Covid-19 Updates

Released: May 12, 2021

With the testing administrative year coming to a close, NBEO is taking time to reflect on the past year. There have been multiple positives amidst the challenges of the pandemic. NBEO has emerged from the last year with new knowledge gained through facing those challenges. NBEO’s mission is to serve the public and profession of optometry by developing, administering, scoring, and reporting results of valid examinations that assess competence. Our examinations are used by regulatory boards for licensure decisions. We remain fully committed to executing our mission while balancing ongoing and future challenges. The following is a summary of events from the last year, concluding with a look ahead.

Computer-Based Exams

In March 2020, NBEO faced an immense challenge due to the pandemic with the first mass closure of Pearson VUE testing centers throughout North America. This was a stressful time for our candidates who were only hours away from the Part I ABS examination. NBEO immediately began work with Pearson VUE leadership to identify examination windows for both the cancelled March Part I ABS and April Part II PAM/TMOD examinations. To provide testing options to candidates, NBEO offered multiple administrations and enhanced testing windows including two different three-week windows for Part I ABS. Changing from our standard four-day testing window represented a monumental pivot for NBEO, and required the development and deployment of a new exam security plan. Both the Part I ABS and Part II PAM/TMOD examinations have been offered multiple times over the last year.

Performance-Based Exams

After a two-month testing suspension, NBEO reopened the National Center of Clinical Testing in Optometry (NCCTO) on May 18, 2020. We wanted to protect the health and safety of our candidates and staff, but we also understood that being closed meant a delay in new graduates entering the optometric workforce. Because our candidates move directly into unsupervised, independent practice without a mandatory residency, there was no mistaking the impact closure would have on our candidate population and consequentially the public at large. NCCTO reopened with all rescheduling policies relaxed, so no penalty existed for any candidate who preferred to reschedule or move a testing appointment to a later time.

NCCTO has remained open since mid-May 2020. By the end of June 2020, all candidates from the Class of 2020 had the opportunity to take Part III CSE. Candidates from the Class of 2021 will be completing this testing administrative year on time. NBEO staff have worked hard to add additional testing windows, including additional evening and weekend testing sessions to provide opportunities to candidates through a difficult year. Although the pandemic continues and we must remain committed to safety, we have been able to operate the NCCTO with an impeccable safety record. We recognize that this is due to the extreme care of our NCCTO staff, standardized patients, and the candidates in our center.

Task Force

Last September, NBEO coordinated with the Association of Regulatory Boards in Optometry (ARBO) to convene a Task Force to review alternative testing methodologies during the COVID-19 pandemic. The complete report of this Task Force can be found here. All recommendations of the Task Force were taken very seriously by NBEO, including research to explore the development of a rapid response alternate testing site on the west coast for the Part III Clinical Skills Examination. The NBEO Board of Directors reviewed a detailed analysis including a location and plan for a temporary testing site. However, for multiple reasons including the timing in the administrative testing cycle, exorbitant costs to candidates, and continued need for travel, this plan was not accepted for execution. NBEO has remained committed to a continual review of exam delivery modalities and this research will continue. As described in the Task Force report, many factors play an important role in decision-making at NBEO.

Advancing Important Projects During COVID-19

Even with the challenges of the past year, NBEO has been able to advance important organizational projects. The Patient Encounters and Performance Skills Examination (PEPS) has entered the pilot study phase. To watch a video on our progress please click here. We are continuing to work with various subject matter experts to create case scenarios for the new PEPS examination. If you are interested in becoming a scenario author, please click here.

We have offered the Laser and Surgical Procedures Examination (LSPE) to those interested in proving competency in optometric laser and surgical care. NBEO has presented multiple times at the Association of Test Publishers conferences and we have continued our popular Item Writing Seminar to those interested in learning the art of question writing. Additionally, in October 2020, NBEO released a brand-new website, which had been under construction for many months.

Looking Forward

Our projects and future planning initiatives will continue, as will our commitment to developing and administering optometric examinations for licensure decisions made by regulatory boards. We wish to thank all individuals who worked closely with us over the last year to keep the examinations accessible to all candidates. The high standards NBEO put into place have allowed optometric candidates to continue in their career paths and to apply for optometric licensure. We are pleased that the Class of 2021 is on track to complete this testing year on time. NBEO looks forward to moving ahead, now armed with the knowledge and insights gained through facing the challenges of the pandemic. Though the previous year was difficult for all, it has strengthened NBEO by prompting us to closely examine our policies and practices and to develop strategies we can draw on in the event of any similar challenge in the future. Thank you for your contributions, patience, and continued support of NBEO as we transition into the next administrative testing year.