ORE Part 1 exam format: Paper A and Paper B explained

ORE Part 1 is the written stage of the Overseas Registration Exam. It is two computer-based papers, sat in person at a test centre on consecutive days, with a written fee of £485. Both papers use single best answer questions: a clinical stem, then a list of options from which you pick the one best answer.

Paper A — applied dental science and human disease

Paper A tests the science that underpins clinical practice: anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, oral biology, pathology, microbiology, pharmacology, and human disease. The questions are applied rather than abstract — you are asked what the science means for a patient in front of you, not to recite it in isolation.

Paper B — clinical dentistry, law, ethics and health & safety

Paper B covers clinical dentistry across every discipline — restorative, endodontics, periodontics, oral surgery, oral medicine, paediatric dentistry, orthodontics, prosthodontics and radiology — plus a substantial block of law, ethics and health and safety. That last block is the part candidates most often under-prepare: radiation protection under IRR17 and IR(ME)R, decontamination under HTM 01-05, consent, confidentiality and the GDC's standards.

How it is marked

Each paper is marked against a pass standard, and you must pass both. There is no negative marking, so an educated guess never costs you — leave nothing blank. You have four attempts at Part 1.

How ORE Part 1 differs from LDS Part 1

The LDS Part 1 tests much the same core knowledge, but is sat at home under remote proctoring rather than in a test centre. If you are still weighing the two routes, our ORE vs LDS comparison lays out the cost and track-record differences.

Preparing for the split

Because Paper A and Paper B pull on different material, the most efficient preparation is a question bank that maps every question to a subject and topic, so you can see which of the two papers is costing you marks and revise the weaker one. The Arch's ORE Part 1 course is built exactly this way: 6,357 explained questions across both papers, timed Paper A and Paper B mocks in the real format, and a weakness report that measures where you actually stand. You can sit a free 100-question mock first, drawn from both papers.

FAQ

How many questions are in ORE Part 1? The GDC does not publish a fixed count, and it can change — prepare by covering the whole syllabus rather than to a number.

Is there negative marking? No. Answer every question, even when you are unsure.

Which paper is harder? It varies by candidate. Law, ethics and health and safety in Paper B is the most commonly under-prepared area.