the delayed release on 21 July, candidates were told that they may ‘still experience some performance issues’. The GDC provided advice for what to do if they received errors such as a ‘payment unsuccessful’ message or a missing confirmation email.

Following the booking window, candidates once again reported similar technical errors, which they attributed to an overloaded booking system.

The GDC has said that it will be implementing a new portal for exams scheduled from the beginning of 2027.

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