Twenty-two out of 22 members of the IDP Class of 2015 passed the Western Regional Exam Board (WREB) on their first attempt. Two other students from the 24-member class passed the North East Regional Board (NERB) on their first attempt.
The School of Dentistry’s IDP classes almost always have a 100 percent pass rate, but sometimes there are students who need to retake the exam to achieve that goal. The most recent past IDP class to achieve a 100 percent pass on their first sitting was the class of 2010.
To put their achievement in perspective, in 2012 the overall pass rate for WREBs taken was 81 percent. (This measure indicates that first time WREB takers are successful less than 81 percent of the time in 2012.) But measured by individual candidates (a rate that includes repeat exam taking), the 2012 WREB pass rate jumps to 95 percent.
The diverse class of 2015 includes students from 16 different countries and is comprised of 17 women (71 percent) and eight men. Under the leadership of their student representative, Ammar Rasheed (ordinarily there are two per class), this cultural cooperative of dental professionals prospered. Two members of the class will be taking advanced specialty education at LLUSD, one in pediatric dentistry and one in prosthodontics.
The first LLUSD IDP class comprised of three students graduated in 1987.
Founded in 1977, the WREB is one of five clinical testing agencies that develop and administer competency assessments for state agencies that license dental professionals. California has been a member of the WREB since 2006.
WREB member states now include Alaska, Arizona, California, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, and West Virginia (affiliate member).