DANB Coronal
Polishing
Exam Prep

Not another PDF and a question bank. A course built around how you learn — and honest about where you get stuck.

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75 questions · 60 minutes
pass ≈ 400 / 900
What sets Indigo apart four things
01

Every learning style, covered

Interactive lessons, drills, flashcards, and full practice questions — do, and read.

02

Weekly office hours, live

Real face time every week with an experienced dental educator. Come with questions, leave with answers.

03

Review that targets weak spots

Missed questions are tracked automatically and rebuilt into their own review deck.

04

Built on the real exam blueprint

Practice weighted exactly like test day — 15 / 20 / 39 / 26 across the four domains.

01 Breathe

A focused exam, and a fair one.

The CP exam is 75 questions in 60 minutes, scored on DANB's 100–900 scale — 400 passes. It covers one procedure you'll actually perform, in four well-defined domains. There's no trick here: understand the procedure, its tools, and its rules, and the questions read like things you already know. That's exactly what this course builds.

400
of 900 is the passing score —
on a scale that starts at 100.
02 What's actually on it

Four domains — procedures rules them all.

Nearly 40% of the exam lives in the Procedures domain — and another quarter in Administration, the part self-studiers always skip. We spend your time where the points are.

I · 15%
II · 20%
Domain III · 39%
IV · 26%
15%
Evaluation
Reading the mouth first — deposits, stains, restorations, histories, and the polish-vs-prophy line the exam loves.
20%
Equipment & Supplies
The handpiece, prophy angles, cups and brushes — and the five levers that control abrasion.
39%
Procedures
The heavyweight: positioning, fulcrum, the stroke, selective polishing, air polishing, errors, and infection control.
26%
Administration
Charting, HIPAA, patient education, and SDS — a quarter of the exam, and the easiest points on it.
03 Before you walk in

A few things that'll calm your nerves.

None of this is on the test to trip you up — knowing it ahead of time is half the battle.

It's a written exam
DANB's CP is multiple-choice at a test center — no live patient, no handpiece. Many states separately require hands-on competency; check yours so nothing surprises you.
It's not trying to trick you
DANB writes questions to measure what you know. Read carefully, don't overthink, and when torn between two answers, choose best practice.
Part of a bigger family
CP is one of three component exams of DANB's CPFDA certification (with Sealants and Topical Fluoride). Pass CP and you've banked a third of it.
The paperwork counts
Administration is 26% of the exam — charting, HIPAA, patient education, SDS. Self-studiers skip it because it isn't clinical. You won't.
If you learn differently, read this

You may qualify for extra time.

If you have a documented disability — including a learning disability like dyslexia or ADHD, not just physical conditions — you have the legal right under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to request testing accommodations. This isn't "cheating" or a shortcut; it's making sure the test measures what you know, not the effect of a disability. The passing score stays exactly the same — only the testing conditions change.

60 → 90 min
Extended time is often up to 50% more — turning the 60-minute exam into 90 minutes. The bar to pass doesn't move; you just get the room to show what you know.
What you might be able to get

Extended time

Commonly up to 50% more — a 60-minute exam becomes 90.

A quiet room

A separate, low-distraction testing room to yourself.

Extra breaks

Additional break time built into your testing session.

Large-print materials

Bigger text if reading standard print is a barrier.

A reader or scribe

Someone to read questions aloud or record your answers.

Medication & devices

Permission to bring medication or a medical device (e.g., to monitor blood sugar).

Who qualifies?

Under the ADA, this covers any physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity — including learning, reading, concentrating, or thinking. You may qualify even if you've never formally requested accommodations before. What matters is current documentation of your condition and need.

How to request it — step by step
1
Step 1

Gather your documentation

Get a letter or report from your doctor, psychologist, or school documenting your disability and why you need the accommodation. If you've had accommodations before, include proof — it helps.

2
Step 2

Request before you schedule

DANB administers the exam through Pearson VUE. Request your accommodation as part of registration, before you book a test date — it can't be added to an appointment you've already scheduled.

3
Step 3

Wait for approval, then book

Reviews can take 2–4 weeks, per DANB. You'll get a decision in writing; if approved, it includes instructions for scheduling with your accommodation applied. If denied, you can ask why and appeal.

Where to start

Begin on DANB's exam accommodations page (danb.org) and the Pearson VUE accommodations portal — DANB's testing partner handles the requests. Your medical information is kept confidential and used only to evaluate your request. When in doubt, contact DANB directly and ask — they'll walk you through the exact current steps.

This is general guidance to point you in the right direction — exact forms, timelines, and requirements are set by DANB and Pearson VUE and can change, so always confirm the current process with them directly.

05 How you'll learn

Understand. Drill. Simulate.

Every concept follows the same arc that actually makes things stick — understand it, drill it, then simulate the real exam.

Step 01

Understand

Plain-English analogies and hands-on visuals until the idea genuinely clicks — not memorized, understood.

Step 02

Drill

Retrieval practice with feedback that explains why the tempting wrong answer is wrong — where real learning happens.

Step 03

Simulate

A timed, full-length mock exam weighted like the real blueprint, so test day feels familiar, not frightening.

Try it: the five levers of abrasionLesson 08 →

Drag the sliders for grit, pressure, speed, dryness & time in the real lesson and watch the abrasion rate — and the consequences — change live.

06 The curriculum

Every concept, mapped.

Domain I · Evaluation

15% of the exam · 5 lessons
  • 01 Polishing vs. Prophylaxis
  • 02 Oral Anatomy
  • 03 Dental Deposits
  • 04 Tooth Stains
  • 05 Restorations & Histories

Domain II · Equipment

20% of the exam · 4 lessons
  • 06 Low-Speed Handpiece
  • 07 Prophy Angles, Cups & Brushes
  • 08 Abrasives & Polishing Agents
  • 09 PPE & Operatory Setup

Domain III · Procedures

39% of the exam · 8 lessons
  • 10 Positioning
  • 11 Fulcrum
  • 12 Stroke
  • 13 Selective Polishing
  • 14 Air-Powder Polishing
  • 15 Polishing Errors
  • 16 Infection Prevention
  • 17 Equipment Maintenance

Domain IV · Administration

26% of the exam · 4 lessons
  • 18 Charting & Clinical Notes
  • 19 HIPAA & Legal Scope
  • 20 Patient Education
  • 21 Safety Data Sheets
07 Practice like it's exam day

Three ways to prove you're ready.

Learning is only half of it. These turn "I think I know it" into "I've done it a hundred times."

Timed mock

The Practice Exam

A full 75-question, 60-minute mock weighted 15/20/39/26 like the real blueprint, with no feedback mid-test and a per-domain breakdown at the end.

Recognition

The Spot-It Trainer

Read a chairside scenario — classify the stain, make the polish-or-don't call, diagnose the error — then see exactly why the tempting wrong answer was wrong.

Retrieval

Flashcards

Every must-know term, color-coded by domain, with "teach me more" panels and keyboard-fast review.

Walk in ready.

Start with the first lesson today. No cramming — just one clear idea at a time, until the whole exam feels like something you already know.

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