The ABO Practical Exam: What It Is and How to Prepare

What the ABO and NCLE practical exams are

ABO-NCLE offers two practical exams: the ABOP, for opticians who have passed the NOCE (the basic ABO exam), and the NCLEP, for contact lens fitters who have passed the CLRE (the basic NCLE exam). Each has 30 questions and a 60-minute time limit. Items use pictorial, virtual, video, audio and hot-spot formats, so you may be asked to read a virtual lensmeter or answer an instrument-based item rather than recall a definition.

To be eligible you must be currently certified by ABO (for the ABOP) or NCLE (for the NCLEP), or be taking the exam as part of a state licensing requirement. The practical exams run in the same four quarterly testing windows as the other ABO-NCLE exams, but unlike the written exams they must be taken at a Prometric test center. Remote proctoring is not available for them.

There is also a combined option that takes the ABO basic and practical exams in one sitting: the 2-hour basic exam first, a 15-minute break, then the 1-hour practical. It is meant for candidates in states that accept the combined format. ABO-NCLE lists those states on its combined exams page, and the list is short, so check it before you register.

Who has to take it

The practical exams are mainly a licensing requirement. Washington, for example, has used the ABO-NCLE basic, contact lens and practical exams as its licensing exams since 2018. Florida requires the NOCE and the CLRE, and then a national practical exam; you must pass both written exams before you can take it. The Florida Board of Opticianry's site describes NCSORB's National Optician's Practical Examination, and the ABO and NCLE practicals are also offered for Florida licensure, so ask the board which one to take.

Requirements differ by state and change over time. If you are working toward a license, confirm the exact exams with your state board before you pay for anything. Basic ABO certification itself comes from passing the NOCE; it does not depend on the practical exam.

What the ABOP covers

ABO-NCLE's Practical Exam Handbook outline for the ABOP covers Ophthalmic Optics (8 questions), Instrumentation (9) and Dispensing Procedures (7). The full outline is in the handbook on abo-ncle.org; the main topics in each domain are below.

Ophthalmic Optics: lens types such as single vision and multifocals, prismatic effects, lens neutralization, and formulas such as Prentice's rule, vertical imbalance, vertex compensation, horizontal and vertical centration, and power in oblique meridians.

Instrumentation: lens power measuring devices (the lensmeter or focimeter); lens measuring tools such as the lens clock, calipers, millimeter ruler and circumference gauge; and dispensing instruments such as the corneal reflection pupillometer.

Dispensing Procedures: fitting and adjusting frames (size, vertex distance, pantoscopic tilt), positioning multifocals, optical centers and major reference points, and frame measurements (eye size, bridge size, temple length, effective diameter).

Most of this is knowledge the NOCE already tests, applied to a simulated task.

How to prepare

Start with the official format resources. ABO-NCLE offers a practice exam tutorial and a practical exam slideshow; they are the most direct way to see the virtual instruments and hot-spot items before test day.

Then put in time on real instruments. Read a manual lensmeter on every job you can: sphere, cylinder and axis, prism amount and base direction, and add power. Take PDs with a corneal reflection pupillometer, check curves with a lens clock, measure frames, and adjust and align frames under supervision. Simulated items are easier when the real instrument is familiar.

Keep the math fast. Prentice's rule, vertical imbalance, vertex compensation, centration and oblique meridian power all appear in the outline. Work new numbers by hand, then check your answers. Unless you are taking the combined exam, you will already have passed the NOCE, so this is review, but it fades quickly if you don't use it at work.

Know the stakes. A standalone practical exam is $75 and the combined ABO basic and practical exam is $250, both non-refundable. If you don't pass, you can retest after 14 days, with three attempts before a 90-day wait. ABO-NCLE reported a 65% pass rate for the ABOP in 2024 (69% for the NCLEP), so the practical is not a formality.

What this site helps with, and what it doesn't

ABO Test Prep is preparation for the written exams. Our study guides cover the knowledge and math the ABOP draws on, including instrumentation, patient measurements and fittings and prism. The optical calculators let you check Prentice's rule, decentration and vertex work, and the free ABO practice test keeps NOCE-level knowledge sharp.

We do not offer a practical exam simulator. There are no virtual lensmeters, hot-spot items or practical-style questions here, and nothing online replaces time with a real lensmeter and pupillometer. Use ABO-NCLE's tutorial for the format, your workplace for the hands-on skills, and this site for the theory and calculations behind them.

Frequently asked questions

Keep reading

• Pantoscopic Tilt: What It Is and How to Fit for It
• What Is ABO Certification?
• How Much Does the ABO Exam Cost?
• ABO vs. NCLE: Which Certification Do You Need?