As students progress through the ICO curriculum, and provided they remain in good academic standing, they will be eligible to take the National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO) series of examinations. The National Board Examinations are required for licensure by every state in the United States. ICO students historically exceed the national pass rate on all parts of the NBEO exam.
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NBEO Part I Applied Basic Science
NBEO Part II Patient Assessment and Management
NBEO Part III Clinical Skills Examination
NBEO Ultimate Pass Rates
The ultimate pass rate is the percentage of students who have attempted all 3 parts of the examination at least once and have passed all parts by graduation.
When institutions require passage of any Part of the NBEO series to graduate, the ultimate pass rate can be elevated since any students who have not passed the required part cannot graduate and therefore are excluded from the reported data.
Illinois College of Optometry does not require passage of any part of NBEO for graduation, and therefore none of our data has been excluded.
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Published results include the performance of all first-time takers of each NBEO examination Part within the specified timeframe regardless of year of enrollment, year of graduation, or graduation status; first-time taker pass rates published on the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO) website (link) are limited to candidates that have graduated.
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For graduation rates and further information on student success, visit here.
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