DANB · CDA
Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) Exam practice exams
DANB's Certified Dental Assistant exam — practice all three components (GC, ICE and RHS), with every answer explained.
Or read 15 sample questions with answers.
About the CDA exam
The Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) exam is made up of three component exams: General Chairside Assisting (GC), Infection Control (ICE) and Radiation Health and Safety (RHS).
Our practice bank covers every domain in DANB's current outlines, weighted by each component's share of the 245 questions.
The real exam
Public information published by DANB. A ExamWize practice exam matches this format — it is not a copy of the exam's contents.
- Format
- 245 multiple-choice questions in 195 minutes when all three components are taken together: GC (95 questions, 75 minutes), ICE (75 questions, 60 minutes) and RHS (75 questions, 60 minutes).
- Cost
- DANB lists exam fees on its website — check DANB for current pricing.
- Scoring
- DANB uses computer adaptive testing and scaled scores from 100 to 900; 400 or higher is passing. DANB does not publish a percent-correct equivalent, so practice scores here are an estimate, not a prediction of your scaled score.
- Validity
- CDA certification must be renewed with continuing education — check DANB for current renewal requirements.
Practice by exam topic
ExamWize practice exams draw questions in these same proportions, from a bank of 593 CDA questions. Open a topic for what it covers and free questions with answers.
- GC: Evaluation· 43 questions7%
- GC: Patient Management and Administration· 43 questions7%
- GC: Chairside Dentistry· 114 questions19%
- GC: Dental Materials· 36 questions6%
- ICE: Prevention of Disease Transmission· 33 questions6%
- ICE: Prevention of Cross-contamination· 57 questions10%
- ICE: Process Instruments and Devices· 51 questions8%
- ICE: Occupational Safety and Administration Protocols· 36 questions6%
- RHS: Purpose and Technique· 86 questions15%
- RHS: Radiation Characteristics and Protection· 48 questions8%
- RHS: Infection Prevention and Control· 46 questions8%
Who it's for
- Dental assisting students preparing for national certification
- Working dental assistants earning the CDA credential
- Assistants who have passed one component and are preparing for the rest
How to prepare
- Spend half your GC study time on chairside dentistry: four-handed technique, procedures and instrument transfer.
- For ICE, master sterilization monitoring, instrument processing workflow and the OSHA standards.
- For RHS, know the paralleling and bisecting techniques and how to correct common image errors.
- Learn radiation safety basics: ALARA, the position-and-distance rule and dose units.
See the free CDA cheat sheet for a one-page domain summary, and the content policy for how these questions are written.
Free CDA practice resources
- 15 free CDA practice questionsSpread across the exam's topics, each with the answer and an explanation for every option.
- Free 10-question diagnosticA quick, scored check of where you stand, with no account needed.
- CDA cheat sheetThe topics and the facts that come up most, on one page.
- CDA study guideHow to plan your preparation.
CDA exam FAQ
- What is the format of the CDA exam?
- 245 multiple-choice questions in 195 minutes when all three components are taken together: GC (95 questions, 75 minutes), ICE (75 questions, 60 minutes) and RHS (75 questions, 60 minutes).
- How much does the CDA exam cost?
- DANB lists exam fees on its website — check DANB for current pricing.
- How is the CDA exam scored?
- DANB uses computer adaptive testing and scaled scores from 100 to 900; 400 or higher is passing. DANB does not publish a percent-correct equivalent, so practice scores here are an estimate, not a prediction of your scaled score.
- How long is the credential valid?
- CDA certification must be renewed with continuing education — check DANB for current renewal requirements.
- How many CDA practice questions does ExamWize have?
- 593 original practice questions, drawn into full practice exams in the same format and domain proportions as the real CDA. Every option has its own explanation.
- Are these real CDA exam questions?
- No. Every question is original, written from DANB's public content outline — never copied from the real exam or from exam dumps. They match the real exam's format, not its contents.
- Can I try ExamWize for free?
- Yes. The free diagnostic has 10 CDA practice questions with a full explanation for every answer, and no account is needed.