July 25th 2012- The message below is an e-mail sent from the NBEO on July 25th 2012 . It contents were not created by OptometryStudents.com and it is directly copy and pasted from the NBEO e-mail with no changes made. It is here to act as an additional notice, resource and alert to the student body so as to keep students aware of this important development.
Registration for the December 4, 2012 administration of the NBEO’s Part II – Patient Assessment and Management (PAM) examination will open on August 1, 2012. This year PAM is being administered as a computer-based test at Pearson VUE test centers, so the registration process is slightly different than in the past. Candidates are responsible for familiarizing themselves with ALL of the information contained in this email. This information also is being sent to the NBEO liaisons at the schools and colleges and to the AOSA president, and is being posted to the NBEO website (www.optometry.org).
Important Dates
- August 1, 2012: Registration opens at 11:00 AM ET
- September 4, 2012: ADA request deadline*
- October 2, 2012: Registration deadline
- October 3-17, 2012: Extended registration period (with $400 late fee)
- December 4, 2012: Examination date
*Candidates requesting ADA accommodations are encouraged to begin the application process immediately. Candidates may submit an ADA request prior to registering for the Part II examination.
Registration / Scheduling Process
- Candidates register and pay for the exam on the NBEO’s website www.optometry.org. Once payment and eligibility are confirmed (this may take up to 3 business days, depending on your college liaison’s availability to confirm eligibility), candidates will receive an email from the NBEO with instructions for scheduling an appointment to take the examination at a Pearson VUE test center.
- On the Pearson VUE website, candidates will choose a test center at which to take the December 4, 2012 exam. A list of Pearson VUE test center locations is posted on the NBEO’s website at http://www.optometry.org/pdf/Pearson_Vue_Sites.pdf. There are limited seats at each test center, and the seats are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Candidates are encouraged to register for the exam early in order to have the widest selection of seats.
- Candidates who are assigned to off-campus externships in December 2012 are strongly urged to take the PAM exam at a Pearson VUE test center close to their externship site. The greatest demand for seats will be at test centers near the schools and colleges of optometry; students who are assigned to externships on or near their school’s campus will need those seats.
- Pearson VUE is holding all of its 3000+ seats exclusively for NBEO candidates taking the December 4, 2012 exam, until 60 days prior to the exam. On October 4, 2012 (2 days after the registration deadline), unreserved seats will be released to other testing organizations, creating more competition for the remaining seats. Therefore, candidates who register after the October 2 deadline may have difficulty finding a seat at a convenient test center and may incur significant travel expenses in addition to the $400 late fee.
Additional information about the Pearson VUE scheduling process will be sent to candidates once registration is complete and eligibility is confirmed.
If you have questions, please contact the NBEO 704.332.9565 or e-mail them on their website www.optometry.org
