If you’re ready to demonstrate your commitment to lifelong learning and clinical excellence, now is the perfect time to pursue your AGD Fellowship. Earning your Fellowship distinguishes you as a dentist who values education, professional growth and the highest standard of patient care.

To help you prepare, AGD offers the Fall Fellowship Review Course, Sept. 26–27, 2025, in Chicago, and the exam can be taken the next day, Sept. 28. This unique course gives you the opportunity to:

• Earn 16 hours of CE during the two-day review course.
• Prepare with confidence, guided by experts who cover all exam topics.
• Take the Fellowship Exam on site the very next day while the material is fresh in your mind.
• Network with colleagues who share your passion for growth and excellence.

Thousands of general dentists have taken this step to strengthen their knowledge, advance their careers and stand out as leaders in the profession. This is your chance to join them.

For Michael Struthers, DDS — who has passed his exam and now helps others achieve their Fellowship — being a part of AGD means that he is part of a group that supports education and opportunities to grow professionally. “AGD forces you to do certain educational requirements to meet Fellowship or Mastership, and there’s a reason behind that,” he said. “They want you to have broad experience in all the different areas of general dentistry. That experience not only makes you more knowledgeable, but it also increases your skill set, which in turn makes you a better provider who is more proficient, more efficient and more productive.”

Struthers adds that being part of AGD and preparing for the Fellowship Award afforded him a great opportunity within a community of like-minded clinicians. “[Studying for the Fellowship Exam] gives you the opportunity to interface, integrate, build yourself, build your network and build your practice.”

He has some key points of advice, including:

• Preparation time: The average preparation time is over 40 hours. While not a hard rule or guarantee of passing, this indicates the expected level of commitment.
• Question format: The exam is fair and not designed to trick you. Questions are direct, meaning you either know the information or you don’t. (“I felt that any missed questions were due to my own lack of knowledge or recall,” he explained.)
• Test-taking strategy: Trust your gut feeling, especially when unsure. The exam's ultimate goal is to ensure you are a clinically relevant and well-educated professional. Avoid second-guessing yourself.

“I encourage all general dentists to pursue Fellowship and Mastership,” Struthers added. “Be prepared, and then trust yourself.” (Watch Struthers provide exam preparation advice.)

Brandi R. Hair, DMD, FAGD, (pictured above with AGD President Chethan Chetty, DDS, MAGD) based in Columbia, SouthCarolina, received her Fellowship in Montréal in July, provided the following recommendations for preparing for the exam: 

• Build a realistic study routine that suits your current lifestyle. The schedules and responsibilities that we have now as practicing dentists may differ from when we were dental students studying for tests and board exams.  Determine the study routine that works for you now and stay consistent.
• Take practice quizzes. Not only will practice quizzes expose you to the question formatting and subjects that may be included in the exam, but they will also allow you to learn how to pace yourself when taking lengthy tests. (Learn more about study resources.)
• Study for application, and not for memorization. Studying for application is a great way to maximize study tools and resources. Reinforce your knowledge by connecting what you study to clinical cases and quiz yourself on subjects that may appear on the exam, like dental materials.  

Don’t wait — registration for the Fall Review Course and Exam is now open, and space fills quickly. Commit to your future, and show patients and peers your dedication to dentistry.

Register now for AGD’s Fall Fellowship Review Course and Exam, Sept. 26–28.