UMSL Students Continue to Excel on the National Board Examinations
When an applicant makes the very important decision as to which College of Optometry they desire to attend, one of the critical factors is how well the students in that College perform on the National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO) examinations. In particular, it is very important to have passed all three examinations prior to graduation in order to eliminate any delays in practicing.
Historically the UMSL College of Optometry performs above – and typically well above - the national average on these examinations. That was the case again in 2014. The new test takers (i.e., the Class of 2015) averaged over 8% higher than the national average on Part One. For all Part One test takers, UMSL had a 15% higher pass rate than the national average.
The College of Optometry takes great pride in helping prepare the students to be successful on this, the most challenging of the three examinations. In addition to a review course, several faculty provide – upon request – review sessions in their area(s) of specialty and a PowerPoint is provided which includes strategies and resources that had proven to be successful via a survey of the previous class. UMSL students have always been very good about forming study groups and working together to achieve success.
The ultimate pass rate was also exceptional. 100% of the Class of 2014 passed all three examinations prior to graduation. This can be compared to a national average of 90.8%. Congratulations to our students and recent graduates for an exceptional performance on these very rigorous examinations.