FAAID Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass

Why There Is No Published Passing Score

If you searched for a percentage, a scaled score or a cut score for the Fellow of the AAID (FAAID) designation, here is the plain answer: no current numeric passing threshold has been verified from AAID's published materials. Anyone quoting you "you need 75%" or "a scaled 450" for the Fellow exam is either guessing or borrowing a number from a different credential that happens to share the acronym. We will not invent one here.

That absence is not a gap in research; it reflects the nature of the examination. The Fellow credential from the American Academy of Implant Dentistry is awarded through a virtual oral/case examination conducted by AAID examiner teams, not through a multiple-choice test that produces a scaled score. When the assessment is examiners evaluating how you present, reason through and defend clinical cases, "passing" is a judgment of demonstrated competence rather than a number you can reverse-engineer.

For related context on how hard candidates find the process, see our guide on how hard the FAAID exam is, and for the data question specifically, what the pass-rate data shows.

What "Passing" Actually Means for the Fellow Exam

Because there is no verified cut score, the practical definition of passing is this: examiners judge that you have demonstrated surgical and prosthetic competence in implant dentistry across the cases you present and the standardized cases you discuss. Your goal is not to chase a number; it is to eliminate every reason an examiner could have to doubt your judgment.

Two things follow from that:

• Your case portfolio is the foundation. Five submitted cases on five different patients, each with narratives, diagnostic photographs and radiographs, and patient releases, are what you defend. Weak documentation creates doubt before the oral session even begins.
• Your reasoning is what gets evaluated live. The standardized cases test whether you can examine, diagnose, plan and sequence treatment in real time, not just recall your own work.

Successful candidates are then approved through the Admissions and Credentials Board and elected by a vote of the Board of Trustees. In other words, a strong oral performance is necessary but the credential is formally conferred through governance steps afterward.

Exam Format: Ten Cases, One Virtual Session

The Fellow examination is delivered virtually and conducted in English. The AAID guide specifies approximately three hours for the examination and up to four hours when you include equipment testing. An AAID-supplied interpreter may be arranged at the candidate's expense if needed.

Treat the technology requirement as part of the exam. A failed equipment check on the day costs you composure you cannot afford to lose in a session of this length. Complete the prior equipment check early, not the night before.

The Four Case-Report Headings That Shape Your Preparation

AAID's guidebook, Demystifying the AAID Credentialing Examinations: Your Guidebook To Increasing Your Chances for Success, lays out the Fellow Examination Case Report Outline on pages 18-19. Its principal headings give us the four "domains" used throughout this site. An important caveat: these are required case-report preparation headings, not an exhaustive oral-exam blueprint, and no weights are published for them. Do not treat any ordering here as a statement about point values. For a deeper walk-through, read our complete guide to all four FAAID content areas.

The Five Required Case Types

Your five submitted cases are not a free choice. AAID requires a specific spread, and every one must have a final prosthesis in function for at least one year by the examination period:

1. A removable full-arch implant overdenture
2. Posterior maxilla with sinus augmentation
3. Anterior maxilla
4. Extraction with immediate placement, or ridge preservation with delayed placement
5. A fixed complete implant prosthesis

The one-year-in-function rule has a scheduling consequence that catches candidates off guard. A case you finished eight months ago does not qualify for an April 2027 exam, regardless of how well it turned out. Audit your portfolio against the examination date, not today's date. Because you must defend each case orally, choose cases where you can speak fluently about complications, alternatives and long-term maintenance, not just the ones with the prettiest photographs.

For the full eligibility picture, including how these case rules interact with training requirements, see FAAID requirements and how to qualify.

Gates You Must Clear Before You Are Scored

You cannot be examined until you clear eligibility. Per AAID's Fellow requirements, applicants must:

• Be licensed dental practitioners.
• Either be AAID Associate Fellows in good standing, or have passed Associate Fellow Part 1 and meet Fellow eligibility.
• Have at least five years of implant-dentistry experience.
• Have completed 400 hours of implant continuing education, including 75 participatory/hands-on hours.
• Demonstrate surgical and prosthetic competence.

A qualifying full-time implant dentistry, periodontal, oral/maxillofacial surgery or prosthodontics program lasting at least one year satisfies the educational requirement. If you trained through such a program, document it clearly, since it ties directly into your Clinical Résumé.

Fees, Re-examination and the Conflicting Schedules

Here is where candidates need to be careful. AAID's current live fee page and the linked 2024 guide do not agree. We present both so you can see the discrepancy rather than hide it:

The guide identifies the substitution route as an alternative fee, not an additional charge, so you pay one or the other depending on your path. Because the schedules conflict, confirm the applicable fee directly with AAID before submitting payment. The retake price matters strategically: a re-examination costs less than the first attempt, but it also means another scheduling cycle, so thorough first-attempt preparation protects both time and money. For the complete breakdown including annual dues, see our FAAID certification cost guide.

From Passing to Fellow: Election, Induction and Dues

Passing the oral exam is not the finish line. The sequence runs:

1. Pass the oral/case examination.
2. Receive approval from the Admissions and Credentials Board.
3. Be elected by a vote of the Board of Trustees.
4. Attend an Annual Business Meeting for induction, which successful oral candidates must do within two years.

To keep the credential, you must maintain active AAID membership. Regular Fellow dues are $695 annually, payable January 1. Once elected, you use the designation FAAID, Fellow of the AAID, as AAID authorizes. Curious about what the credential does for your career? Our ROI analysis and earnings guide cover that ground.

Sources That Will Mislead You About Scoring

AAID's FAQ page still contains an older submitted-case and rating scheme. It describes a different structure than the one in force today. The current five-case requirements take precedence, and any scoring or rating language drawn from that legacy FAQ should not be treated as the current standard. If you find a forum post or an old PDF describing a different number of cases or a rating approach, check it against the current guide and the Fellow requirements page before acting on it.

A FAAID-Specific Preparation Sequence

Because the outcome depends on your cases and your oral defense, preparation should be built around the case report headings rather than a generic study calendar. One sensible ordering, working backward from the April 3, 2027 exam date, with the application window closing February 1, 2027:

Notice the ordering logic: documentation comes first because the oral exam can only be as strong as the case record behind it. For a fuller study framework, see our FAAID study guide, and for a condensed refresher the FAAID cheat sheet. To check your date planning against the official window, our FAAID exam dates guide tracks the schedule. You can also build general implant-dentistry fluency using the practice resources at the main practice test site, which helps with the standardized-case discussion even though the Fellow exam itself is oral.

Frequently Asked Questions

The honest summary of the FAAID passing score is that it is a competence judgment, not a cut score. Build your five cases carefully, document them thoroughly, rehearse the oral defense until it is fluent, and verify every fee and date against AAID's current pages before you commit.