Abo certification

[lilmrsme]

I am scheduled to take the ABO certification in Mid May. I already have my CPO and CPOA and thought I'd get this one out of the way too. I'm worried about the ABO, in my experience it has always been "hyped up" as the "hard" test and that most people don't pass it. I've also heard there are 2 different versions of the test. I am studying from my CPOA information and the openoptix forum.....Does any one know if there is any truth to two tests and is there something I maybe missing out on for studying. All advice is welcome! :p

[Fezz]

Welcome to Optiboard!

How many versions of the test are there?

Who knows and who cares!

Get prepared, study hard, and don't sweat it!

Are you having any studying stumbling blocks? What is giving you agida? What area do you feel lacking in?

Ask any questions that you have! This board is filled with bright folks who are eager to help (also some dunces, who do not know any manners)!

I am sure one of our resident over-achievers will be along soon to offer some sage advice and words of wisdom!

[Uilleann]

CPO and CPOA seem even less relevant than ABO - at least that seems to be the general rub of things in people I've spoken with across the country. Much like the ABO, it doesn't seem to grant the holder much if any real benefit in the optometric assistant job market. How have you done with your certifications Lil Mrs?

As for the ABO, don't sweat it at all. If a monkey told you it was hard, I'd be dubious. If a rock said the same, I might give it a little more heed. But for any human to find the ABO "hard" - it just escapes me. Clearly you've got some skills - and what's more, some apparent motivation to better yourself with two certifications already under your belt. BRAVO! Your desire to continue that trend with a few more letters after your name is quite admirable. Just know that the ABO in it's current state is what many of us feel to be utterly abysmal and non-relevant to our current field.

Study for a week, ask a few questions here or there, and I'd guess you'll scream through the thing. Don't sweat it. :)

And - WELCOME!

Brian~

[kcount]

Someone called my name?


The ABO has several variations but they all equate to the same basic set up. you'll have 100 questions and need to get at least a 70 to pass. So, given this tidbit of info, you dont want to get 70 right. You simply want to decide which 30 your going to get wrong.

When I took the ABO many moons ago it was heavy on adjusting, so make sure to wear your glasses that day. Remember you cant bring anything but yourself into the test, but your eyeglasses are allowed. THey make great examples hwen your trying to figure something out.
Know your tolerances.
You wont need Snells law so don't even look at it. you will need Prentices Rule, so do look at that. you'll want to know how to do decentration and basic layout. Youll want to be able to identify frame parts, the lensometer, basic anatomy.
Dont sweat the prism stuff! This is where people get turned around. simply do the math and put down your answer.

DONT CHANGE YOUR ANSWERS!!!! your first choice was probably right.

Now go take the test.

[tigerlilly]

I'm also sitting the ABO and NCLE exams next month. What concerns me most is not knowing what it is that I don't know, if that makes any sense. I keep taking the Open Optix practice tests and making notes as I go with anything that I don't know easily, adding the correct answer when I'm reviewing my results. Then I focus on those concepts for study before taking the test again. With the NCLE, I'm still in the general study phase, but I have a practice test from Wes and I'll start doing the same kind of test/review/retest in a couple of weeks.

I'm open to advice as well. I'm pretty nervous about the NCLE.

[lilmrsme]

Thanks for all the positive results! Gives me hope! I took the practice test at Open optix without cracking a book and "passed" as they call it. I am fearful of the Prentice Rule and decentration, but I haven't given it much of a shot yet. I'm just hoping that I've studied enough, time will tell, and I guess it's time to get busy. Any simplification on my two areas of question would be great. As far as the initials behind my name, they will only mean something to me I'm sure, but I realized early on that I needed to do this for me, that way I'd be less disappointed! Thanks again for the new found optical friends!!

[Audiyoda]

I thought the exam was 120 questions?

In any event, as kcount pointed out, you need 70% to pass (a C- in other words). When I took the exam every formula I would have needed (I didn't need them since I took the time to know them) was in the back of the exam booklet.

Honestly I was very disappointed in the exam - I'd say 1/3 of the questions were answered by other questions in the exam. There were 10 questions dedicated to taking measurements of a printed face - what really upset me about that were the answers. I could easily measure the PD at exactly 62 - but the answers were 55-57, 58-60, 61-63, 64-67 - come on, how hard is it to see on that crappy PD 'stick' they give you that the PD was exactly 62? It wasn't 61, it wasn't 63 - it was 62. But all 10 of those questions were like that.

Personally I would like to see the exam be much harder - in line with the ABO-AC exam.

Anyway, good luck, study and go in with a positive attitude that you'll do fine.

[Diane]

I'm also sitting the ABO and NCLE exams next month. What concerns me most is not knowing what it is that I don't know, if that makes any sense. I keep taking the Open Optix practice tests and making notes as I go with anything that I don't know easily, adding the correct answer when I'm reviewing my results. Then I focus on those concepts for study before taking the test again. With the NCLE, I'm still in the general study phase, but I have a practice test from Wes and I'll start doing the same kind of test/review/retest in a couple of weeks.

I'm open to advice as well. I'm pretty nervous about the NCLE.

For the NCLE test, the NAO has the "Beginning Your Life as a Contact Lens Technician". 800-229-4928. It follows the job analysis for the test. As a disclaimer, I am the author.

Diane

[judyseyes]

I am working in a study group studying for ABO Certification. We are studying TOPS Program. How can we find additional study materials? Thanks,:bbg:

[Diane]

I am working in a study group studying for ABO Certification. We are studying TOPS Program. How can we find additional study materials? Thanks,:bbg:

The NAO has a number of additional resources. There is a new one that follows the ABO job analysis as well called Basic Opticians Tutorial.

Diane

[Diane]

Thanks for all the positive results! Gives me hope! I took the practice test at Open optix without cracking a book and "passed" as they call it. I am fearful of the Prentice Rule and decentration, but I haven't given it much of a shot yet. I'm just hoping that I've studied enough, time will tell, and I guess it's time to get busy. Any simplification on my two areas of question would be great. As far as the initials behind my name, they will only mean something to me I'm sure, but I realized early on that I needed to do this for me, that way I'd be less disappointed! Thanks again for the new found optical friends!!

lilmrsme,

Years ago, when I already owned my own practice, I decided that I wanted advanced certification, so went for the Master's Certification. (There wasn't a separation then, between advanced and then Master's.) I also wanted advanced level for contact lenses which was the Fellow for the Contact Lens Society of America. I went for both, knowing that it would take a lot of work and study. People (in our field) asked me why, when I already owned my own practice would I want to go to all that trouble (and expense), "are you going to pay yourself more money?" My answer was that with the study needed to pass would be knowledge, and my patients were worth that knowledge. I also wanted it for my self respect, which is what I'm seeing from you. Letters may not mean anything to some, but it will to you and to your patients. Give them the best, which is you...:) Study hard. It's a great profession.

Diane

[Diane]

Prentice Rule may seem difficult, but it's not. In effect, it is simply the effect that the power has when moved to another place. It could be prescribed that way or it could be in error. For example:

Given an Rx of -4.00 sphere OU, the patient’s PD is 62mm (31mm OU). The glasses are fabricated and when checking them out, it is found that the PD is 66. That means that the PD is off 2mm in each eye. Using the formula, let’s find out how much prism is induced in each eye.

You may be using one of the following formulas. If using the first one, you will not have to convert from mm to cm since you already divide by 10.


Prentice Rule - (eliminates the additional step of converting from mm to cm)

P (D) = (h x D)/10


Where:
h = distance moved in mm
D = total dioptric power for the meridian

h = 2 mm each eye
D = -4.00 OU
P (D) = (h x D)/10 ((this means to divide the sum by 10))

P (D) =( 2 x 4.00)/10

PD = .8 for each eye

Prentice Rule - (includes the additional step of converting from mm to cm)

Prism (D) = h x D

h = 2 mm each eye (remember to convert to cm)
h = .2 cm each eye
D = -4.00 OU
PD = .2 X 4.00
PD = .8

We must also identify the direction. Since the PD is wider than it should be and the power of the lens is minus, the prism is base out BI. If it were a plus lens, it would be base out BO prism.

Diane

[Diane]

..... I am fearful of ...decentration!

Monocular Decentration (Each eye)

The formula is:

Dec = ½ FPD – PPD

Where:
FPD = Frame PD
PPD = Patient monocular distance PD

Binocular Decentration (Per eye)

The formula is:

Dec = FPD – PPD
2
Where:
FPD = Frame PD
PPD = Patient binocular distance PD


The purpose of decentration is to ensure that the optical center of the lens is positioned directly over the pupil (visual axis) of the patient’s eye. To do this you would use the patient’s PD and subtract it from the frame PD. This is referred to as decentration. Let’s use the example of a patient’s distant PD being 62mm binocularly, or 31mm monocularly. To determine the frame PD, you simply add the eye size which is the “A” measurement to the bridge size. Because of manufacturing differences, this may be somewhat “off”, so simply measure from within the temporal eyewire on one lens to the nasal eyewire of the opposite eyewire. Let’s say the eye size is 54, and the bridge is 21 giving the total frame PD of 75. Decentration is determined by subtracting the patient’s PD from the frame PD and dividing it in half. For example, the frame PD is 75, the patient’s PD is 62. The difference is 13. Divide 13 by 2 and the decentration would be 6.5mm for each eye and since the frame PD is wider than the patient’s PD the decentration is IN. IF the patient’s PD were wider than the frame PD, the decentration would be OUT.

Diane

[azulagirl]

I am an apprentice optician and I have completed the OCPP through the NAO. I have been working in the eyecare field now for about 2 years, I'm working on getting licensed in New York. Now I am studying for the ABO. I am extremely worried about the math portion of the exam. What formulas would be good for me to memorize? It's hard for me to learn some of these as they were not explained very well in the OCPP books. Does anyone have any advice for the math, or know of where I can go online for math review that will make sense?? I did find the open optix site that Laramy-K Optical has up and I have found that to be helpful. I'm just really struggling with the math!

Thanks! Any feedback is welcome! ;)

[Wes]

The NAO has a number of additional resources. There is a new one that follows the ABO job analysis as well called Basic Opticians Tutorial.

Diane

Are you a contributing author to this as well as the advanced opticians tutorial?

[Diane]

Are you a contributing author to this as well as the advanced opticians tutorial?

Wes,

My name will not be included as an author in the total re-write of the Basic Opticians Tutorial. I will be listed as a contributor...It was my suggestion to use the job analysis as the outline for the book, and a huge amount is information that I wrote. Dunno why I can't get authorship???

Diane

[Fezz]

Dunno why I can't get authorship???

Diane

You are an author as far as I am concerned! Thank you for your hard work and dedication to our profession!!!


:cheers::cheers::cheers:

[HarryChiling]

I am working in a study group studying for ABO Certification. We are studying TOPS Program. How can we find additional study materials? Thanks,:bbg:

Contact me @ (888)314-LENS, I have a huge library and I have some free study materials available for you and the group. Not to mention I work in MD.