21 NCAC 42B .0107. NATIONAL BOARD EXAMINATIONS

(a)  Each applicant must submit evidence of having reached the recommended levels of acceptable performance on the National Board examinations given by the National Board of Examiners in Optometry on or after the April 1978 administration in one of the following formats and under the following conditions prior to Board approval of his or her application to take the clinical practicum examination administered by the Board.  The applicant shall authorize the release of his or her official score report by the National Board to the Board prior to the approval by the Board of his or her application to take the clinical practicum examination. 

(1)           April 1978 through August 1986 administrations:  passing scores on Parts I, IIA, and IIB, with scores of not less than 75 in Section 7 (Pathology) and Section 9 (Pharmacology) on the Part IIB examination, and a score of not less than 75 on the National Board's Treatment and Management of Ocular Disease: (TMOD) examination.

(2)           April 1987 through August 1992 administrations:  passing scores on the Part I Basic Science (BS) examination and Part II Clinical Science (CS) examination of the National Board, with scores of not less than 75 on the Ocular Disease/Trauma and Clinical Pharmacology sections of the Part II CS examination, and a score of not less than 75 on the TMOD examination.

(3)           April 1993 through December 2008 administrations: passing score on the Part I BS Examination of the National Board.

(4)           April 1993 through April 2009 administrations:  passing score on the Part II CS Examination of the National Board, with a score of not less than 75 on the Ocular Disease/Trauma component within the CS examination, and a score of not less than 75 on either the TMOD component within the CS examination, or on the equivalent stand-alone TMOD examination.

(5)           March 2009 administrations through November 2009 administrations:  passing score on Part I Applied Basic Science (ABS) examination of the National Board.

(6)           December 2009 administrations through February 2010 administrations:  passing score on Part II Patient Assessment and Management (PAM) examination of the National Board, with a score of not less than 75 on the Disease/Trauma component within the PAM examination, and a score of not less than 75 on the TMOD component within the PAM.

(7)           March 2010 administrations through February 2014 administrations:  passing score on the Part III Clinical Skills Examination (CSE) of the National Board.

(8)           June 1, 2014 administrations through March 2015 administrations: passing score on Part III Injection Skills Examination (ISE) of the National Board.

(9)           Beginning with March 2015 administrations: all applicants must have a passing score on Part III CSE with a score of not less than 75 on the Skills of gonioscopy, binocular indirect ophthalmoscopy and slit lamp biomicroscopy, and a passing score on Part III ISE of the National Board.

(b)  For candidates with passing scores on at least one National Board examination part under different formats and time periods described in Subparagraphs (a)(1), (a)(2), (a)(3), (a)(4), and (a)(5) of this Rule, the following equivalences shall apply:

(1)           Part I and IIA is the equivalent of BS;

(2)           Part IIB is the equivalent of CS without the inclusion of TMOD;

(3)           Part I ABS is the equivalent of Part I BS; and

(4)           Part II PAM is the equivalent of Part II CS.

 

History Note:        Authority G.S. 90-117.5; 90-118;

Eff. February 1, 1976;

Readopted Eff. May 30, 1978;

Amended Eff. June 1, 2014; April 1, 2011; July 1, 1998; May 1, 1995; April 1, 1993; June 1, 1989; September 30, 1981.