ADC Exam Dates 2027: Written & Practical Schedule for Overseas-Trained Dentists

If you are an overseas-trained dentist working toward registration in Australia, the ADC pathway runs on application windows and fixed sitting periods — not a single exam you can book any time. Knowing when each application window opens, and which earlier deadline gates it, is what keeps a 2027 plan on track.

This guide sets out every 2027 ADC written and practical examination date the Australian Dental Council has published, the application deadlines that feed each sitting, current fees, and the order you have to do things in.

The ADC pathway in one minute

For an overseas-trained dentist seeking general registration, the standard pathway is a three-stage ADC assessment, then registration with the Dental Board of Australia through Ahpra:

1. Initial Assessment — a check of your qualifications (not an exam). You need a four-year, full-time university dental degree or diploma from a recognised institution. Valid for 7 years.
2. Written Examination — a computer-delivered multiple-choice exam held over two days. You must hold a valid initial assessment first. Valid for 5 years.
3. Practical Examination — held over two days (a technical skills day and a clinical skills day). You must sit it within three years of passing the written exam. The result does not expire.

Each stage gates the next, and that sequence is the thing most timelines underestimate.

Written Examination: 2027 dates

The written examination is a computer-delivered, multiple-choice examination held over two days at Pearson VUE test centres. It runs as fixed sittings twice a year (around March and September). The ADC has published two 2027 sittings:

2027 sitting	Initial assessment deadline	Application period	Examination
Period 1	11 October 2026	9 – 15 December 2026	Wed 17 & Thu 18 March 2027
Period 2	11 April 2027	9 – 15 June 2027	Wed 8 & Thu 9 September 2027

Read the first column carefully — it is the real early deadline. You cannot apply in the six-day application window unless you already hold a successful, valid initial assessment. The "initial assessment deadline" is the date by which that assessment must be submitted so it can be processed in time. Since the initial assessment itself takes roughly eight weeks, treat that column — not the exam date — as your true starting gun. Miss it, and the next sitting is six months away.

A practical note from the ADC: exam venues are subject to change at short notice, so confirm your centre before making travel plans.

Practical Examination: 2027 windows

The practical examination is different. It is not a single national sitting day. The ADC opens three application periods a year, and after each application and date-selection window, individual candidates are assigned dates across a multi-month examination window. The ADC states plainly: "Specific dates will be set after the application period."

Here is what the ADC has published for 2027:

2027 period	Application period	Date selection period	Examination window
Period 1	14 – 23 October 2026	27 – 29 October 2026	January – May 2027
Period 2	10 – 19 February 2027	23 July – 25 February 2027 *	May – August 2027
Period 3	16 – 25 June 2027	29 June – 1 July 2027	August – December 2027

*** About that Period 2 date-selection window.** The ADC's page literally reads "23 July – 25 February 2027," which is internally inconsistent (the application period closes 19 February, and every other date-selection window is a short window immediately after the application closes). It appears to be a typo for "23 – 25 February 2027," but we're reproducing exactly what the ADC published rather than silently correcting it — confirm the correct window directly with the ADC before you rely on it.

So for the practical, plan around the application and date-selection windows, and expect your individual exam date to land somewhere in the published multi-month window, not on a date you can pick in advance.

When results come out

The ADC does not publish dated 2027 results-release days — only approximate turnarounds from the application period:

• Written examination: approximately 5 months from the application period to results release
• Practical examination: approximately 4 to 7 months from the application period to results release

Treat these as planning estimates, not calendar dates.

Fees (confirm the current amount before you pay)

The ADC's fee schedule is not year-stamped, so these are the current figures as published on 21 July 2026, not a confirmed 2027 schedule:

Item	Current fee (AUD)
Initial assessment	$647
Written examination application	$2,122
Practical examination application	$4,775
Application for review (written or practical)	$1,008
Independent appeal committee (written or practical)	$5,305

Good news on this front: in June 2026 the ADC announced a fee freeze for a further twelve months, and no 2027 increase has been announced. It is still worth confirming on the ADC fees page before you pay, but you are not budgeting against a flagged rise.

The rules that shape your timing

• Initial assessment is valid for 7 years.
• Written examination result is valid for 5 years for passes from March 2026 onwards (extended from three years, and not retrospective — a 2025-or-earlier pass keeps three). Note the ADC's own pages still say three years in a couple of places, so if you are planning a long gap between the written and practical exams, get your expiry confirmed in writing.
• Practical examination must be sat within three years of passing the written exam; the practical result itself does not expire.
• English language skills are a Dental Board of Australia / Ahpra registration requirement, not set by the ADC. Confirm the currently accepted tests and minimum scores on Ahpra's own page — and because a test result and its processing can be a long lead-time item, start it early.

Working backwards from a 2027 written sitting

When	Do this
~8+ weeks before the initial-assessment deadline	Submit your initial assessment (it takes about 8 weeks)
By the initial-assessment deadline (11 Oct 2026 for Period 1; 11 Apr 2027 for Period 2)	Ensure your initial assessment is in and valid
Within the application period (9–15 Dec 2026; 9–15 Jun 2027)	Apply for the written exam and book your Pearson VUE venue
Exam days (17–18 Mar; 8–9 Sep 2027)	Sit the two-day written exam
After you pass	Apply in a practical period within 3 years; sit the two-day practical
Alongside all of this	Sort your English evidence for Dental Board registration

What's changed — and what it means for you in 2027

No ADC change starts in 2027, but several that landed in 2026 are fully in force for next year's sittings — and one of them changes what you should be practising:

• Amalgam is gone from the practical examination. From period 2, 2026 the amalgam placement task was removed and replaced with a second resin composite restoration, so candidates now complete both an anterior and a posterior resin composite on the technical skills day. Two separate marking rubrics (anterior and posterior) now apply, and the simulation clinic uses new "Platinum range" simulation teeth. If your preparation material still has you placing amalgam, it is out of date.
• Therapeutic Guidelines – Oral and Dental version 4 is the examinable edition — for written examinations from March 2026 and the practical from period 2, 2026. Version 3 is out of date.
• Hand washing, not alcohol rub. From January 2026, general dentistry candidates are specifically instructed to demonstrate hand washing at one technical OSCE station, and the infection prevention and control marking rubric is published in the practical examination handbook.
• Written examination blueprints were updated to reflect the revised professional competencies, in effect for written examinations from 2026 (the ADC describes these as minor updates for general dentistry).
• Verifications were retired on 1 January 2026 — only review and appeal remain.
• Wand scanning at Pearson test centres applies from the September 2026 written sitting onward, so expect it at both 2027 sittings.

One structural point worth knowing if you are planning your study: the general dentistry written examination is passed cluster by cluster — you must achieve a pass in each of the four clusters, with no compensation between them.

Before you rely on any of this

Every date above is published by the Australian Dental Council on adc.org.au and was read on 21 July 2026. As at that date there was no consolidated "2027 ADC Examination Calendar" — the 2027 dates live only on the written and practical examination pages, and the practical's specific dates are set after each application period. Dates, fees and requirements are set by the ADC and Ahpra and can change. Confirm the current details on the ADC website before booking travel, leave or anything else you can't easily undo.

For the detail behind each stage, see our companion guides: the dental registration pathway, the ADC written exam guide, the ADC practical (clinical skills) guide, and the full ADC cost breakdown.

Where we fit in

The dates are the ADC's. The months in between are yours to use well. Our ADC Written Exam preparation is built around the two-day computer-based written exam — mapped to the ADC's assessment areas, with exam-style questions and Australian-context clinical content — so you walk in ready.

Explore ADC Written Exam preparation

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This article summarises publicly available ADC and Ahpra information as at 21 July 2026 and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Australian Dental Council or Ahpra. Examination dates, fees and requirements are set by those bodies and are subject to change. Always confirm current details on the official ADC and Ahpra websites before making decisions.