In spite of all of the efforts that the NBEO takes to standardize test center conditions, there may be administrative irregularities that occur that may be detrimental to candidate performance. Examples of such irregularities are an electrical power outage, poor lighting, or loud extraneous noise.
During candidate orientation at each test site, candidates are instructed to document such an occurrence on the back of their answer sheet. Candidate comments are used by the appropriate examination Council for review and possible action by the Board. Please note that candidates will not receive any further communication regarding an Incident Report unless it is determined that additional testing may be required as a result of the circumstances presented in the Incident Report.
Candidates who later wish to appeal their test results on the basis of the reported disruption must do so within 30 days of the actual score release date posted on the website. All appeals must be submitted online http://www.optometry.org/appeals.cfm. The appeal should detail the nature and ramifications of the occurrence, and may refer to the irregularity report submitted on the day of the examination.
If the appeal is upheld, a candidate may be offered the opportunity to re-test at a reduced fee during the next scheduled administration of the same examination. Please note that scores are final and under no circumstance will the National Board award points resulting in the alteration of a candidate’s examination score.
