Ahh, it's finally over! I took the ABO exam yesterday, and it was a little harder than I thought it would be. I was wondering what others who took it thought of it?
Ahh, it's finally over! I took the ABO exam yesterday, and it was a little harder than I thought it would be. I was wondering what others who took it thought of it?
Pam, I took the test yesterday also. I thought it was EXTREMELY difficult!!!! I thought that with all the effort I put into studying and stressing that if I don't pass I will consider looking into other career options. I will not EVER take that again. In light of things I wish now that I went to school instead of going on the apprentice program. At least the people there are being paid to teach you. When you have to rely on co-workers and a book to learn you are pretty much on your own. I sat there after opening the test with tears welling up in my eyes thinking to myself "what the @#$$ am I doing here?" I really don't mean to be going off about apprenticeship. It's great if everyone is going to back you and help you every step of the way. I guess I am just really disgusted today. I am glad it's over. I think I would have done a whole lot better if I took $130 and threw it out my car window. At least it would have made a lot more sense than this test.
Have a good day and sorry for whining,
Steph
Steph,
Buck Up! I'm sure that you did fine on the test. Wait until you get the results before you call it a waste of money....and even then, it's not a waste if you learned something. i.e.. what you need to study in more depth next time. If you decide not to take it again and for some reason WANT to throw $130 out the window..I'll give you my address and you can mail it to me. I'll be happy to throw it out of a window around here ;-)
Chad "Senior` Positive" Huber
Steph, you are not alone in that boat. I have had some formal training and some apprenticeship, and I felt like I had only been studying for a month instead of 6 when I left there. Hopefully that will be considered one of the harder exams and they will let us get more wrong than 30. I most definitely do not want to take it again! Of course, now I've got to start studying for the NCLE...
[This message has been edited by Pam (edited 05-23-2000).]
It's been 30 yrs. since I took the exam...I'm sure that the body of knowledge being tested is much greater. So we study and are shocked by what is asked and realize how much there is we don't know. Surprise,surprise. It's very humbling, but that brings about growth. So, be open to learning. If you didn't pass, they'll let you take the test again. $130 is a very small price to pay for the knowledge of what the ABO considers important they me know! Even is you somehow passed, the realization that there is more to learn is important. I've seen many of your past posts, you're bright and caring and will do better, things are now the way they're supposed to be, don't beat yourself up, just be humble and persist. Al.
Steph,
I'm sorry you had such a disappointing experience with the examination. Coincidentally, I had an employee named Steph who took the NCLE on Saturday. She had studied very hard and had asked lots of questions- I imagined that she was very prepared for the exam. Well, she says most of the things we covered were not on the exam, and there were a lot of questions on subjects that were only briefly discussed in the study material (e.g., solutions).
After hearing some of the questions, I believe they were all legitimate, relevant questions (in the past, I've assisted with the question writing process- there are great pains taken to ensure the questions aren't "tricky" or "trivial"). However, apparently the content of the exam has changed appreciably in the past few cycles... perhaps the ABO/NCLE needs to republish the "breakdowns" of how the test is weighted.
Anyway, I hope your fears are unfounded and you passed the exam. However, even if you didn't, I hope you are able to continue in the field (albeit, perhaps with people who are more inclined to help you along). In our employee's case, I believe she probably passed... I also know that there was no way anyone here could have been more helpful- we just need to know what areas employees need to study for the test.
Good Luck,
Pete
Steph,
Cheer up, Honey. Chances are you did fine. Doesn't it make you feel a little better to know that the test is a worth while test? Depending on the book(s) you studied, you may have done well.
This is a good profession, and you're right, maybe school would have been better, and right now, is the best time to look into that very issue, if you didn't pass, and maybe even if you did. There are those in this field that have decided after MANY years in the business to go back and get a degree. With three ways to do so, you have choices.
At any rate, whatever the outcome of YOUR test, I have great confidence that you will continue with your particular education. You've shown that you are interested and have the heart.
Diane
Thanks everyone for making me feel better about it! I was feeling pretty "dumb" for a couple of days. I now realize that it is just a test. Ok it is important, but does it REALLY mean you are a better optician? I know some licensed people who don't even know to adjust a frame before measuring for a seg. I really do love optical, but Lord it sure does sometimes not seem so worth it to go through such torture! On a lighter note my husband studied with me so much that he said he thinks he should be given an honorary ABO. He was waiting for me when I got out of the test discussing prism!!! The funniest part is that he was making sense!LOL! I should have let him take it instead at least he got some sleep that night. Pete, the guy I work with took the NCLE on Sunday too and said it was very hard. I can't even imagine it being harder than the ABO. I am afraid to find out. I really don't think there is any RIGHT way to study for either tests. I even took a review class 2 weeks ago with an ABO master and almost nothing we went over was on the test. I memorized the entire oblique axis chart and I had not one question on it. I thought that was going to be my biggest weakness! Whatever!! Only time will tell now.
Thanks Again!!
Steph
P.S. Chad, can I charge that $130.00 to my Sears charge and can I use my WM discount card?
To Pam & Steph and everyone else who took the ABO &/or NCLE exams: I think the really tough part is waiting to hear how you did! By the time the results are back, the questions on the test that apply to the sections that you may not have done so well on are getting a little foggy....anyway... we had 2 ABO and 1 NCLE test taker from our location and I know they are gonna be stressing these next several weeks...so Paul, Russell, and Doug: if you guys are reading this...we've got our fingers crossed that you didn't lose your places or go blank on the questions that you should have known forwards and backwards and inside out! :)
I DONT SEE WHATS SO DIIFICULT ABOUT TAKING THE ABO OR THE NCLE I PASSED BOTH AFTER MY FIRST SEMESTER OF COLLEGE 10 YRS AGO. TRY TAKING THE ABOM TEST OR BETTER YET THE N.J. STATE BOARDS LIKE I DID. STUDY MY GIRL!
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EyeRx,
The hardest part about this test was the questions that had absolutely nothing to do with what I had studied or what I do on a daily basis. There was a post earlier that said there are no "trick" questions on this test - maybe not, but some of them were definitely tricky. I don't think that taking this test made me a better optician, but studying for it definitely did. Maybe there could have been a few more questions on it that were relevant to what opticians actually do...
OK...two things....
First: Stephanie, you cannot charge the $130, that would mean I would have to give 2% back to the card clearinghouse, pay 25% in business taxes and then 28% in personal income taxes. Then a 12% WallyWorld cut for their guest card and I would be left with less than a Happy Meal. You can however collect all the pennies laying around the house and car and mail them to me 3rd class domestic mail. ;)
2nd thing: EYERX, please post in both the upper and lower cases of text. Uppercase only is "like" shouting to us Opti/computer nerds :) BTW, where in the heck is Manahawkin?? And do they make young children learn how to spell that in grammer school?...lol
Chad "Obviously Bored" Huber
Hi everyone! First, Chad, you know where I work do you really think I have any spare pennies laying around? I don't feel that those of us who felt the Abo was difficult did not study. Quite the contrary in my case and I am sure in Pam's too. There is only so much studying you can do. I studied everything I was told to and then some for absolutely hours!! If I don't pass it certainly will NOT be because I didn't try. I also don't feel like it made me a better optician. Being formerly from NJ myself, I have heard about their state boards. I also know where Manahawkin is. Ah see so those of you who assumed because I live in TN that I talk with a southern accent would have been very surprised to talk to me on the phone!LOL!
Have a great day!!
Steph"does anyone have a yankee to rebel dictionary?" D
I took the ABO test and found it to be a very simple basic test on Optical knowledge. There were a few basic questions on the Z-80 standards. A couple of questions on the eye. How to take power wheel readings off a lensometer and convert it to an RX. A few questions on the best choice of lenses. How to convert an rx to intermediate and near. How much prism and direction on Rx's that were incorrectly decentered. How to measure a PD and Fitting height. If you do not do these things daily as an Optician what do you do?
Jerry,
I do those things pretty much every day, but there were 100 questions on that test. I'll tell you one thing - when I specify an "A" measurement or take a seg height, I don't give the lab a "range" of measurements. We all had the same test book and ruler - I was wondering why the answers weren't more specific.
Pam,I agree with you. I KNOW how to do all the things that were listed in the above post, but most of the questions I had were basically give the best possible answer with 4 good answers to choose from. I was thinking "ok, what do they think my best possible answer should be?" That was what I felt was hard about it. I had MANY of those questions. I thought I was wasting valuable time trying to figure out what they wanted from me. Without a patient sitting in front of me telling me what they want me to do it is hard to say what the best possible answer is. I am trying not to think about it. I think with the amount of help that I received from everyone who was supposed to help me that I will have done well even if I didn't pass.
Have a Good one!
Steph
Pam,
I thought that the range given for the answer on the frame was very generous. True you give the exact measurement when ordering a lens. But this was a test and it was open to interpretation. Since the drawing was a trace of a shape the actual measurement of the lens would be inside the drawing. If you assumed the outside of the line was the edge of the lens you would get another measurement. For this reason I feel that the range was very justified. Test are nothing more than a sampling of what you know and what you need to know.
The fact that so many people took the test is a good sign for Opticianry. Those of us who took the test should use the results as a measuring stick as to where we stand.
The fact that we are disussing the test and what we felt about it is very good. Whether we agree or not is not important. What is important is that we are voicing our opinions and discussing how we feel about the test.
Hello Jerry ,
Be very careful how you treat the people on the Optiboard I know for a FACT the the lab you work in has dispensing opticians who are told to "Just sell it and Jerry will figure it out" These people are doing their jobs as opticians on an everyday basis and do a lot more than you may give them credit for. I passed the ABO on my first try also and am wondering if the test that us younger opticians take is the same that you did? Were there really #2 pencils in existence when you took the test? Hope that California is treating you well and that Louise is doing great..........Your Frame Tech Pal
Mikol
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Well, seems like crusty lab managers never change :) Hi jerry!, did you get the email I sent you?Originally posted by Jerry Thornhill:
I took the ABO test and found it to be a very simple basic test on Optical knowledge. There were a few basic questions on the Z-80 standards. A couple of questions on the eye. How to take power wheel readings off a lensometer and convert it to an RX. A few questions on the best choice of lenses. How to convert an rx to intermediate and near. How much prism and direction on Rx's that were incorrectly decentered. How to measure a PD and Fitting height. If you do not do these things daily as an Optician what do you do?
Karen (formerly Newport OSA)
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Because I'm the princess, that's why
Mikol and Karen,
Yes, Mike they had No#2 pencils when I took the test in 1980. In fact that was about all they had. As for the test the younger Opticians take, that was what I was referring to. I took the test last Sunday to recertify as I had not kept up continuing education. I found this test to be easier and more into everyday stuff than the first one. If I do not pass it is no ones fault but mine. It had nothing to do with what was on the test or how the test was written.
Mike, I still remember the Taco's and beer your Mom made on our visit. give your parents my best. I also remember the damn ticket. Louise has Valley Fever and has good days and bad days. She has to take a lot of medicine but still works every day. I find that amazing.
Karen, I got your e-mail and will try to answer over the weekend. I expected to see you at the SOLAMAX seminar in Orange, but you were a no show.
Hello Mr. Thornhill,Originally posted by Jerry Thornhill:
Mikol and Karen,
Yes, Mike they had No#2 pencils when I took the test in 1980. In fact that was about all they had. As for the test the younger Opticians take, that was what I was referring to. I took the test last Sunday to recertify as I had not kept up continuing education. I found this test to be easier and more into everyday stuff than the first one. If I do not pass it is no ones fault but mine. It had nothing to do with what was on the test or how the test was written.
Mike, I still remember the Taco's and beer your Mom made on our visit. give your parents my best. I also remember the damn ticket. Louise has Valley Fever and has good days and bad days. She has to take a lot of medicine but still works every day. I find that amazing.
Karen, I got your e-mail and will try to answer over the weekend. I expected to see you at the SOLAMAX seminar in Orange, but you were a no show.
What is "Valley Fever"?
Curious,
Darris C.
Congratulation's to all who took the ABO. I know it must have been extremely tough test. I'm just glad that I didn't have to take it again!
Karen, I got your e-mail and will try to answer over the weekend. I expected to see you at the SOLAMAX seminar in Orange, but you were a no show. [/B][/QUOTE]
That's because I was at the one in Ontario-I have Riverside and San Berdoo Counties so that was the one I was instructed to attend- and you know how I always do what I am told! I am looking forward to hearing from you.
Darris,
Valley Fever (Coccidioidomycosis) is a fungal disease from dust. It is really prevalent in the San Joaquin Valley of California and the Phoenix area. Unfortunately it settled in Lou's lungs and she has it in its dessimated form and hasbeen on large amounts of anti-fungal medicine for the past year. Normal dosage is 150mg a day she is on 600mg a day. she is very suceptable to bronchitis and is very fatigued. It is not communicable. She broke a rib from coughing. She still works every day although our employer has told her she could retire and her check would continue. I think that is amazing for him to do this.
Thank you for your interest.
Jerry
Steph and Pam.............Congrats on sitting
for the exam in the first place. I took the ABO exam 16 years ago and although memory reminds me that it MAY have been less dificult, part of me remembers feeling a bit insecure until "The letter" arrives in the mailbox. I am sure you will both pass with flying colors and proudly there will be two more Certified Opticians to enhance our profession...........Jackie O
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