How to Prepare for ADC Part 2 at Home

Preparing for the Australian Dental Council practical examination does not have to begin in a simulation clinic.

A large part of effective ADC Part 2 preparation can be done at home first: understanding the exam structure, reviewing current ADC guidance, learning technical processes, building communication frameworks, studying infection-control expectations and identifying the areas that need the most hands-on practice.

The practical examination itself is held over two days — a Technical Skills Day and a Clinical Skills Day — and is designed to assess whether candidates can demonstrate competence in simulated clinical settings.

The key is knowing what can be learned at home and what still requires practical training.

Can you prepare for ADC Part 2 at home?

Yes — but home preparation should be used strategically.

You can use online and self-directed study to build your understanding of:

• the current practical-exam structure
• technical-task sequences and principles
• ADC marking rubrics
• Skilled OSCE clinical processes
• Communication OSCE frameworks
• infection prevention and control
• common preparation mistakes
• your own knowledge gaps

What home study cannot replace is the physical development and refinement of practical skills.

So the goal is not:

Learn everything online instead of doing hands-on training.

A stronger approach is:

Learn and understand as much as possible before using hands-on training to refine execution.

That makes your practical preparation more deliberate.

Step 1: Start with the current ADC exam structure

Before planning your study, understand what the practical examination currently involves.

The ADC practical examination has two components:

• Technical Skills Day
• Clinical Skills Day

The Technical Skills Day focuses on procedural restorative skills performed on typodont models in manikins. The Clinical Skills Day uses a station-based OSCE format to assess a broader range of clinical skills.

This distinction matters because your preparation should not be one large undifferentiated study plan.

Break it into specific skill areas.

Step 2: Build four preparation streams

A useful home-study structure is:

Technical Tasks

Focus on:

• understanding task requirements
• sequencing procedures
• reviewing demonstrations
• understanding marking criteria
• recognising common errors
• identifying what needs hands-on repetition

Skilled OSCE

Focus on:

• clinical processes
• interpreting station instructions
• diagnosis and management reasoning
• procedural sequencing
• infection-control decisions
• applying knowledge to unfamiliar scenarios

Communication OSCE

Focus on:

• history taking
• explaining diagnoses
• discussing management options
• responding to patient concerns
• structuring explanations
• communicating clearly under time pressure

Infection Control

Focus on:

• hand hygiene
• PPE
• contamination control
• clinical presentation
• safe sequencing
• applying infection-control principles during technical and OSCE tasks

Separating your preparation this way makes it easier to identify where you are strong and where you need more practice.

Step 3: Use official ADC material as your anchor

Your first source should always be the Australian Dental Council.

The ADC currently provides:

• the practical examination handbook
• the practical examination information package
• the standard OSCE communication marking rubric
• anterior resin composite rubric
• posterior resin composite rubric
• sample feedback reports
• practical examination preparation resources

Use preparation courses to help interpret, organise and practise this material — not to replace it.

The ADC also states that it does not endorse proprietary preparation courses.

Step 4: Learn the process before practising the process

This is where home preparation can save a lot of wasted effort.

Before physically practising a technical procedure, make sure you understand:

• what you are trying to achieve
• why each step matters
• which instruments or materials are involved
• what the marking criteria are
• which errors are commonly made

Watching a complete demonstration before practising can help you form a clearer mental model of the task.

Instead of spending expensive hands-on time asking:

“What am I supposed to do?”

you can spend that time asking:

“How do I perform this more accurately?”

That is a much better use of practical training.

Step 5: Practise communication aloud

Communication OSCE preparation should not stay inside your head.

Reading a model response is not the same as delivering one.

At home, practise:

• speaking answers aloud
• timing yourself
• explaining clinical concepts in plain language
• adapting your response when the scenario changes
• asking follow-up questions
• checking patient understanding

Recording yourself can also help you identify:

• unnecessary jargon
• rambling
• awkward phrasing
• missing structure
• speaking too quickly

The goal is not to memorise a script.

The goal is to develop a repeatable communication process.

Step 6: Practise reading OSCE instructions

The Clinical Skills Day uses station-based scenarios, so candidates need to interpret instructions quickly and accurately.

When practising at home, take a scenario and give yourself limited reading time.

Then identify:

• What is the clinical problem?
• What have I actually been asked to do?
• What information matters?
• What risks are present?
• What outcome am I trying to achieve?

This trains the skill of understanding the station before responding.

Step 7: Integrate infection control into everything

Do not study infection control on Sunday and technical tasks on Monday as though they are unrelated.

Infection prevention and control should become part of every relevant practice scenario.

The ADC updated its infection-control marking rubric and, from January 2026, specifically requires general dentistry candidates to demonstrate hand washing at one technical OSCE station during the Clinical Skills Day.

When practising, think through:

• hand hygiene
• PPE
• clean and contaminated zones
• instrument handling
• task setup
• surface contamination
• glove changes
• final decontamination

The aim is to make safe technique automatic.

Step 8: Use current materials

ADC practical-exam requirements can change.

For example, from Period 2 of 2026:

• the amalgam task was removed
• candidates are required to complete anterior and posterior resin composite restorations
• new simulation teeth were introduced

That is why old preparation notes should never be treated as your primary source.

Check the ADC website regularly during your preparation.

Step 9: Identify what genuinely needs hands-on training

Not every problem can be solved by watching another video.

You need practical repetition to refine things such as:

• hand skills
• instrument control
• positioning
• visibility
• ergonomics
• speed
• consistency
• tactile judgement

Home learning should help you arrive at those sessions with stronger foundational understanding.

This is where the combination of online preparation and hands-on training becomes particularly useful.

Should you prepare online before an onsite ADC course?

For many candidates, this makes sense.

Onsite training gives you access to equipment, supervision and practical feedback, but it is usually limited by time and cost.

If you already understand the task before arriving, you can spend more of your onsite training:

• refining technique
• correcting errors
• improving consistency
• working under time pressure
• getting feedback

rather than learning the basic sequence for the first time.

Aurora Academy is positioned specifically to support this stage of preparation.

Preparing at home before hands-on training?

Aurora Academy provides self-paced ADC Part 2 preparation across:

• Technical Tasks
• Skilled OSCE
• Communication OSCE
• Infection Control

Explore the Ultimate ADC Part 2 Course →

A simple weekly home-preparation structure

You do not need to study everything every day.

A simple structure might look like:

Monday — Technical understanding

Review one technical task and its criteria.

Tuesday — Demonstration and notes

Watch a full demonstration and identify key steps and errors.

Wednesday — Skilled OSCE

Work through clinical scenarios and procedural reasoning.

Thursday — Communication OSCE

Practise timed scenarios aloud.

Friday — Infection control

Review infection-control processes and apply them to the week’s tasks.

Weekend — Review and practice

Revisit weak areas and, where possible, complete practical training.

The exact timetable should reflect your own strengths, weaknesses and access to equipment.

How much should you study each day?

More hours do not automatically mean better preparation.

A focused 90-minute session with a clear objective can be more useful than several hours of passive video watching.

A useful study session might be:

20 minutes: review concepts
30 minutes: watch or revisit demonstration
30 minutes: active practice or scenario work
10 minutes: review errors and record what to improve

The important part is active learning.

Common mistakes when preparing at home

Watching without practising

Educational videos should lead to action.

Pause, make notes, rehearse, explain concepts aloud and apply what you are learning.

Collecting too many resources

More resources can create more confusion.

Choose a small number of reliable sources and work through them systematically.

Learning old examination formats

The practical examination evolves over time. Use current ADC material.

Practising technical tasks without criteria

Practice is much more useful when you understand what you are evaluating.

Avoiding weak areas

Candidates naturally prefer practising things they already do well.

Your preparation should deliberately spend time on areas that create uncertainty.

How can feedback improve your preparation?

The ADC has expanded the feedback given to unsuccessful practical-examination candidates.

From Period 1, 2026, candidates began receiving more detailed feedback on failed simulation-clinic tasks. From Period 3, 2026, candidates sitting the practical exam on or after 31 August receive additional feedback on OSCE performance.

For candidates who have previously attempted the exam, this feedback should become part of the next preparation plan.

Do not simply repeat the same preparation cycle.

Identify what the feedback tells you and change your practice accordingly.

Frequently asked questions

Can I prepare for ADC Part 2 entirely online?

Online study can build knowledge, structure and familiarity, but practical skills still require hands-on practice.

Should I study before attending an onsite ADC course?

Preparing beforehand can help you use onsite training more efficiently because you already understand the underlying task or process.

What should I study first?

Start by understanding the current examination format and identifying your weakest area across Technical Tasks, Skilled OSCE, Communication OSCE and Infection Control.

How long should I prepare at home?

There is no universal preparation period. It depends on your clinical experience, existing knowledge, practical skill level and access to hands-on training.

Should I memorise OSCE responses?

No. Frameworks can be useful, but candidates should understand the underlying clinical reasoning and adapt their response to the scenario.

Where should I get official ADC information?

Use the Australian Dental Council website and current examination handbooks and materials as your primary source.