# California RDA Exam: The Combined Written and Law and Ethics Test, Explained

> The California RDA Exam in one page: 125 items in 3 hours, criterion-referenced pass/fail scoring (not a fixed 75%), the 2023 four-area outline with subarea weights, $120 + $46.59 fees, the eligibility pathways, the June 2026 pass-rate data, and the stale-prep traps.

URL: https://dentovio.com/rda

Markdown: https://dentovio.com/rda/index.html.md

Last verified: 2026-07-24

## The exam at a glance

- Official name: Registered Dental Assistant Combined Written and Law and Ethics Examination, run by the Dental Board of California (DBC) and administered by PSI.
- One combined exam since 2018 — the separate general written and law and ethics exams no longer exist — and the practical exam was eliminated (BPC §1752.1 requires a written exam only).
- Format: 125 multiple-choice items (100 scored + 25 unscored pretest) in 3 hours, computer-based at PSI test centers, English only.
- Passing standard: criterion-referenced pass/fail set with the modified Angoff method (16 CCR §1031) — not a fixed 75%. The old fixed percentage was repealed in 2022, and a "75" on a score report is a placeholder code, not a target.
- Fees: $120 DBC application fee plus a $46.59 PSI examination fee per sitting, retakes included — confirm the current PSI amount in your current candidate bulletin.
- Eligibility window: 2 years from when the DBC receives the application. Retakes go through PSI, typically schedulable in about 7–10 business days, with no cap on attempts inside the window.
- June 2026 results, per the Dental Board's [published monthly statistics](https://www.dbc.ca.gov/applicants/rda_written_exam_stats_2026.shtml): 263 candidates, 72% passed overall; board-approved-program candidates 79%; work-experience pathway 62%; repeat testers 38%.

## The official 2023 outline

- **Area 1: Assessment and Diagnostic Records — 15%**: Medical and dental histories, vital signs, charting existing conditions, radiographs and other diagnostic records
  - 1A Patient Information and Assessment — 8%
  - 1B Diagnostic Tests and Records — 7%
- **Area 2: Dental Procedures — 50%**: Chairside procedure knowledge — setups, isolation, matrices, provisionals, sealants, polishing, patient education, and specialty assisting
  - 2A Treatment Preparation — 15%
  - 2B Direct and Indirect Restorations — 10%
  - 2C Preventative and Aesthetic Procedures — 10%
  - 2D Patient Education — 10%
  - 2E Specialty Procedures — 5%
- **Area 3: Infection Control and Health and Safety — 25%**: Standard precautions, PPE, sharps handling, instrument processing and sterilization monitoring, waterlines — anchored in 16 CCR §1005 and Cal/OSHA's bloodborne pathogen standard (8 CCR §5193)
  - 3A Patient Safety and Prevention of Disease Transmission — 15%
  - 3B Equipment Disinfection and Cross-Contamination Prevention — 10%
- **Area 4: Laws and Regulations — 10%**: Dental Practice Act rules, licensure requirements, supervision levels and permitted duties, consent and confidentiality, mandated reporting, unprofessional conduct

## Eligibility pathways (BPC §1752.1, as re-enacted by SB 1453, operative July 1, 2025)

- **Board-approved program** — Graduate from a Dental Board–approved educational program in registered dental assisting.
- **Work experience** — At least 15 months AND a minimum of 1,280 hours of satisfactory work experience performing dental assistant duties, certified by your supervising dentist.
- **DANB CDA** — Current, valid Certified Dental Assistant certification from the Dental Assisting National Board. It qualifies you to take this exam — it does not exempt you from it.
- **Alternative program** — At least 500 hours of didactic and laboratory coursework plus at least 300 hours of clinical chairside experience under a licensed dentist.
- **Preceptorship** — At least 500 hours of clinical chairside work experience supervised by a preceptor dentist plus at least 300 hours of dental-assisting coursework.
- **RDH crossover** — A California Registered Dental Hygienist may apply for RDA licensure by passing this combined exam.

A large share of RDA candidates qualify by work experience or preceptorship rather than a school program, which means preparing with no instructor and no syllabus. That group passed at 62% in June 2026 against 79% for board-approved-program candidates.

## Required course certificates and their recency clocks

- **California Dental Practice Act (2-hour course)** — Within 2 years
- **Infection control (8-hour course)** — Within 2 years
- **Coronal polishing** — Within 5 years
- **Pit and fissure sealants** — Within 5 years
- **Radiation safety** — Within 10 years
- **Basic Life Support (BLS)** — Current, with a live in-person skills session

## Stale-prep traps (what changed)

- No practical exam exists; materials teaching typodont requirements are obsolete.
- The general written and law and ethics exams merged in 2018; there is one exam, not two.
- The current structure is 125 items (100 scored + 25 pretest); older sources cite 140 or 150.
- There is no fixed 75% passing score — scoring is criterion-referenced (modified Angoff, 16 CCR §1031) since the 2022 repeal.
- The Board's Table of Permitted Duties was restructured effective January 1, 2025, so any pre-2025 duty chart is unsafe to study from.

## Official study references

The Board points candidates to the California Dental Practice Act (BPC §1600 et seq.), the Board's regulations (16 CCR §1000 et seq.), the Minimum Standards for Infection Control (16 CCR §1005), and Cal/OSHA bloodborne pathogen standards (8 CCR §5193).

## Free resources

- [Free California RDA practice test](https://dentovio.com/rda/free-practice-test/index.html.md)
- [Dentovio's RDA prep product](https://dentovio.com/products/california-rda-exam/index.html.md)

## FAQ

### Is there still a separate California RDA law and ethics exam?

No. The separate RDA General Written Examination and RDA Law and Ethics Examination merged in 2018 into a single Registered Dental Assistant Combined Written and Law and Ethics Examination. Law-and-ethics material is now one weighted area — Area 4, 10% — of that combined test. If a prep resource tells you to book two written exams, it is describing a system that no longer exists.

### Is there a practical (hands-on) exam for California RDA licensure?

No. The RDA practical exam was suspended in 2017 and later eliminated. BPC §1752.1 requires written evidence of an eligibility pathway plus this written exam — nothing else. Any study material telling you to practice on a typodont is preparing you for an exam that does not exist.

### How many questions is the California RDA exam, and how long is it?

125 multiple-choice items — 100 scored and 25 unscored pretest items you cannot identify while testing — in 3 hours, computer-based at a PSI test center, in English only. Older materials citing 140 or 150 items describe a retired structure.

### Do I need 75% to pass the RDA exam?

No. The exam is criterion-referenced: the passing standard is set psychometrically with the modified Angoff method under 16 CCR §1031, and results are reported pass/fail only. The old fixed 75% cut score was repealed in 2022. A "75" appearing on a score report is a placeholder code for a pass, not a percentage you had to reach.

### How much does the exam cost?

A $120 application fee to the Dental Board of California, filed through BreEZe, plus a $46.59 PSI examination fee each time you schedule — retakes included. Vendor fees change, so confirm the current PSI amount in your current candidate bulletin before you pay.

### How do I qualify to sit for the exam?

Through one of the pathways in BPC §1752.1 as re-enacted by SB 1453 (operative July 1, 2025): a board-approved program; 15 months and at least 1,280 hours of certified work experience; current DANB CDA certification; an alternative program of at least 500 didactic and laboratory hours plus 300 clinical chairside hours; a preceptorship of at least 500 clinical chairside hours plus 300 didactic hours; or the California RDH crossover route. Every pathway still requires this exam.

### What is the pass rate on the California RDA exam?

The Dental Board's June 2026 statistics report covers 263 candidates and shows 72% passing overall. Board-approved-program candidates passed at 79%, work-experience-pathway candidates at 62%, and repeat testers at 38%. How you qualified correlates strongly with how you do.

### How soon can I retake the exam if I fail?

Contact PSI to reschedule — a retake can typically be scheduled within about 7 to 10 business days — and pay the PSI fee again. There is no cap on attempts inside your eligibility window, which runs 2 years from when the Dental Board receives your application. Miss that window and the application is abandoned: you reapply, pay the $120 again, and refresh any course certificate whose recency clock has run out.

## Primary sources

- **DBC-RDA-OUTLINE** — [Dental Board of California — RDA Combined Written and Law and Ethics Examination Outline (2023 OPES occupational analysis)](https://www.dbc.ca.gov/formspubs/rda_exam_outline.pdf)
- **DBC-RDA-APPLICANTS** — [Dental Board of California — RDA licensure applicant page (pathways, required certificates, application flow)](https://www.dbc.ca.gov/applicants/become_licensed_rda.shtml)
- **DBC-RDA-STATS** — [Dental Board of California — RDA examination statistics, monthly reports (2026 series)](https://www.dbc.ca.gov/applicants/rda_written_exam_stats_2026.shtml)
- **DBC-RDA-STATS-0626** — [Dental Board of California — RDA examination statistics, June 2026 report (263 candidates, 72% passed)](https://www.dbc.ca.gov/formspubs/rda_062026.pdf)
- **BPC-1752-1** — [Business and Professions Code §1752.1 — RDA eligibility pathways, required course certificates, and the written examination requirement, as re-enacted by SB 1453 (operative July 1, 2025)](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=1752.1.&lawCode=BPC)
- **DBC-DUTIES-2025** — [Dental Board of California — Table of Dental Auxiliary Duties Delegable by Supervising Dentist (effective January 1, 2025)](https://www.dbc.ca.gov/formspubs/pub_permitted_duties.pdf)
- **PSI-RDA-CIB** — [PSI — Candidate Information Bulletin and test-taker portal for the California RDA written examination (125 items, 3 hours, exam fee, scheduling and retakes)](https://test-takers.psiexams.com/)

## Disclosures

- Dentovio is an independent publisher. It is not the Dental Board of California, PSI, or an official government service, and this page is not legal advice.
- This page summarizes publicly available California dental assisting law and official examination information as of the last verified date shown. Laws, fees, and exam logistics change. Confirm current requirements with the Dental Board of California and your current PSI candidate bulletin before acting.
- This page was drafted with AI assistance, and every rule on it was verified against the primary sources listed here. The study content behind it was reviewed and signed off by Mahtab Mansour, DDS on July 24, 2026, with each approval bound to that file's exact content digest.