Courses
Both end in full registration with the General Dental Council. The written stage of each is finished and on sale, and each has its own page — because the fees, the format, the number of parts and the body that examines you are different, and a page that mixes them is a page that misleads half its readers.
Available now
The written paper of the General Dental Council route. Two parts in all; this is the written one.
Available now
The written paper of the Royal College of Surgeons of England route. Three parts in all; this is the written one.
Prices
One course per exam, one price, and everything in it — the question bank and the written revision guide together, not sold as separate halves. £199 either way, three years’ access either way, and three hours of the whole thing free before you decide. The full breakdown of what is inside is on that course's page.
£199three years’ access
£199three years’ access
Pay securely by card — your access opens straight away and a link to choose your password is emailed to you. Not sure which course to buy, or have a question? Message us on WhatsApp.
We sell preparation for both and have no reason to push you either way. Everything below was checked against the GDC and RCS England on 13 August 2026. Nearly everything written about these exams online predates the May 2026 fee change, so if a figure you have been quoted elsewhere disagrees with one here, check the date on it.
£7,567
in exam fees, passing everything first time
£4,554
in exam fees, passing everything first time
The gap is almost entirely one number: the ORE Part 2 clinical exam costs £6,967 on its own. It rose 65% in May 2026, and that single change is what made the LDS the cheaper route.
| Fee | ORE | LDS |
|---|---|---|
| Application to sit | £115 | None |
| Written stage | £485 | £1,025 |
| Clinical stage | £6,967 for Part 2 |
£1,793 for Part 2 |
| Second clinical stage | — | £1,736 for Part 3 |
| Exam fees, total | £7,567 | £4,554 |
| GDC registration application | £117.23 | £117.23 |
| Annual Retention Fee, first year | £698 pro-rated | £698 pro-rated |
| On the register, all in | about £8,380 | about £5,370 |
Neither figure includes travel, accommodation, a manikin course or resits. A failed ORE Part 2 is another £6,967; a failed LDS Part 2 is £1,793. That is the other half of the cost difference, and it only shows up if something goes wrong.
| ORE | LDS | |
|---|---|---|
| Run by | GDC, delivered by UCL Consultants | Royal College of Surgeons of England |
| Parts | Two | Three |
| Written stage | Papers A and B, three hours each, sat in person on consecutive days | Papers A and B, 150 single best answers and three hours each, sat at home under remote proctoring |
| Clinical stage | Part 2: operative technique on a manikin, OSCE, diagnosis and treatment planning, medical emergencies | Part 2: a 12-station OSCE plus six structured clinical reasoning cases, over two days |
| Third stage | None | Part 3: one day, a 180-minute operative assessment on a manikin |
| Attempts allowed | Four at each part | Four at Part 1, three at Part 2, three at Part 3 |
| Time limit | Part 2 within five years of passing Part 1 | Each part within five years of the one before it |
| Track record | Long established | Restructured for 2026 — Parts 2 and 3 are new in this form |
| Requirement | ORE | LDS |
|---|---|---|
| Dental qualification | Certified copy, plus a UK ENIC Statement of Comparability | Certified copy of your primary dental qualification |
| Clinical experience | 1,600 hours treating patients, evidenced by a clinical reference — needed to apply at all | 1,600 hours, but not needed until you apply for Part 2 |
| Character reference | Required. Within 12 months of graduating it must come from your dental school | Certificate of good standing |
| English language | The same GDC standard on both routes — see below | |
| Application processing | Up to 60 working days | Booked exam by exam |
The clinical-hours difference is worth reading twice. The ORE will not let you apply at all until you have 1,600 hours signed off. The LDS lets you sit the written paper first and produce the hours later — so if you are short of hours now, one route is open to you and the other is not.
The usual requirement is IELTS Academic 7.0 overall with no less than 6.5 in each of the four skills. But the GDC will normally accept, instead, a recent primary dental qualification that was taught and examined in English.
It is not enough on its own. All three have to be true:
If that describes you, apply while it still does. The two-year clock runs from your qualification, not from when you decide to start — and once it has run out, IELTS is the only way back. This is a GDC registration requirement, so it applies whichever route you take.
Take the LDS if cost is the deciding factor, if you are short of clinical hours right now, or if sitting the written paper at home rather than flying to London matters to you. It is about £3,000 cheaper and a failed clinical exam costs a quarter of what the ORE's does.
Take the ORE if you would rather two stages than three, or if you want the longer-established route: the LDS Parts 2 and 3 were restructured for 2026 and there is not yet much history to go on. It is the more expensive path by a wide margin.
Both end in exactly the same place — full registration with the General Dental Council. Neither is regarded as the better qualification once you are on the register.
We prepare you for the written stage of either — ORE Part 1 or LDS Part 1. The standard reading is condensed into short revision topics, the question banks are built to each paper's own format with every answer explained, and both open the moment you sign in. Three hours of the full course are free on either side, so you can see the whole thing before deciding anything.
The clinical stages are not something we sell preparation for yet.
Fees and requirements checked against the General Dental Council and RCS England on 13 August 2026. Fees change, and the awarding bodies are the only authority on them — confirm anything you are about to pay for before you pay it. Our longer write-ups are in the ORE route guide and the LDS route guide.
In preparation
We would rather sell you something genuinely complete than several things nearly ready. These are being written and will be announced here first.
In preparation
The clinical exam: manikin operative, OSCE, diagnosis and treatment planning, and medical emergencies. Built around the four components as they are actually run at the Eastman.
In preparation
The clinical halves of the Royal College route: the OSCE and structured clinical reasoning, and the operative assessment.
In preparation
The postgraduate membership exam, rebuilt for the single tri-collegiate format that replaced the separate college exams in October 2026.
Both courses unlock completely for three hours, with no card asked for.
