Test Accommodations
Table of Contents
General Information
Medical Accommodations
NBEO will provide reasonable test accommodations to all qualified candidates in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Candidates should be aware that a diagnosis of impairment, by itself, is not sufficient to warrant test accommodations. There also must be compelling evidence that a candidate has a substantial limitation in a major life activity when compared with the average person in the general population. It is the candidate’s functional limitations that will determine the appropriateness of any test accommodations. There also must be compelling evidence that a candidate has a substantial limitation in a major life activity when compared with the average person in the general population. It is the candidate’s functional limitations that will determine the appropriateness of any test accommodations.
To request medical accommodations, candidates must submit:
- Completed online Request for Test Accommodations Form.
- Written disability documentation from an appropriate health care professional (within the last twelve months). Qualified professionals must type reports on letterhead, sign, date, and include the professionals’ qualifications, substantiate the requested accommodations, and demonstrate the candidate’s functional limitations. Supporting documentation should follow the Document Guidelines for Psychoeducational Evaluations found on the NBEO website, if applicable.
- Letter from candidate’s optometry school indicating the accommodations they are receiving and the date those accommodations began.
- OAT or other standardized test (e.g. GRE, MCAT, DAT) scores and documentation of accommodations received during testing, if applicable.
- Personal statement that explains why the candidate is requesting accommodations and provides background information about their disability and accommodations history.
NBEO reserves the right to obtain, and typically does obtain, an expert consultant’s review of a candidate’s request for test accommodations. NBEO may share a candidate’s request for test accommodations, including supporting documentation, with such expert consultants.
Candidates should email all documentation to NBEO at accommodations@optometry.org.
If the documentation listed above is not provided, the request may be deemed incomplete and may not be considered until all documentation is submitted.
Religious Accommodations
Candidates may request test accommodations based on sincere religious beliefs or observances by submitting the following:
- Completed online Request for Test Accommodations Form.
- Letter from candidate’s optometry school indicating the accommodations they are receiving and the date those accommodations began, if applicable.
- Personal statement that explains why the candidate is requesting accommodations and provides background information about their religious beliefs and accommodations history.
Candidates should email all documentation to NBEO at accommodations@optometry.org.
Other Important Information
The Pearson Comfort Aid List outlines items that do not require accommodations. Comfort aids are subject to inspection at the test center. Candidates who want to bring any item into the testing room that is not on the preapproved list should seek approval through the test accommodation process.
Candidates should note that they must complete the Request for Test Accommodations Form for every exam and every exam administration for which they are requesting accommodations. Candidates who are requesting the exact same accommodations they received on a previous NBEO exam, do not need to resubmit their supporting documentation, but still need to submit the Request for Test Accommodations Form.
Application Deadlines
Exams administered at Pearson®
For NBEO computer-based examinations, the deadline to apply for test accommodations (including submitting all supporting documentation) is 60 days prior to the first date of the exam administration. Candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for accommodations far in advance of this deadline, even before registration opens for an exam, to maximize their opportunities for finding a seat at a desirable Pearson test center. Candidates who apply at the deadline run the risk of being approved for accommodations but then needing to travel hundreds of miles to the nearest Pearson testing center that has accommodated seating available. Seats are available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Candidates who need last minute accommodations due to a recent-onset health situation (e.g., a recent-onset injury that prevents a candidate from sitting for long periods of time) should contact NBEO at accommodations@optometry.org.
For Part III PEPS®, ISE®, or LSPE®, the deadline for applying for test accommodations is 60 days prior to the candidate’s intended test date. Candidates should apply for accommodations prior to registering for any of these exams. Candidates that apply for accommodations after registration should note that their test date may change based on the availability of NCCTO, and availability is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Candidates seeking accommodations should refrain from making travel arrangements that are not flexible or non-refundable until their test date is confirmed.
Exams administered at the National Center of Clinical Testing in Optometry®
For Part III PEPS®, ISE®, and LSPE®, the deadline to apply for test accommodations (including submitting all supporting documentation) is 60 days prior to the candidate’s intended test date. Candidates should apply for accommodations prior to registering for any of these exams. Candidates that apply for accommodations after registration should note that their test date may change based on the availability of NCCTO, and availability is on a first–come, first–serve basis. Candidates seeking accommodations should refrain from making travel arrangements that are not flexible or non-refundable until their test date is confirmed.
Late on-set Health Conditions
Candidates who need to request last minute accommodations due to a recent-onset health situation should contact NBEO at accommodations@optometry.org.