A 12-week AFK study plan
Last reviewed 2026-09-27
A practical 12-week AFK study plan for internationally trained dentists: study time weighted to the blueprint, active practice every day, and full mocks in the final month.
Split your time by blueprint weight
The AFK is not evenly weighted. With about 120 hours of study (roughly 10 hours a week for 12 weeks), a blueprint-proportional split looks like this:
| Blueprint area | Weight | Study time |
|---|---|---|
| Pharmacology & therapeutics, local anesthesia, medical emergencies, medicine incl. physiology | 24% | ≈29 h |
| Oral medicine / oral pathology incl. histology; oral radiology | 17% | ≈20 h |
| Cariology incl. microbiology & biochemistry; restorative; prosthodontics; implants | 16% | ≈19 h |
| Orthodontics, pediatric, geriatric & special-needs dentistry incl. oral embryology, growth & development | 10% | ≈12 h |
| Periodontics incl. microbiology & immunology | 10% | ≈12 h |
| Oral surgery, trauma, orofacial pain, dental emergencies incl. applied anatomy | 10% | ≈12 h |
| Evidence-based dentistry, prevention, infection control, ethics & jurisprudence | 7% | ≈8 h |
| Endodontics | 6% | ≈7 h |
Adjust toward your weakest areas once practice results show where you lose the most marks.
The 12 weeks
- Week 1 — baseline. Answer 40–60 mixed questions untimed to find your weak areas. Read the AFK protocol and gather the NDEB reference texts.
- Weeks 2–5 — the heavy areas. Pharmacology and medicine (24%), oral medicine, pathology and radiology, and cariology, restorative and prosthodontics make up over half the exam. Read by topic, then do 20–30 questions a day in that topic.
- Weeks 6–8 — the remaining areas. Orthodontics and pediatrics, periodontics, surgery and pain, evidence-based dentistry and ethics, and endodontics. Keep a daily mixed set of 10 questions from earlier weeks.
- Every day — spaced review. Re-answer questions you missed after 1, 3, 7 and 14 days. Missed questions you get right a week later are the ones that stick.
- Weeks 9–11 — timed mocks. One full-length timed mock a week at the real pace (two parts of two hours), then spend a day reviewing every miss by blueprint area.
- Week 12 — taper. Short mixed sets and review of your error log only. Confirm your Prometric booking, ID and travel, and sleep well the night before.
Habits that raise AFK scores
- Practise single-best-answer reasoning: eliminate options that are true but not the best answer.
- Learn Canadian specifics — drug names, fluoride and radiation guidance, consent law and infection control — which often differ from your training country.
- Never use exam "recalls": sharing or using NDEB questions breaches NDEB rules and can void your result.
Start the plan today
Take the free AFK demo exam as a baseline: two questions from every blueprint area.
Take the free demo examFree demo exam covering every blueprint area — no sign-up. Full bank from $129 CAD, one time.
Frequently asked questions
How long should I study for the AFK?
Many candidates plan about three months of steady study, roughly 100–150 hours, adjusted to their background and how recently they trained. A baseline practice set shows where to focus.
Which AFK areas carry the most weight?
Pharmacology, therapeutics and medicine is the largest area at about 24%, followed by oral medicine, pathology and radiology, and cariology, restorative and prosthodontics.