The GDC does not publish detailed, paper-by-paper pass rate statistics for the ORE Part 1 — a frustrating lack of transparency for candidates trying to gauge what they are facing. However, based on candidate experience shared across forums and preparation communities, as well as historical information that has entered the public domain, the picture is consistent: the first-attempt pass rate for the ORE Part 1 sits somewhere between 35% and 50%. That means more than half of the candidates who sit this examination on any given occasion do not pass.
Understanding what this means — and more importantly, what you can do about it — is the first step towards being in the successful minority.
What Is the Official Pass Mark?
The GDC has not publicly confirmed an exact numerical pass mark for the ORE Part 1. What is known is that the exam uses a criterion-referenced standard-setting method — meaning the pass mark is set based on the expected performance of a minimally competent candidate, rather than being set as a fixed percentage or norm-referenced against the cohort's performance.
In practice, this means the pass mark may vary slightly from sitting to sitting depending on the difficulty of the particular paper. Based on candidate experience and the methodology applied to similar examinations in the UK, the effective pass mark is widely understood to be in the region of 68–72%, i.e., answering approximately 27–29 questions correctly out of 40 per paper.
Crucially, this is a per-paper pass requirement. You must pass each of the five papers individually. A strong performance on four papers does not compensate for a failure on the fifth — you would still be required to resit that paper at a future sitting.
Which Papers Have the Lowest Pass Rates?
Based on consistent candidate reporting, the papers most frequently failed are those covering content with the greatest breadth and the highest density of specific factual recall:
These rankings are based on aggregate candidate experience rather than published data, and individual performance will depend on your background. Candidates from training systems that emphasise pharmacology heavily may find that paper relatively accessible, while those from curricula focused on clinical operative dentistry may struggle with the theoretical content in human disease and anatomy.
Why Is the ORE Part 1 So Difficult?
The difficulty of the ORE Part 1 arises from several overlapping factors that are worth understanding clearly, because each one has a corresponding solution.
Breadth. The examination covers ten distinct knowledge areas. Unlike a specialty examination that tests one subject in depth, the ORE Part 1 requires competence across basic sciences, dental sciences, medicine, pharmacology, radiology, and behavioural sciences simultaneously. No undergraduate dental curriculum in the world covers all of these areas with the same depth that the ORE requires.
SBA format demands precision. Single best answer questions are deliberately designed to distinguish between vague familiarity and genuine knowledge. The distractors are plausible — often they are things that are true but are not the most appropriate answer in the specific context given. Candidates who revise by reading without active practice struggle to develop the precision the format demands.
Time pressure. At 90 seconds per question, there is no time to reason through unfamiliar concepts from first principles. The examination rewards rapid, confident recall — which is only developed through extensive practice under timed conditions.
The gap since qualifying. Many candidates sit the ORE years after completing their dental training. Basic science knowledge — the biochemistry of collagen, the mechanism of action of metronidazole, the composition of glass ionomer cement — fades quickly without active use. Candidates who graduated within the last two to three years have a significant advantage over those who qualified a decade ago, simply because the knowledge is fresher.
The ORE Part 1 tests a very specific slice of knowledge at a very specific level of detail. Strong clinical dentists who have been in practice for years can and do fail this examination — not because they are not good dentists, but because the exam tests basic science theory rather than clinical skill. Understanding this distinction is essential to targeting your revision correctly.
How Many Attempts Do Most Candidates Take?
Based on candidate experience, most candidates take between two and three sittings before passing all five papers. It is important to understand what this means in practice: because candidates can carry passes on individual papers, a second sitting does not necessarily mean resitting all five papers. A candidate who passes four papers on their first attempt need only resit the one failed paper on their next sitting.
However, there is a significant caveat to this. If a candidate fails all papers, or fails a critical combination, the cost and time implications are substantial. Each sitting costs approximately £776 in examination fees (subject to change — always verify the current fee on the GDC website). Three sittings to pass all papers therefore represents over £2,000 in fees alone, before accounting for preparation costs, travel, and the opportunity cost of time spent revising rather than earning.
This financial reality makes adequate preparation before the first attempt not merely an academic consideration but a significant financial one. Sitting underprepared is one of the most expensive mistakes a candidate can make.
How to Beat the Statistics
Start Earlier Than You Think You Need To
The most common piece of advice from candidates who passed on their first attempt is that they gave themselves more time than they originally thought they needed. If you think you need two months, plan for four. If you think four months is enough, plan for six. The candidates who fail are almost universally those who sat too early — not those who spent an extra month revising.
Use a Question Bank, Not Just Textbooks
Reading Rang and Dale's Pharmacology cover-to-cover is valuable for building conceptual understanding, but it does not prepare you for single best answer questions. You need to practise the format extensively. Target completing at least 1,000–1,500 SBA questions across all topics before sitting. Review every answer — especially the ones you got right but were uncertain about.
Track Your Performance by Topic
After every practice session, note which topics you got wrong. Within two to three weeks of structured revision, you will see patterns emerge — subjects where your accuracy is consistently below 60%, and others where you are reliably above 75%. Redirect your time towards the weak areas. Do not keep practising the subjects you are already good at because they feel reassuring.
Simulate the Real Exam Format
Sit full timed mock papers — 40 questions in 60 minutes — at least four weeks before your exam date. A candidate who has never experienced genuine time pressure before exam day will underperform relative to their actual knowledge level. Time pressure is a separate, trainable skill.
Target Your Weakest Papers Specifically
If you are carrying a failed paper from a previous sitting, your entire preparation for the next sitting should be weighted heavily towards that subject. Do not maintain a balanced revision schedule when you have a specific area to address. Go deep on the failed paper.
How OREPass Is Designed Around This Challenge
OREPass was built specifically to address the reasons why candidates fail the ORE Part 1. The question bank contains 7,000+ GDC-aligned SBA questions covering all ten knowledge areas, with full explanations for every answer — including why each distractor is wrong, not just why the correct answer is right.
The timed mock exam feature replicates the real paper format: 40 questions, 60-minute timer, no pause. Your performance is tracked by topic so you can see immediately where your accuracy is lowest and direct your revision accordingly. The predicted score widget shows your current trajectory relative to the pass mark, giving you an honest, data-driven answer to the question "am I ready yet?"
Practise With GDC-Aligned Questions
Track your performance by topic, identify your weak areas, and sit timed mocks that replicate the real ORE Part 1 papers.
Start 7-Day Free TrialThe Bottom Line
The ORE Part 1 pass rate is sobering, but it should be motivating rather than discouraging. The majority of candidates who fail do so for reasons that are entirely within their control: insufficient preparation time, insufficient practice questions, inadequate simulation of exam conditions. These are all solvable problems.
Give yourself enough time, practise enough questions, simulate the exam format faithfully, and track your progress honestly. That combination — consistently applied — is what puts you in the 45% who pass on their first attempt.