A day in the life of an OptStudent

This past Saturday, April 10th I took my last and third national board exam, also known as NBEO Part III. This is a purely clinical exam where we see patients and perform 18 different optometric techniques. I took the exam in Fullerton, at our school which was the best bet for any SCCO student of course, since we were already familiar with the equipment in the clinic there. We entered into the main lecture hall building to meet up for a brief orientation. Prior to entering the building, we were required to remove or cover up anything that identifies our names or what school we attend - including anything on our lab coats and equipment. We were also presented with a list of required equipment to bring since there are certain items that will not be provided. We were also given a label that has our candidate ID number and it also has what order we will proceed with each station (out of the 4 stations). We were then given an orientation that talked about the logistics of the exam, etc. Afterwards we entered the clinic and proceeded with testing.

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So here's my take on the NBEO II. I just took it this past Tuesday, and there were two 3.5 hour sessions (8:30 AM to 12:00 PM and 1:30 PM to 5:00 PM). The test center was in the Titan Student Union in Cal State Fullerton, and we took it inside a huge conference/meeting hall. There were many students from different schools (since they are likely around the region for rotations), but there were more SCCO students than any other. As a general rule for any standardized test, I wore layers because I didn't know what to expect as far as temperature...turns it it was freezing inside! At least that's how I felt.

The test itself involves 30 patient cases per session (a total of 60), with 5-6 questions per patient. The content was heavily clinical, with some basic science, ethics, and biostatistics concepts scattered througout. I really can't get into details with what was specifically on the exam, since we were instructed not to do so at the test site (sorry). The Part II format we took was brand new; previously Part III used to have both a written and practical portion, but now that written section of Part III was moved into Part II. Overall I felt like I studied much more than I should have. In other words I felt like I got too worked up with little details when studying for this test. Much of the test involved cases that 4th-year optometry students should know already (of course there were still some that I didn't know at all). But the scary part is, this test has fewer questions than NBEO I, thus a smaller margin for error so I can't say with 100% confidence that I've passed. But what I can say is that I did put my best effort and I don't know how else I would have studied if I had to do it all over again. SCCO has had over a 90-95% pass rate for both Part II and III so I'm hoping that my education here lead me to success. I'll keep you posted if I pass or not - I'll be finding out around mid January so we'll see!!!

I am struggling to study right now - not because the material is difficult, but it's super hard to get motivated when you're almost through!!! Just three more finals and I'm out of the classroom forever! The main thing on my mind right now is just getting these exams over with then I have a wedding to worry about next weekend (no not mine yet, it's my brother's and I'm the best man). I volunteered to make the slideshow and I also have to come up with a speech, both of which are nowhere near done. And I also have to prep for his bachelor party. Once that's all done, then I begin my first rotation the day after Memorial Day. That commute is going to be so crappy with the LA traffic, but fortunately I have two other classmates that live in my apartment complex that will be commuting with me, so we can use the carpool lanes. Regardless, a current 4th year told me that the commute takes about 1.5 to 2 hours one way!