Everything applicants ask.

Register in the portal and complete your profile, then upload a notarised letter of recommendation and a current copy of your CPR certification. Applications are accepted on a first come basis, and late applications are not accepted. If the exam is full you can reapply for the next date as soon as the window opens. All payments are made in your portal.

All fees are paid in the portal by card. No other payment method is accepted, and mailed cheques are not processed.

Email the Commission at info@codacertification.org at the time of application so arrangements can be made in advance.

Anyone with at least 12 months of continuous full-time work experience in the dental profession by the exam date, or who is enrolled in or has graduated from an accredited dental assisting programme. Current students must have completed at least 50 percent of the programme when they sit the exam.

The full exam is $65.00, paid with the application. Retaking either part costs $25.00, and the retake must be completed within one year of the original exam date or the whole application process starts again. Examination fees are not refundable.

Three. An applicant has three attempts to pass both parts. After that, additional education or remediation is required before reapplying.

The written paper is around 250 multiple choice questions on chairside skills, office procedures, dental anatomy, specialties, materials, insurance, sterilisation and OSHA, preventive procedures and emergency skills. The clinical portion is a bench test of routine chairside tasks.

No. You retake only the part you failed. A new application is required and CPR must be current at the time of the retake.

No. Holding a current radiology certificate does not exempt an applicant from taking and passing the radiography portion of the exam.

Registration opens at 8:00. Late arrivals are admitted but receive no extra time. No reference materials are permitted, no questions about the written content may be asked during the session, and no visitors are allowed. All candidates must be in uniform with proper PPE, and failing the uniform requirement reduces the clinical score.

You renew each year. The expiration date is 31 December and is printed on your certificate. Renewal means 12 hours of continuing education plus the annual fee.

$35.00 if paid by 31 December, and $45.00 after that date. If certification is not renewed by 31 March it is considered expired and you must retake the test.

Programmes must be at least 45 minutes to earn one hour of credit and must relate directly to dental assisting or dentistry. Seminars, workshops, CPR retraining, OSHA updates, radiology review, approved home study, and dental community projects all count, with community participation capped at four credits a year.