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Scores for the August 2020 Part III CSE® and ISE® examinations have been posted online.
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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 during their fourth year. The Clinical Skills Examination is a practical examination that assesses the Candidates' patient communication skills and ability to perform optometric examination procedures.
 
April 2011 was the last CSE® administration in the multiple-site format (for more information about the important changes for CSE® please read /pdf/One-Site_Announcement.pdf.)
 
The SINGLE-SITE FORMAT (NCCTO®) Clinical Skills Examination in Charlotte, NC began in August 2011. The NCCTO® initially will have the capacity to assess 16 Candidates per day, throughout the year. This will permit greater flexibility in the evaluation of skills. Students may take their CSEs as early within their fourth year as they are clinically comfortable.
 
Examiner participation in this examination is one of its most important components. CSE candidates rotate through 4 stations to perform the 19 CSE® skills. The NCCTO® utilizes Remote Examiners (RE) and In-House Examiners (IHE). Stations 1, 3, and 4 have REs evaluating the candidate's performance while an IHE evaluates Station 2. Examiners are assigned based upon a balance of Examiner station preference, Examiner station experience, and examination scheduling needs.
 
Additionally, the NCCTO® offers another examination, Injections Skill Examination (ISE), in which Station 4* REs also score.

Type of Examiners

   
Remote Examiners (RE)
Remote scoring will take place via a secure internet website and will require scorers to have Broadband Service (i.e., no dial-up). REs will receive assignments via email every 2 weeks, depending upon RE availability and candidate testing. REs will receive 1 to 9 candidate videos per assignment and would need to complete their reviews within 2 weeks. Each video will have one candidate at the specified station and can be up to 30 minutes in length. RE honorarium is $25 per candidate.
 
In-House Examiners (IHE)
IHEs evaluate 4 candidates at Station 2 during one session. IHEs are required to commit to at least 2 sessions per month at a minimum. The honorarium for IHE is $200 per session. We anticipate mostly local optometrists as IHEs.

August 2020 - July 2021 Station Skills

   
Station 1
1. Case History / Patient Communication
2. Patient Education
3. Binocular Extraocular Muscle Motility Evaluation and Binocular Horizontal Saccadic Eye Movement
4. Static Peripheral Confrontation Visual Fields
5. Near Cover Test and Near Point of Convergence
6. Pupil Testing
7. Blood Pressure Measurement
8. Ophthalmic Lens Evaluation (RE does not score)
 
Station 2 (In-House Examiner only)
9. Biomicroscopy
10. Goldmann Applanation Tonometry
11. 3-Mirror Gonioscopy
12. Collagen Implant Insertion and Removal
13. Soft and GP Contact Lens Insertion, Evaluation, and Removal
 
Station 3
14. Retinoscopy
15. Distance Subjective Refraction
16. Heterophoria and Vergence Testing at Distance
17. Accommodation Testing
 
Station 4*
18. Binocular Indirect Ophthalmoscopy
19. Dilated Biomicroscopy and Non-Contact Fundus Lens Evaluation
 
Injections Skill Evaluation
 
*REs must have appropriate injections licensure / credentials

Examiner Eligibility

   
In order to maintain scoring consistency and reliability across the entire examination, REs will be assigned to score a specific Station for a minimum of 6 months. REs will be selected based on years of service, station experience, and examiner evaluation feedback.
 
In addition to the criteria already required for CSE® Examiners,** REs and IHEs will be required to sign a confidentiality agreement and cannot participate in any Part III CSE® candidate preparation courses. The NBEO® will be monitoring RE and IHE scoring consistency, accuracy and timeliness of grading. On-going support and training will be provided.
 
**Doctors of Optometry licensed and in active practice are eligible to serve. The National Board communicates with State Optometry Boards to verify credentials of potential Examiners, following submission of completed forms. 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 prior to three years or earlier from an accredited school of optometry.

New Examiner Application (Remote and In-House)

   
Please thoroughly review this page to include the Eligibility, Type of Examiner, before submitting 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.
 
IHE: We still need IHEs.
 
REs: The one-site format significantly limits the number of Examiners able to participate and there is limited availability.
 
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.

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 only be contacted if further information is needed to complete the application process.

****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®/NCCTO®. If any of your contact information changes during the year, please click here to update your profile.

Examiner Expectations

   
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 Evaluation 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.

NBEO® Contact

   
If you have any questions that have not been addressed on the NBEO® website, please do not hesitate to contact our office at nccto@optometry.org or 1-800-969-3926 (extension 2).

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