The Effectiveness of a Mock Board Experience in Coaching Students for the Dental Hygiene National Board Examination

Abstract

A Mock Board is available through the American Dental Association to any student or dental hygiene program as a study aid for the Dental Hygiene National Board Examination (DHNBE). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of this Mock Board as a learning activity to help students gain familiarity with the question formats and the overall board exam experience. A sensitivity-specificity model was applied to validate the Mock Board's accuracy in identifying students who would pass or fail the DHNBE. A survey was conducted to assess students' opinions of the Mock Board experience. The Mock Board accurately identified success or failure on the DHNBE for 75 percent of the participants. However, the Mock Board's sensitivity was much better than its specificity. A majority of students reported the Mock Board motivated them to study and prepared them well for the national board experience. Comments showed, however, that students did not feel the Mock Board experience was as intense as taking the DHNBE. Findings indicate the Mock Board can be a valid and effective addition to board preparation activities. Dental hygiene faculty members are urged to consider incorporating the Mock Board experience with more traditional methods of coaching in preparing students for the DHNBE.

Ability of the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy Practice Test to Estimate the Probability of First-Time Pass Status on the National Certification Exam

“…The prediction equation generated by the analysis identified this test as the most accurately differentiating predictor between first-time pass and no-pass status groups on the Physician Assistant National Certification Exam. Dadian et al (2002) reported that the Mock Board Dental Hygiene Examination developed by the American Dental Association as a study aid for the Dental Hygiene National Board Exam accurately identified success or failure on the certification exam for 75% of the participants. Edenfield and Hansen (2000) examined performance on the Dental Hygiene National Board Exam with a combination of grades and the Mock Board Exam.…”

“…In recent years, a growing body of research estimating the probability of first-time pass status on the national occupational therapy certification exam has emerged. In most of these studies, the probability of firsttime pass status was conceptualized as the outcome measure rather than as a predictor for successful graduation from the program (Aldridge et al, 2010;Alzahrani, Thomson, & Bauman, 2007;Brown, Imel, Nelson, Hale, & Jansen, 2013;Dadian et al, 2002;Edenfield & Hansen, 2000;Ennulat et al, 2011;Hagemaster, 2001;Russell et al, 2007;Sloas et al, 2013;Williams & Hadfield, 2003).…”

“…Consequently, the aim of admissions committees of educational programs in occupational therapy and other health professions is to identify, from a pool of applicants, those who are most likely to successfully graduate from the program. Successful graduation from a health professions educational program indicates that the graduate was able to meet the academic and clinical requirements of the program, measured by the graduating grade point average (GPA; Auriemma, 2002;Avi-Itzhak & Kellner, 1996;Hansen-Suchy, 2011;Kirchner, Stone, & Holm, 2000;Lysaght, Donnelly, & Villeneuve, 2009;Posthuma & Sommerfreund, 1985) or was able to pass a licensure exam, measured by a first-time pass score (Aldridge, Keith, Sloas, & Mott-Murphree, 2010;Dadian, Geurink, Olney, & Littlefield, 2002;Edenfield & Hansen, 2000;Ennulat, Garrubba, & DeLong, 2011;Hagemaster, 2001;Sloas, Keith, & Whitehead, 2013).…”

“…However, no studies have examined first-time pass rates on the NBCOT exam as an outcome measure for student success in occupational therapy programs. In addition, the few studies that have assessed the predictive ability of practice tests designed by the agencies responsible for developing and administering national certification exams as a learning activity to help students gain familiarity with national certification exams have come from practice areas other than occupational therapy (Dadian et al, 2002;Edenfield & Hansen, 2000;Ennulat et al, 2011).…”

Relationship Between Dental Hygiene Students’ Performance in an Oral Radiology Course and the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination: A Retrospective Study

“…Previous studies have found that incoming GPA, admission criteria points (which include incoming overall and science GPAs), ACT reading scores, and performance in specific science courses taken as prerequisites or during the program were positive predictors of performance in dental hygiene programs 2 – 4 . Research has also focused on the influence of mock boards and review courses on passing the NBDHE 5 , 6 . In one study, program GPA was found to be a predictor of NBDHE performance, but enrollment in an outside review course was not 5 .…”