Clinical Skills Examination (CSE)
National Board examinations are given in three parts. Part I-Applied Basic Science is typically taken by students at the end of their third year of optometry school. Part II-Patient Assessment and Management is taken in the middle of the fourth year and Part III-Clinical Skills is taken at the time of graduation. The Clinical Skills Examination is a practical examination that assesses the Candidates' patient communication skills and ability to perform optometric examination procedures.

The Part III-CSE is administered in April at the 17 schools and colleges of optometry across the U.S., including San Juan, PR. In August, the examination is administered at a single site (either Chicago or Memphis). Except for two test centers (Portland and Boston), the examination and training takes place on a Saturday and Sunday. In Portland and Boston, there is a Friday session(s) as well.

Examiner participation in this examination is its most important component. More than 550 examiners assess over 1,500 candidates taking the examination each year. Candidates rotate through 4 stations to perform the 18 skills. Examiners are assigned to one of the 4 stations based upon a balance of Examiner station preference, Examiner station experience, and examination scheduling needs. The Candidates rotate through the four stations while each Examiner remains at one station. A "yes or no" scannable answer sheet is provided to the Examiner. As each skill is performed, the Examiner "bubbles" in the appropriate responses, which are later used for scoring the Candidates.

Examiner Eligibility
Doctors of Optometry licensed and in active practice are eligible to serve.* Initial qualifications to serve as an Examiner are: 1) having passed the NBEO Treatment and Management of Ocular Disease (TMOD) examination or being licensed by a state board to use drugs for therapeutic purposes; 2) being actively engaged in the delivery of patient care as evidenced by malpractice insurance coverage (personal or institutional); 3) having graduated at least 4 years earlier to serve at the school or college of optometry you attended (to avoid familiarity with a Candidate) or 3 years earlier if you are willing to serve at a site other than that from which you graduated; and, 4) not serving as an Examiner at the same institution at which you are a full-time faculty member.

*The National Board communicates with State Optometry Boards to verify credentials of potential Examiners, following submission of completed Site Preference Forms.

New Examiner Application
To apply to become an Examiner, just click the "Sign Me Up" button below. If you have not registered on the NBEO website, you will need to do so before accessing the New Examiner Application, by clicking on "New Users Register Here!" Please maintain your User ID and Password as this is how you will access the Existing Examiner's website pages in the future. Thank you for your interest, and the National Board looks forward to your participation as an Examiner.

This is not Site Preference form Sign-Up (Existing Examiners please click on "Existing Examiner" from the NBEO home page menu.)

Significance of Serving as an Examiner
Serving as an Examiner represents a valuable service to the profession. Professional licensing examinations are an important way for states to ensure that all health care practitioners who gain licensure to practice are competent as determined by exacting professional standards. By serving as an Examiner, you will participate in the important assessment process that is required for professional licensure.

New Examiner Application Process
Once you submit the application, you will be contacted if further information is needed to complete the application process, or if you are deemed ineligible to serve in the upcoming administration. If eligible and selected to serve (see "Examiner Eligibility" above), you will receive annually in September an email with the next year's CSE schedule. In December/January, you will receive an email inviting you to serve as an Examiner. You cannot indicate your site preferences until you receive the invitation email in December/January.

Update Your Contact Information
It is important to keep your email address updated, as this is the communication means for receiving information from the NBEO. If any of your contact information changes during the year, please click here to update your profile.

Completing Site Preference Forms
In December/January, Examiners will receive an invitation to serve as an Examiner for the upcoming CSE. The email will inform you that the NBEO is accepting completed Site Preference Forms (SPF) for the upcoming CSE administration. At that time you will be able to select your site and station preferences. It is imperative that you read all the information pertaining to the site, schedule, and stations prior to completing the SPF.

Many examiners choose to serve at multiple sites. When completing the SPF, if you select two or three different sites on different weekends, we will assume that you intend to serve ALL the weekends you request. If this is not the case, please indicate each site with a numerical ranking in the comments area of the form. Please do not make a commitment to serve as an Examiner if you are uncertain if you will be able to fulfill this obligation.

The sooner you submit your form, the more likely you will receive your site preference. A few sites tend to be selected by more Examiners than others. Thus, it is recommended you select more than one site in case your first site preference has more than enough Examiners wishing to serve.

Site Preference Form Process
Once you submit a SPF, you will receive an email to confirm receipt of your submission. Please send an email to lilly@optometry.org if you submit a SPF but do not receive a confirmation. Approximately 6-7 weeks after the invitation email, if selected to serve, you will receive an email with your site selection or notification that you are on the waiting list for the site(s) you selected. Examiners are assigned to one of the four stations based upon a balance of Examiner station preference, Examiner station experience, and examination scheduling needs. Approximately 3-6 weeks prior to the examination, assigned Examiners will receive an Examiner Packet which will include scheduling and site information as well as an Examiner Manual (updated annually).

Examiner Expectations and Training
The CSE is usually scheduled over a full weekend, requiring Examiners to be available all day on Saturday and Sunday of the weekend of the exam. Portland and Boston require Examiners to be available on Friday afternoon and evening, as well. During the weekend, Examiners are required to attend a half-day orientation (training) and typically three to six exam sessions. At most test sites, Examiners are expected to arrive early Saturday morning, and they will be scheduled until approximately 9:00 p.m. Saturday evening. The examination resumes early on Sunday morning and usually concludes by 5:00 p.m.

One important aspect of preparing for this examination is your thorough review of the Examiner Manual prior to arrival at the site.

Examiners who participate in CSE will have access to information and materials that are confidential in nature, including much of the information presented in the Examiner Manual as well as information about individual Candidate performance during the examination. The diligent efforts of all Examiners toward keeping the information and materials secure are anticipated and appreciated.

The challenges of serving as an Examiner transcend the Examiner's clinical expertise and success. The Board has an Examiner evaluation process in place because, inevitably, some colleagues, despite their optometric expertise and good intentions, do not exhibit the additional unique attributes related to serving as an Examiner. For Examiners to continue to be invited to serve on subsequent CSE administrations, a satisfactory performance evaluation is expected as submitted by supervising examiners. Timely arrival for, and effective participation in, the Examiner Orientation Session are also expected.

Examiner Honorarium
Examiners receive $150 per completed examination session as participated, plus $150 for the required Examiner Orientation Session. All travel and hotel expenses remain the responsibility of the Examiners. There is limited hotel availability at some sites; if making hotel reservations, it is recommended making them as early as possible. The National Board does not have any discounted group rates with any of the hotels. In order to keep individual expenses to a minimum, we recommend that Examiners select sites within a reasonable distance from home. The National Board is pleased to submit press releases to newspapers of examiners interested in local media recognition of their service to the National Board.

NBEO Contact
If you have any questions that have not been addressed on the NBEO website, please do not hesitate to contact Sarah Lilly, Manager of Examinations, at 704-887-0821 or lilly@optometry.org.