ADC Skilled OSCE: Complete Preparation Guide

The Skilled OSCE forms part of the Australian Dental Council’s Clinical Skills Day within the practical examination for internationally qualified dentists. The Clinical Skills Day uses a station-based Objective Structured Clinical Examination format to assess a broad range of professional and clinical competencies.

For candidates, the challenge is not simply knowing clinical facts. You need to interpret a scenario, understand what the station is asking, apply the correct clinical process, and demonstrate safe, professional decision-making within a limited amount of time.

What is the ADC Skilled OSCE?

The ADC does not use “Skilled OSCE” as the formal name for the entire Clinical Skills Day, but candidates and preparation providers commonly use the term to distinguish practical or procedural OSCE stations from communication-focused stations.

The Clinical Skills Day currently consists of a 10-station OSCE. The ADC states that these stations assess three broad competency areas:

• clinical information gathering
• diagnosis and management planning
• clinical treatment and evaluation

Global skills such as communication, critical thinking, professionalism, ethics, scientific knowledge and infection control may also be assessed across multiple stations.

What kinds of stations can appear?

The ADC explains that Clinical Skills Day stations may involve:

• simulated patients
• video-based scenarios
• procedures on manikins
• technical or procedural demonstrations
• other clinical resources relevant to the station

Example tasks published by the ADC include:

• taking a patient history
• explaining a diagnosis and management plan
• establishing a risk profile
• communicating a health-promotion strategy
• managing a simulated medical emergency
• taking intra-oral radiographs for a given clinical situation

That variety is why Skilled OSCE preparation needs to focus on process and clinical reasoning, not memorising isolated answers.

How is the Clinical Skills Day run?

The Clinical Skills Day is a half-day examination.

Candidates rotate through different stations, each with a defined task and time limit. The ADC currently allows 3 minutes of reading time and 10 minutes of examination time per station, with 1 minute for changeover between stations.

At each station, candidates receive instructions and information specific to that task.

Some stations are directly observed by an assessor, while others may be completed without an assessor physically present and marked later.

This means candidates need to be comfortable:

• reading instructions carefully
• identifying the purpose of the station quickly
• structuring their response
• working methodically under time pressure

What makes Skilled OSCE preparation difficult?

The Skilled OSCE can feel unpredictable because the stations are designed around real clinical situations rather than a single fixed list of procedures.

The ADC practical examination is intended to assess whether candidates can demonstrate safe clinical competence in simulated scenarios similar to everyday dental practice.

That means strong preparation should build transferable skills such as:

• understanding clinical processes
• interpreting information
• identifying risks
• selecting appropriate next steps
• following safe infection-control procedures
• communicating professionally

How should you prepare for Skilled OSCE stations?

A useful preparation framework is:

1. Understand the purpose of the station

Before practising a scenario, ask:

• What competency is this station assessing?
• What information do I need?
• What action or explanation is expected?
• What safety issues do I need to consider?

This helps prevent candidates from rushing into a memorised response that does not answer the actual station.

2. Learn the clinical process

For procedural stations, understand:

• the correct sequence
• why each step matters
• the instruments or materials involved
• infection-control requirements
• possible complications or errors

The aim is to understand the process well enough that you can adapt it when the scenario changes.

3. Practise interpreting instructions

OSCE stations are time-limited.

Practising how to read and prioritise information quickly can be just as important as knowing the clinical content.

A useful habit is to identify:

• the patient or clinical problem
• the task you have been asked to perform
• the key risks
• the expected outcome

before beginning.

4. Build repeatable frameworks

Structured frameworks can help you approach unfamiliar stations more calmly.

For example, a practical station may require you to think through:

Assess → Prepare → Perform → Review → Communicate

The exact framework will vary by task, but having a consistent way to organise your thinking can reduce cognitive load under pressure.

How important is infection control in Skilled OSCE?

Very important.

The ADC assesses infection prevention and control across practical examination tasks and has made its infection-control marking rubric publicly available to candidates.

From January 2026, candidates are specifically instructed to demonstrate hand washing at one technical OSCE station during the Clinical Skills Day. For other technical OSCE stations, candidates may be able to use either hand washing or alcohol-based hand rub depending on the task.

The ADC also notes that individual stations may include additional infection-control criteria beyond the common rubric.

So infection control should be integrated into your practice from the beginning rather than added at the end.

Is communication still assessed in Skilled OSCE stations?

Yes.

Even when a station is primarily procedural, communication and professionalism may still be relevant.

The ADC identifies communication, critical thinking, professionalism and ethics as global competencies that can be assessed across multiple Clinical Skills Day tasks.

This means candidates should practise explaining what they are doing, responding appropriately to a scenario and maintaining professional behaviour throughout.

Can you prepare for Skilled OSCE online?

Yes, particularly for the knowledge and structure behind the stations.

Online preparation can help you:

• understand clinical processes
• watch demonstrations
• learn station frameworks
• review infection-control requirements
• identify common mistakes
• revisit difficult concepts repeatedly

However, procedural confidence still benefits from hands-on practice.

Aurora Academy’s Skilled OSCE course is designed to help candidates understand the process before practical training, so hands-on sessions can focus more on execution and refinement.

Preparing for Skilled OSCE?

Aurora Academy offers self-paced Skilled OSCE preparation with structured teaching, practical demonstrations and focused infection-control guidance.

Explore the ADC Skilled OSCE Course →

Common Skilled OSCE preparation mistakes

Memorising scripts instead of understanding the scenario

A memorised answer may fail if the station changes slightly.

Strong candidates understand the clinical reasoning behind their response.

Ignoring the instructions

Candidates sometimes begin performing the task they expected rather than the one they were actually given.

Read the station instructions carefully.

Treating infection control as a separate subject

Infection control is part of clinical performance and should be incorporated into every relevant station.

Practising only familiar scenarios

Preparing only for specific station examples can create false confidence.

Instead, practise how to approach unfamiliar scenarios using consistent clinical reasoning.

Neglecting time management

The station format is time-limited. Candidates need to practise completing tasks logically and efficiently rather than simply knowing the content.

Practical examination feedback has expanded in 2026

The ADC has progressively expanded the feedback provided to candidates.

From Period 3, 2026, candidates sitting the practical examination receive additional feedback about their performance in OSCE stations.

This follows earlier changes that introduced critical-error reporting and more detailed feedback for technical-skills tasks.

For candidates, this reinforces the importance of understanding the specific competencies and criteria being assessed rather than relying only on general impressions after an exam attempt.

Frequently asked questions

How many OSCE stations are there on the ADC Clinical Skills Day?

The ADC currently uses a 10-station OSCE format for the Clinical Skills Day.

How long is each station?

The current format allows 3 minutes of reading time and 10 minutes of examination time, followed by a 1-minute changeover.

Are all OSCE stations communication stations?

No. Stations may involve simulated patients, video scenarios, procedures on manikins, technical tasks and other clinical activities.

Is infection control assessed during Skilled OSCE?

Yes. Infection prevention and control is assessed across relevant practical examination tasks, and the ADC publishes a dedicated marking rubric.

Can online preparation replace hands-on practice?

No. Online preparation is useful for understanding station structure, clinical processes and demonstrations, but practical skills still require hands-on practice.

Can Aurora be used before an onsite ADC course?

Yes. Aurora is designed as self-paced preparation that can be used before, alongside or after hands-on training.