About to take my ABO

[shalahoyden]

Hello all!

I found this board through a Google search for anything that would help me study for the ABO in Florida. I'm having the darndest time with it. Everyone I work with took it too many years ago to remember and every time I find study material, it introduces me to terms and formulas I've never heard of much less used. I've been a lab technician for 12 years and for the last 4 of those I've also been measuring and selling glasses. I keep getting told that I'm quite good at both aspects of my job and I'll pass no problem but every single practice test I take I have failed miserably. I even found one on this board, called a Masters Exam and out of 33 questions I got 9 right. I'm terrified to take the test and I'm due to take it on Monday! My boss was kind enough to give me the weekend off to study but I'm just at a loss for what to do right now. I'm also incredibly ashamed that there is so little I know despite having been in the field for so long.

Does anyone have any advice or help for me? I know it's a little last minute but I'm panicking so badly right now I've broken out in hives :(

[Fezz]

***RELAX***

DEEP BREATH IN......................................exhale!

Grab a nice valerian tea. RELAX!



Here is where to start fresh tomorrow!

http://opticianworks.com/

[Fezz]

Plenty of info here:

http://www.optiboard.com/forums/show...study-material

[shalahoyden]

Thank you! I'm trying to relax, but I never was a very good test taker. Or good at studying either. Usually as long as I paid attention in class I'd absorb it and pass tests no problem, but this is a different world now. I tried using the search function but ABO doesn't provide any results and exam gave me so much random stuff that my brain nearly melted. I didn't find your thread at all! Thank you!!!

[Robert Martellaro]

I'm trying to relax, but I never was a very good test taker. Or good at studying either. Usually as long as I paid attention in class I'd absorb it and pass tests no problem, but this is a different world now.

Let's pretend this is the class then. Ask a question in an area where you're weak, and we'll walk you through the problem.

[shalahoyden]

Okay, right now it seems that doing the maths by hand is killing me. I rememeber that there were tricks to multiplying and dividing by decimal points from school but its been almost 20 years since I learned that and had to apply them. That and suddenly every new practice material wants to know what "saggita" are and I don't know how to find that at all

[TEdFitz]

Best basic-intermediate-advanced math resource for a self learner---

www.khanacademy.org

This site has proven itself time and time again while I've been working nights at the front desk of a technical college for the past 12 years. The patrons like that the tutorials are free, in a youtube format, and fairly short. The math section is separated into several easy to understand subsections. Also, if you happen to be a Star Trek fan, the name is easy to remember...

[TEdFitz]

To access:
Go to webpage thru link above...Click on 'Search Khan Academy'...Scroll for your level of math (algebra)...click the topic you need, and video plays. I like how the learning format is almost like having your own private tutor with an old-school blackboard. Check it out on your own time.

[Robert Martellaro]

Okay, right now it seems that doing the maths by hand is killing me. I rememeber that there were tricks to multiplying and dividing by decimal points from school but its been almost 20 years since I learned that and had to apply them. That and suddenly every new practice material wants to know what "saggita" are and I don't know how to find that at all

m = meter
dm = decimeter
cm =centimeter
mm = milimeter

1.00 meter = 10.00dm 100.00cm 1000.00mm

1.00mm is 1/1000 of 1m
1.00cm is 1/100 of 1m
1.00dm is 1/10 of 1m

Notice how the decimal position is moved one, two, or three places to the right or left when converting between units of measurement. For example, converting 10.00mm to cm requires us to move the decimal point to left, because cm is larger unit of measure than mm, so that 10.00mm becomes 1.00cm, or just 1cm. Another example is converting .50cm to mm requires the decimal point to move to the right one place, or 5.0mm, or 5mm.

Hope this helps

[shalahoyden]

I'm going to check out that math site for sure. Sadly my responsibilities today are keeping me out of the house for awhile. Good think I have all my stuff on mobile flashcards! I did make cards for the mm to inches, to meters, to centimeters but it's the trying to plug all that in and multiply and divide by that that is getting me. I think I need a 5th grade math teacher LOL

[Robert Martellaro]

You should know that there is approximately 2.54cm per inch. It's been over 30 years since I've taken it; There's wasn't a lot math on the test, and probably less now. Brush up on anatomy.

http://www.aapos.org/terms/conditions/22

Buy an older addition of System for Ophthalmic Dispensing for $20 or so- it's pretty much all there.

If you get stuck, post it here and someone will help you.

[Blondie]

I'm right there with you. I will be taking my test next Wednesday. Right now I'm overwelmed. I have gone over and over and I think my brain will explode.

[gmc]

Any specific questions? Post away. There are people here that can help.

[Blondie]

Prism and remembering the formulas

[shalahoyden]

Blondie, I have ALWAYS struggled with prism, and no optician I ever worked with could explain the Prentice rule to me in a way that I understood. I finally gave up and would just bring them trays to read the prism in it if i questioned it. I wish I could remember what website it was that I found that put it to me in a way that I finally got it! I shocked the optician on duty last week by bringing her a tray and explained to her what conclusions I came to and how. I was so happy! A big thing is understanding how to find the power at 90 and 180. What I did was just put my question into Google and go through the sites till I found something I could understand, I even managed to find pages from some of those courses you have to pay for! As far as the formulas, just find one and re-write it until it makes sense to you. Effective power was killing me because everywhere I found it was written out in long crazy terms but not explained very well if at all. One page I found actually laid out what each value in the formula meant and I rewrote it in terms that I could understand and remember. I wish I could be further help, if I can sort out what pages those were I'll PM them to you!

Robert- thank you! that page actually had a few more parts on it than I had on most of my pages or flash cards! I know I have all the conversions from millimeters to centimeters to meters to inches and all in the cards but the centimeters to inches and inches to meters I keep getting mixed up. Hopefully I'll sort that out quickly!

[shalahoyden]

Once I get home on Monday I'll post what I saw on it and any concerns I had so you can see it too Blondie, maybe that will help. I know if I could just find someone who took it recently I'd probably feel better but it's like anyone who took it in the last year or two have disappeared!

[shalahoyden]

Also if you want, go to studyblue.com. it's a site for students to post their study material. there's a few different ABO things on there. I put my flashcards on there, which were a combination of the flashcards I was given by someone who took their ABO a few years ago and everything else I could find. I do think there's a few too many about the different types of astigmatism but anything I could find on practice tests and anatomy and measurements is on there. My cards are under the title "ABO Terms and Formulas" and there is the actual practice test from one of the optical test kits you have to pay $250 for that someone uploaded, it has the answers with it and the "why" on most of the answers, explaining how they got there. Honestly that one was probably the most helpful!

(also if you do use my cards, there are a few typos in them but nothing too terrible. sorry about that)

[Blondie]

Thank you for all your informantion and guidence in finding the right things to study from. Good Luck tomorrow, I'm sure you will do just fine.

[gmc]

Prism and remembering the formulas

Visualize the lenses a pairs of prisms. Base to base for plus lenses. Apex to apex for minus lenses. When the OC is moved (decentered) the pupil is looking through a prism. Where is its base?

[shalahoyden]

Thanks Blondie! I've spent the day retaking some of those practice tests (I haven't even looked at them in 2 weeks) and I did insanely better. The flashcards were a huge help in applying the information to some of the more oddly worded questions. I'm feeling much better now, though there is still some stuff I question. For instance:

I came across this question on a practice quiz

As the pantoscopic tilt angle is increased:

A) The spherical equivalent is decreased
B) The optical centers are effectively raised
C) The spherical equivalent is increased
D) The optical centers should be lowered

Apparently the answer is C but I don't understand how. I know that B & D are true but I don't understand how that affects the spherical equivalent

[Robert Martellaro]

Thanks Blondie! I've spent the day retaking some of those practice tests (I haven't even looked at them in 2 weeks) and I did insanely better. The flashcards were a huge help in applying the information to some of the more oddly worded questions. I'm feeling much better now, though there is still some stuff I question. For instance:

I came across this question on a practice quiz

As the pantoscopic tilt angle is increased:

A) The spherical equivalent is decreased
B) The optical centers are effectively raised
C) The spherical equivalent is increased
D) The optical centers should be lowered

Apparently the answer is C but I don't understand how. I know that B & D are true but I don't understand how that affects the spherical equivalent

Martin's rule for tilt.

S1 = S[1 + (sin² a) / (2n)]
C1 = S1(tan² a)

S1 = New sphere power
S = Original sphere power
a = tilt in degrees
n = Refractive index
C1 = Induced cylinder

Tilting the lens 1) Increases the sphere power. 2) Induces cylinder with the same sign as the sphere power. 3) Has an axis of 90 if wrapped, and 180 if oriented around the horizontal axis for pantoscopic tilt.

http://www.oculist.net/downaton502/p...1/v1c051b.html

The OC's should be centered below the pupil on the primary gaze by an amount equal to 1mm for 2 degrees of tilt to compensate for power error and induced cylinder. 'D)' is the wrong answer because there is no frame of reference, that is, the position of the pupil and vertical OC is unknown, so we can't say for sure that the OCs should be lowered.

Scroll down to 'Typical Fitting Geometry'.

[shalahoyden]

Okay, the second half of what you said made sense :D

I think I did okay today, but oh there were SO many questions about prism! Quite a lot of "if this Rx and this decentration what prism?"
I could eliminate half the answers by knowing what direction it was going to be in, but I don't know if I got many of them right. I'm still pretty sure I passed though. I'm just about positive I got the other questions right.

Brush up on adjustments on frames, there was a lot of that and make sure you're using ANSI Z80.1 2010. I don't know if it's much different cause I haven't looked it up yet but all my study material said 2005 was the last update. And bridge types of frames, know that too. There's a few about keyhole and saddle bridges. I know your test will be different but study the prism math!

[Blondie]

I'm taking my text tomorrow. I'm reviewing that information for sure. I'm not sure what Florida requires verses Michigan. Thank you for all your input on where too find study things. I've also been studying from the opticanworks and that has been a big help also.

[shalahoyden]

I am definitely joining opticanworks for the NCLE if they have that, I would have for ABO but I just didn't have the money. I'm sure you're going to do just fine. Good luck!!

[shalahoyden]

I got my results back...I passed! I do wish there was a way to get real information, like what score or what types of questions I got wrong but I'm just happy I passed! Now for the NCLE, but this time I'm starting early!