New to the field

So, first and foremost, I am a "baby" in the field. I have only been in the position of Dispensing Optician for 7 months now, and did not work in any optical setting prior to being hired here. I have and am still being trained under some wonderful people who really care and are dedicated to helping me become the best optician I can be. I live in a state that does not require certification but work for a small independent practice that is very encouraging and supportive of my desire to do so.

My question for y'all is what advice would you give leading up to testing. (Don't worry I'd like to put many more hours into training/learning before taking the certification test) But I am interested in what helped everyone, what tools did you use, what text books, what websites? What was the hardest part for you? ( calculating prism took a little while(longer than id like to admit) for me to get used to, and trusting myself enough to run the edger without supervision was so nerve wracking, but has now become one of my favorite parts of the job.)

Anyway, my apologies for rambling, any advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks In Advance!

Join OpticianWorks and watch John's videos. He has a great teaching style and explains things in ways that make it easier to understand. He has a course to get you through the ABO too. Go to the "Tips on Dispensing" thread on here-it's looong but full of fantastic tips from some very knowledgeable opticians. :redface:

I have done the OpticianWorks! That was the first thing my employer set up for me. I have finished all of the courses provided, however I am going to go through them again, at least one more time. I loved his videos and his teaching style. Thank you for the advice! I greatly appreciate it!