Applicant Selection Procedures in Endodontic Specialty Programs in the United States

Objective: To determine commonly-used criteria for evaluating applicants to postgraduate endodontics programs in the United States and to evaluate the impact of the recent change to pass/fail reporting of National Board exam scores. Materials/Methods: A 38-question web-based survey was sent to the 54 endodontics program directors in the US. Results: 26 responses were returned (48.1% response rate). All programs require an interview as part of the resident selection process, the only process employed by every program. Interview ratings were the most important selection factor, followed by class rank and GPR/AEGD experience. A majority indicated that initial screening and final selection of applicants is more difficult with a pass/fail board exam. A majority support a uniform acceptance date, but not a Match system. Conclusions: Each endodontics program follows different procedures in assessing applicants. A pass/fail board exam is likely to make initial screening and final selection of applicants more difficult.