California RDH licensure · Dental Hygiene Board of California
The California RDH Law and Ethics Exam, in plain terms.
The California RDH Law and Ethics Exam — officially the Registered Dental Hygienist (RDH) Laws and Ethics Written Examination — is a 60-question, 90-minute test run by the Dental Hygiene Board of California (DHBC) at PSI test centers, with a real 75% passing score set by regulation (16 CCR §1121(c)). Every route into California hygiene licensure includes it.
Last verified: July 24, 2026 · Primary sources below
Reviewed by Mahtab Mansour, DDS on July 24, 2026.
The exam at a glance
- 60 items in 90 minutes — 50 scored plus 10 unscored pretest items, computer-based at PSI test centers. In person only; no remote proctoring.
- 75% minimum to pass — a real, fixed percentage set by regulation, 16 CCR §1121(c).
- Results on-site — the license itself waits for DOJ and FBI background clearance.
- English only — no translated form is offered.
Fees and windows
$200
DHBC application fee
$32.07
PSI fee per sitting, retakes included
1 year
Eligibility window to sit the exam
80–89%
Published pass rates, FY2018–22
Pass rates from the Legislature's 2023 sunset review of the DHBC — the only published source. Roughly one candidate in six or seven still fails a sitting.
Official 2025 outline
What the exam covers, block by block
The 2025 outline spans 29 tasks and 61 knowledge statements across three areas: Consent, Confidentiality, and Patient Privacy (35%); Standards for Professional Dental Hygiene Practice (35%); and Obligation to the Patient and Professional Role (30%). The three 20% blocks — 1A, 2A, and 3A — are 60% of the exam on their own.
| Block | Name | Weight | Covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1A | Informed Consent and Patient Rights | 20% | Consent for treatment, patient rights, capacity, minors |
| 1B | Patient Privacy and Protected Health Information | 9% | HIPAA, California confidentiality rules, PHI handling, telehealth privacy |
| 1C | Limits to Confidentiality and Mandated Reporting | 6% | Child, dependent-adult, and elder abuse reporting duties |
| 2A | Scope of Practice, Professional Conduct, and License Requirements | 20% | What an RDH may do under which supervision level, unprofessional conduct, licensing duties |
| 2B | Professional Practices | 15% | Record-keeping, billing and fees, advertising rules |
| 3A | Obligation to the Patient | 20% | Duty of care, patient-first obligations, referral duties |
| 3B | Obligations within the Professional Role | 10% | Conflicts of interest, practitioner impairment, colleague misconduct |
Application flow
From application to license number
1. Apply to the DHBC
Online via BreEZe (PDF/JPEG uploads, credit card only) or on paper by mail. Application fee: $200.
2. Get deemed eligible
The board reviews the application and notifies PSI once you are eligible. Your 1-year exam window starts here.
3. Register with PSI
PSI mails a scheduling notice; register and schedule at a PSI test center. Exam fee: $32.07 per sitting, non-refundable.
4. Sit the exam
60 items in 90 minutes, in person only — no remote proctoring. Results print on-site and transmit to the DHBC.
5. Background clearance, then license
The license issues only after DOJ and FBI clearance. No license about 30 days after passing? Contact the DHBC.
The clock that matters: your eligibility expires and the application is deemed abandoned if you do not take the exam within one year of being deemed eligible — then it is a new application and a new $200.
Stale-prep traps
Where 2022-era study materials now fail you
The outline changed in 2025
The current outline is dated 2025 with area weights 35% / 35% / 30%. Prep keyed to the previous outline's framing and weights describes an exam that no longer exists.
Clinical-exam waiver since 2024
CA-program graduates applying within 3 years of graduation need no clinical exam (AB 1257, BPC §1917(b)(2), eff. 1/1/2024). The Law and Ethics exam is never waived — including for licensure by credential (BPC §1917.1(a)(4)).
The renewal fee is $300, not $160
The biennial renewal fee rose from $160 to $300 on July 1, 2022, with a $150 delinquency fee. Older materials still quote $160.
There is no $125 application fee
A "$125 application fee" circulates in AI-generated answers. The DHBC's own checklists state $200 — and the only other required fee is PSI's $32.07 per sitting.
BLS is now statutory
AB 1257 made current basic life support (BLS) certification a statutory licensure requirement (BPC §1917(g)).
Dentist-exam rules do not apply here
The dentist exam belongs to a different board (the DBC), publishes no question count, and has no fixed 75% rule. Prescribing duties like CURES and opioid counseling are dentist-exam material — an RDH cannot prescribe (BPC §1908).
Free first, paid if it helps
Start with the free practice test. The full prep is $99 — $89 once you finish it.
The free test samples all seven outline blocks and shows you a weak-block map against the official 2025 outline. The paid prep adds statute-cited modules, a question bank with rationales, a full-length practice exam, and review sheets — with 180 days of access. The content is source-cited and was signed off by Mahtab Mansour, DDS on July 24, 2026. There is no pass guarantee.
Exam FAQ
California RDH Law and Ethics Exam questions, answered
How many questions is the California RDH Law and Ethics Exam, and how long is it?
60 multiple-choice questions in 90 minutes — 50 scored and 10 unscored pretest items — computer-based at a PSI test center. The Candidate Information Bulletin's own text hedges the pretest count as "five to ten" in one place, so answer every question as if it counts.
What score do I need to pass the RDH Law and Ethics Exam?
75% minimum, set by regulation at 16 CCR §1121(c). Unlike the dentist exam — which uses a criterion-referenced passing score, not a fixed percentage — the hygiene exam really does have a fixed 75% rule.
How much does the exam cost in 2026?
A $200 application fee to the Dental Hygiene Board of California plus $32.07 to PSI for each sitting, first attempt and retakes alike. The "$125 application fee" that circulates in AI answers does not appear in any DHBC document.
What does the exam cover?
The official 2025 outline has three areas: Consent, Confidentiality, and Patient Privacy (35%); Standards for Professional Dental Hygiene Practice (35%); and Obligation to the Patient and Professional Role (30%). The three 20% blocks — informed consent, scope of practice, and obligation to the patient — are 60% of the exam on their own.
Do out-of-state RDHs applying by credential have to take this exam?
Yes. Licensure by credential waives the clinical exam, but BPC §1917.1(a)(4) still requires passing the California Law and Ethics examination. Every route into California hygiene licensure includes this exam.
What is the pass rate?
Published RDH pass rates ran 80–89% across FY2018–22 — 82%, 80%, 89%, and 85% by year — per the Legislature's 2023 sunset review of the DHBC, the only published source. Roughly one candidate in six or seven still fails a sitting.
Is there a waiting period before retaking the exam?
No waiting period appears anywhere in the regulations — 16 CCR Division 11, Article 6 imposes none for the written exam. The DHBC does not publish the retake application's processing mechanics, so confirm the steps with the board; the only fee the bulletin guarantees you pay again is PSI's $32.07.
Primary sources
Last verified July 24, 2026. The material rules on this page trace to these primary sources:
- PSI Candidate Information Bulletin — RDH Laws and Ethics Written Examination (January 2026)
- DHBC 2025 Laws and Regulations book (Dental Hygiene Practice Act + 16 CCR Division 11, including §1121)
- DHBC “How To Qualify for a RDH License” informational and application checklists ($200 fee, process flowchart)
- Business and Professions Code §1917 — RDH licensure requirements (leginfo)
- Joint Sunset Review Background Paper — Dental Hygiene Board of California (2023; pass rates, fees, English-only)
Dentovio is an independent publisher. It is not the Dental Hygiene Board of California, PSI, or an official government service, and this page is not legal advice.
This page summarizes publicly available California dental hygiene law as of the last verified date shown. Laws change. Confirm current requirements with the Dental Hygiene Board of California 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.