How much time do you get per INBDE question?

It depends on the section, because every section runs 105 minutes with a different question count. Dividing each section's clock by its questions: Day 1's three standalone sections (100 questions each) average 63 seconds per question; Day 1's case section (60 questions) averages 105 seconds; and Day 2's two case sections (70 questions each) average 90 seconds. The section structure is published in the 2026 INBDE Candidate Guide (p. 25); the averages are that structure divided out.

Are there breaks during the INBDE?

Yes — on a fixed schedule. Day 1 has a 15-minute break after Section 1, a 30-minute break after Section 2, and a 15-minute break after Section 3 (60 scheduled break minutes in all). Day 2 has a 15-minute break after Section 5 — 15 minutes, the day's entire scheduled recovery budget. The cadence comes from the administration schedule in the 2026 INBDE Candidate Guide.

How long is the INBDE?

500 questions over two days, with 10 hours 30 minutes of testing time inside a total administration of 12 hours 30 minutes. Day 1 carries 360 questions across 7 hours of testing plus 60 break minutes; Day 2 carries 140 questions across 3 hours 30 minutes plus 15 break minutes. The remaining 45 administration minutes are scheduled non-testing time.

Does this calculator predict whether I will finish in time?

No. It is arithmetic on the published session timing: your target pace times each section's question count, checked against each section's clock. It is a budget, not a prediction — real questions vary around any average, case questions share chart-reading time, and no pace target guarantees a finish or an outcome. Use it to pick rehearsal paces, then test them under a timer.

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Dentovio

Free INBDE tool

INBDE pacing calculator

Set a target pace per standalone and case question plus a review buffer, and this tool budgets all six sections of both exam days against the official clocks — flagging any section where the pace doesn't fit. It is arithmetic on the published session timing: a budget, not a prediction.

Your target paces

Show me the official pace insteadBudgets every section at its own derived official average — which also shows that at the official pace, every second is already spent.

Target seconds per standalone question63s

Day 1, Sections 1–3 — 100 questions per section. The official average is the derived pace shown in the table.

Target seconds per case question90s

Applied to every case section. The same case pace can fit Day 1's case section and fail Day 2's — that is what the table checks.

Review buffer per section0 min

Minutes you want left on each section clock for flagged questions before time expires.

Every section clock, question count, and official average in the results is derived from the published 2026 session structure — the math is disclosed below the tool. This is a budget, not a prediction.

Your time budget against the official clocks

This budget fits every section, review buffer included.

Total budgeted: 615 of 630 testing minutes across 500 questions.

Day 1 · 360 questions

405 of 420 testing min budgeted

Official average 70s per question · 60 min scheduled breaks · 15 min margin

Day 2 · 140 questions

210 of 210 testing min budgeted

Official average 90s per question · 15 min scheduled breaks · 0 min margin

Day 2's case clock runs 90s per question — 15s tighter than Day 1's case section at 105s. A case pace that fit Section 4 can still fail Sections 5 and 6.

Section by section

Section	Questions	Clock	Official avg	Your pace	Your budget	Result
S1 Day 1, standalone	100	105 min	63s	63s	105 min	Fits — 0 min to review
S2 Day 1, standalone	100	105 min	63s	63s	105 min	Fits — 0 min to review
S3 Day 1, standalone	100	105 min	63s	63s	105 min	Fits — 0 min to review
S4 Day 1, case	60	105 min	105s	90s	90 min	Fits — 15 min to review
S5 Day 2, case	70	105 min	90s	90s	105 min	Fits — 0 min to review
S6 Day 2, case	70	105 min	90s	90s	105 min	Fits — 0 min to review

"Official avg" is each section's clock divided by its question count. The averages include chart-reading time on case sections, so budget at the case level on test day — this table budgets whole sections, not single questions.

The official break cadence

Section 1 (Day 1) — 100 standalone questions, 105 min
↳ Scheduled break — 15 min
Section 2 (Day 1) — 100 standalone questions, 105 min
↳ Scheduled break — 30 min
Section 3 (Day 1) — 100 standalone questions, 105 min
↳ Scheduled break — 15 min
Section 4 (Day 1) — 60 case questions, 105 min
↳ End of Day 1 testing
Section 5 (Day 2) — 70 case questions, 105 min
↳ Scheduled break — 15 min
Section 6 (Day 2) — 70 case questions, 105 min
↳ End of Day 2 testing

Breaks are scheduled by the exam, not chosen by you — the plan above is the published cadence. Day 2's single break is the day's whole scheduled recovery budget.

A pace is a plan — test whether you can hold it

The budget above tells you what pace the clocks require; it cannot tell you whether your accuracy survives at that pace. Baseline that with the free INBDE practice test — original standalone and Patient Box case items, no signup — and read the Day 2 case-day guide for why the case clock is the one to rehearse.

How we calculate this

The INBDE's session structure is published in the 2026 INBDE Candidate Guide (Updated 2025-12-15; administration schedule, p. 25). This is the structure, and every number in the tool derives from it:

Section	Day	Kind	Questions	Clock	Official avg (derived)
Section 1	1	standalone	100	105 min	63s / question
Section 2	1	standalone	100	105 min	63s / question
Section 3	1	standalone	100	105 min	63s / question
Section 4	1	case	60	105 min	105s / question
Section 5	2	case	70	105 min	90s / question
Section 6	2	case	70	105 min	90s / question

1. Official averages.Each section's derived average is its clock divided by its question count: 105 minutes × 60 ÷ 100 questions = 63 seconds for a standalone section, and the same division gives 105seconds for Day 1's case section and 90 seconds for each Day 2 section.
2. Your budget.Your target pace × the section's question count ÷ 60 = the minutes your pace consumes. Available clock − budget = your review margin; when budget + requested buffer exceeds the clock, the section is flagged.
3. Day rollups. Day totals sum their sections: Day 1 is 360 questions in 7 hours of testing (official average 70s per question); Day 2 is 140 questions in 3 hours 30 minutes (official average 90s). The break cadence is rendered directly from the published schedule.
4. What it does not compute. No score, no probability, no outcome. The averages include chart-reading time on case sections, so real questions vary around them — the tool budgets sections, and on test day you should check the clock at case boundaries, not per question.

One bookkeeping note: testing time (10 hours 30 minutes) plus scheduled breaks (75 minutes) accounts for all but 45 minutes of the published 12 hours 30 minutes total administration — the remainder is scheduled non-testing time.

Why Day 2 pacing is different

Day 2 is the exam's only all-case session, and it runs the exam's tightest case clock: 90 seconds per question on average, against 105seconds in Day 1's case section — 15 seconds tighter per question, with chart-reading time inside the average. A case pace that felt comfortable in Section 4 can still overrun Sections 5 and 6, which is exactly the check this calculator runs. For the full case-day picture — the Patient Box rules, the endurance problem, and how to train for the format — read the INBDE Day 2 guide.

Frequently asked questions

How much time do you get per INBDE question?: It depends on the section, because every section runs 105 minutes with a different question count. Dividing each section's clock by its questions: Day 1's three standalone sections (100 questions each) average 63 seconds per question; Day 1's case section (60 questions) averages 105 seconds; and Day 2's two case sections (70 questions each) average 90 seconds. The section structure is published in the 2026 INBDE Candidate Guide (p. 25); the averages are that structure divided out.
Are there breaks during the INBDE?: Yes — on a fixed schedule. Day 1 has a 15-minute break after Section 1, a 30-minute break after Section 2, and a 15-minute break after Section 3 (60 scheduled break minutes in all). Day 2 has a 15-minute break after Section 5 — 15 minutes, the day's entire scheduled recovery budget. The cadence comes from the administration schedule in the 2026 INBDE Candidate Guide.
How long is the INBDE?: 500 questions over two days, with 10 hours 30 minutes of testing time inside a total administration of 12 hours 30 minutes. Day 1 carries 360 questions across 7 hours of testing plus 60 break minutes; Day 2 carries 140 questions across 3 hours 30 minutes plus 15 break minutes. The remaining 45 administration minutes are scheduled non-testing time.
Does this calculator predict whether I will finish in time?: No. It is arithmetic on the published session timing: your target pace times each section's question count, checked against each section's clock. It is a budget, not a prediction — real questions vary around any average, case questions share chart-reading time, and no pace target guarantees a finish or an outcome. Use it to pick rehearsal paces, then test them under a timer.

Sources used

CG-2026

2026 INBDE Candidate Guide (JCNDE, Updated 2025-12-15)

Section structure, per-section timing, and the break schedule (administration schedule, p. 25; specifications, pp. 11–12). Every clock and question count in this tool derives from that structure.

INBDE preparation

Keep working toward the INBDE

Dentovio's free INBDE resources cover the whole run-up: understand the exam, plan a realistic runway, and practice with original items.

Free INBDE practice test

A short teaching sample with an early explanation and a Patient Box case, or a longer mock. Results need no signup or email.

INBDE results & scoring

When results arrive, what pass and fail reports each show, the 49–99 scale behind the scaled 75, and the results audit.

How to pass the INBDE

Format, eligibility, 2026 fees, scheduling, scoring, and retake rules — cited to JCNDE documents.

INBDE pass rates by cohort

Official JCNDE outcomes for 2021–2025, split by accreditation cohort and first or repeat attempt.

Study schedule generator

Generate a week-by-week plan from your runway, hours, and weak areas — built on the 3-month and 6-month templates.

Cost calculator

Itemize exam fees, credential evaluation, applications, and travel from your own numbers.

Cheat-sheet index

Every sheet in the set, the exam areas each one answers to, and the weight those areas carry.