64B13-4.001. Examination Requirements

(1) Licensure Examination. The licensure examination authorized in Section 463.006(2), F.S., shall consist of the following parts:

(a) The Patient Assessment and Management (PAM) portion of the examination developed by the National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO) as Part II of its examination which includes an embedded Treatment and Management of Ocular Disease (TMOD) examination. An applicant for licensure in Florida must obtain a passing score on the TMOD section of the examination as well as an overall passing score on the examination.

(b) The Clinical Skills (CSE) portion of the examination developed by the NBEO as Part III of its examination.

(c) A written examination on applicable Florida laws and rules governing the practice of optometry developed yearly by Florida Board of Optometry approved consultants, and administered by NBEO as Part IV of its examination. The Board shall review and approve the content of the laws and rules examination annually. A score of eighty-four percent (84%) or better must be obtained in order to achieve a passing score on Part IV of the NBEO examination.

(d) The Florida Practical Examination. The Florida Practical Examination shall be developed by consultants approved by the Florida Board of Optometry in conjunction with the NBEO, and shall be administered by the NBEO as part of the NBEO National Clinical Skills examination.

1. Examiners for the Florida Practical Examination, and the grading criteria to be used by the examiners, shall be those selected by the NBEO to examine and grade the NBEO CSE.

2. The Florida Practical Examination shall include the following tested skills.

a. Biomicroscopy

b. Binocular Indirect Ophthalmoscopy

c. Dilated Biomicroscopy and Non-Contact Fundus Lens Evaluation

d. Gonioscopy

e. Tonometry

(2) Passing Scores.

(a) An applicant for licensure must achieve a passing score on all four (4) parts of the licensure examination in order to be licensed in Florida. The passing score for the Florida Laws and Rules examination is as set by the Board in this rule. Passing scores for the Patient Assessment and Management portion and the Clinical Skills portion of the NBEO licensure examination are established by the NBEO.

(b)1. Pursuant to Section 463.006(3), F.S., the Board will accept passing scores obtained on any part of the licensure examination obtained within the three (3) year period immediately preceding application for licensure or within the three (3) year period following submission of an application for licensure in Florida. Scores obtained on any part of the licensure examination obtained more than three (3) years immediately preceding application or more than three (3) years following the date of submission of an application for Florida licensure will not be accepted.

2. Pursuant to Section 120.60(1), F.S., the Board’s approval of an application will not result in issuance of a license until passing scores on all parts of the Florida licensure examination are achieved.

3. If an applicant fails to achieve passing scores on all parts of the Florida licensure examination within the time period specified above, the Board shall not certify the applicant to the Department and the applicant shall not be issued a Florida license based upon the approved application; to achieve licensure, the applicant must re-apply and meet all then-current licensing requirements.

(c) Pursuant to Rule 64B13-4.004, F.A.C., an application for licensure will not be deemed complete until an applicant demonstrates graduation from a Board approved school or college of optometry as specified in subsection 64B13-4.004(2), F.A.C.; incomplete applications expire one (1) year after initial filing.

(3) Certification Examination. A licensee applying for certification must obtain a passing score on either the TMOD examination embedded in the Patient Assessment and Management portion of the examination developed and administered by the NBEO or a passing score on the stand alone TMOD examination developed and administered by the NBEO.

Rulemaking Authority 456.017(1), 463.005, 463.006(2) FS. Law Implemented 456.013, 456.017(1), 463.006(2), (3) FS. History–New 11-13-79, Amended 5-28-80, 7-10-80, 8-20-81, 2-14-82, 6-6-82, 10-3-82, 4-10-84, 5-29-85, Formerly 21Q-4.01, Amended 7-21-86, 11-20-86, 7-27-87, 7-11-88, 7-18-91, 4-14-92, Formerly 21Q-4.001, Amended 2-14-94, Formerly 61F8-4.001, Amended 8-8-94, 11-21-94, 4-21-96, Formerly 59V-4.001, Amended 7-27-99, 7-15-02, 3-8-04, 4-22-10, 10-13-10, 7-21-11, 6-5-12, 2-27-14, 11-5-14, 9-30-15, 9-7-17, 1-24-18, 10-2-18, 3-31-22.