What the LDEK is and how it is scored

The LDEK (Lekarsko-Dentystyczny Egzamin Końcowy) is the state final exam for dentistry in Poland. The Medical Examinations Centre (CEM) in Łódź runs it twice a year, in February and in September. The next one is on 10 February 2027.

What it is for

• Your licence. A graduate of a Polish university gets the right to practise as a dentist after the postgraduate internship and a passed LDEK (art. 5(3) and (4) of the act).
• Specialty training. The LDEK result, as a percentage, is the basis of the ranking for specialty training places (art. 16c(10) and (11)). That is why the score matters, not just the pass.

The format

• 200 questions, each with 5 options and exactly one correct answer.
• 4 hours, starting at the same time across the country.
• You can sit it in Polish or in English. The English test is a translation of the Polish one, and each application for the English exam costs 400 zł.

The subjects

The Minister of Health's regulation of 12 August 2025 fixes how many questions come from each field:

At least 25 of the questions in the clinical dental fields are on oncology.

Where the questions come from

Every test is 70% questions from CEM's public bank and 30% new questions (art. 14c(4)). With 200 questions, that is 140 from the bank and 60 new ones. CEM publishes the bank on its website before every session, with an English version, and within 7 days of each exam it publishes the questions used, with answers, and adds them to the bank.

How the score works

• 1 point for each correct answer; 0 for a wrong answer, no answer or more than one answer. Nothing is deducted, so answer every question.
• You pass with at least 56% of the maximum (art. 14e(4)): 112 points out of 200.
• Objections to a question can be raised only during the exam or straight after it. If the committee accepts one, the question is cancelled and the maximum drops. In spring 2026 one question was cancelled and the maximum was 199.
• The result comes as a percentage to two decimal places plus the number of correct answers, in SMK and on CEM's website. There is no appeal, and you download the certificate from SMK.

Recent sessions

From CEM's announcements:

Retaking

You may sit the LDEK again in another session even after passing, to raise your score (art. 14e(5)). The second application is free only after a failed first exam or not sitting it; otherwise each application costs 250 zł in Polish or 400 zł in English.

Where to start

If you are sitting on 10 February 2027, first apply in SMK by 30 November 2026. Then work through the CEM bank, because it is 70% of the test. In Egzamy the whole bank is free, split into the same 10 subjects, with every question in Polish and in English: create a free account.