Description of the Oral Examination in Ophthalmology
The Oral Certification Examination in Ophthalmology is an opportunity for the
Board to examine your ability to diagnose and treat patients requiring medical,
surgical, and refractive ophthalmic care. The cases you will be presented will
be based upon real or hypothetical patients. For each case you will be given a
brief history of the patient's present symptoms or complaints. You may
need to probe for more information, develop a differential diagnosis, request
laboratory tests or diagnostic examinations. You will be expected to describe
the treatment process. Additionally, the examinee may be questioned regarding
the risks related to a treatment process or what other treatment options might
be considered. In obtaining the information, you should speak clearly and be
cognizant of time constraints applicable to your handling each case. You may ask
the examiner to repeat information that you did not hear clearly. Be certain
that you understand what is being asked of you before responding.
The examination consists of four or more cases. For each case study a
threshold score has been established. The threshold score represents the minimum
passing score that is expected of a practicing physician in Ophthalmology. The
threshold score for each case has been established prior to its administration.
Board Diplomates in Ophthalmology, with the guidance of a psychometrician, have
estimated the expected minimal performance for each area within each case. These
minimal performance expectations are combined to obtain the minimum expected
score on a case.
For each case, an examinee is scored in several areas. An examinee's
performance is typically scored in each of the following areas:
- History of the patient The examinee is expected to probe for the
history of the patient (e.g., onset/course/location/associated symptoms,
allergies, medications, past medical history; social/family history,
surgical history, and psychological history)
- Physical examination The examinee is expected to request
information about specific aspects of the patient's physical
condition (e.g., neck, chest, heart, back, neurological, skin, abdomen,
musculoskeletal, and other areas applicable to the case)
- Requested laboratory tests and diagnostic examinations The
examinee will order appropriate laboratory tests and diagnostic
examinations; the examinee will be provided the results.
- Diagnosis of the patient The examinee will be expected to propose
a differential diagnosis/diagnoses for the case presented.
- Management of the patient The examinee will indicate what
treatment is recommended, including non-operative, operative, and
post-operative management. The examinee may be asked to provide a rationale.
- Disposition/Pathophysiology The examinee may be presented with
follow-up conditions of the patient, including complications to which
the examinee will be asked to recommend appropriate actions; or the examinee
may be asked to describe possible complications/outcomes and appropriate
corrective actions. Additionally, other related questions regarding the
patients condition may be asked.
A candidate's score on any one case is completely independent of his
or her score on any other case. To pass, the examinee must minimally obtain a
total score (sum of the scores from all cases) that equals or exceeds the sum of
the threshold scores for the cases. Therefore, it is possible that an examinee
may score less than the threshold score for one case, but still pass the
examination, provided he or she scores well on the remainder of the cases to
offset the lower score.
The four or more cases presented will address a variety of situations. No two
cases will address exactly the same topic. Topics presented to the examinee may
include, but not limited to:
- Refraction and Contact Lenses
- Glaucoma
- Cataracts
- NeuroOphthalmology
- Retina & Orbits
- Lids & Orbits
- Pediatrics & Strabismus
- Cornea and External Disease
- Uveitis
- Intraocular Tumors
- Pathology
Examiners will not indicate whether you have passed a case or not. No
comments made by the examiner should be interpreted by the examinee as implying
that he or she has either passed or failed a case.
Examinees should plan to arrive one-half hour before the scheduled beginning
of the examination and expect to be in the examination room for nearly two
hours. For this examination you will be given pencils and paper to use during
the course of the examination. Also, you will not be permitted to bring into the
examination room books, electronic devices, backpacks, or parcels. The only
thing you will absolutely need to bring is a government-issued photo ID card
such as a Driver's License or Passport for examination check-in.
Drinking water will be available in the room. A restroom break is
permissible, but only between cases.
ABPS will provide reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities,
provided the disabilities are documented and the accommodations requested are
applicable to the disabilities. Requests for special accommodations should be
made to ABPS at least two months in advance of the examination. ABPS will
forward specific instructions for the documentation that will be needed from the
examinee or the evaluator of the examinee's disability. Any requests for
special accommodations less than one month before the examination will not be
honored since there will not be sufficient time to review the documentation and
arrange for the special accommodations.
All ABPS examinations are administered only in English. Responses from
examinees to examination questions must be in English for the candidate to be
eligible to receive credit towards his or her examination score.
The results of the examinee's performance on the Oral Examination are
mailed within 75 days of the examination. A careful review of the scoring and
analyses of the results are conducted after the examination and before issuing
reports, to verify the accuracy and validity of the results.
Examinees who fail to pass an Oral Examination have the opportunity to take
an examination consisting of three different cases at the next scheduled
administration. At the current time, an examinee is permitted no more than three
attempts to pass the Oral Examination.
Should you have any questions, please call the ABPS Executive Offices at
813-433-2277.
