NBEO Exam Results by School

[rani82]

Does anyone know NOVA's board pass rate from last year? Please don't quote me on this but I read somewhere it was in the 90s? Can anyone confirm this information?

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[rani82]

This is the information I gathered:

NOVA 2006

Part I: 89% for FIRST time takers
Part II and III: over 90%

 

[rani82]

Revised list

Last year's Boards Passing Rate for Board I

SUNY - 96%
Pacific - 92%
SCO - 92%
IU – 90%
UHCO – 90%
NOVA - 89%
SCCO - 89%
ICO - 80%
PCO - 79%
NECO - 68%
Feel free to add to this #

National avg - 72%

The above is intended to represent the results of students writing Part I for the first time. Please post any corrections or additions that you are aware of.

 

[iproblem]

Revised list

Last year's Boards Passing Rate for Board I

SUNY - 96%
Pacific - 92%
SCO - 92%
IU – 90%
UHCO – 90%
NOVA - 89%
SCCO - 89%
ICO - 80%
PCO - 79%
NECO - 68%
Feel free to add to this #

National avg - 72%

The above is intended to represent the results of students writing Part I for the first time. Please post any corrections or additions that you are aware of.

national avg 72%?? ... like WTF?

The only logical explanation of this is that the rest of the schools NOT currently in the list above are well below that average. How valid is this info anyway?

 

[carizma12]

rani- thanks for the info on NOVA!

where did you get that?

that helps me a lot

 

[IndianaOD]

national avg 72%?? ... like WTF?

The only logical explanation of this is that the rest of the schools NOT currently in the list above are well below that average. How valid is this info anyway?

Wow, if that is correct then there must be some awful rates out there on schools not listed.

 

[Squint]

The list above by school is for "first time writers". The National average is probably not - but I am not sure. Note that if you go on the NBEO web site you can get the results for each sitting of the exam. Note that in the last one the pass rate was very low and most of the writers were 2nd time writers. This may explain the difference that seems apparent with the low National average.

 

[IndianaOD]

I would think the first time category would be the only applicable one.
Lucky for all you younger OD students is that they are making part 1 more clinical and thus easier. I think everyone should take the brutal version that all the current students took.

It probably was quite tough in comparison to other tests such as the USMLE. Part one OD boards have averaged 70% first time pass for quite awhile I believe. I'm not sure, but my MD friend told me the USMLE step one averages a 90% pass rate. The basic science physics/optics were rough along with the systemic physiology and anatomy. Oh, those visual perception questions were nice too.

 

[still_confused]

Lucky for all you younger OD students is that they are making part 1 more clinical and thus easier. I think everyone should take the brutal version that all the current students took.

It probably was quite tough in comparison to other tests such as the USMLE. Part one OD boards have averaged 70% first time pass for quite awhile I believe. I'm not sure, but my MD friend told me the USMLE step one averages a 90% pass rate.

Have you seen the new version?

Have you taken/seen USMLE step one?

 

[ML1983]

national avg 72%?? ... like WTF?

The only logical explanation of this is that the rest of the schools NOT currently in the list above are well below that average. How valid is this info anyway?

PCO's results are not 79%. I would take those results with a grain of salt. Someone probaly made them up somewhere along the line.

 

[rani82]

Hey carizma12,

I got that info straight from the assistant dean at NOVA and I have it in writing.. so I think it is trustworthy. Glad it was helpful!

 

[iproblem]

PCO's results are not 79%. I would take those results with a grain of salt. Someone probaly made them up somewhere along the line.

you mean pco's pass rate is lower than 79%? thats the only way to make the average valid if schools have such high %. just look at SUNY at 96%! oh my gosh!

 

[DrSpontaneouz83]

Yea, a lot of these results seem a bit far fetched. Most students and Admissions are undoubtedly embellishing to make their schools seem superior or "top notch."

 

[PepsiSucks]

nova can defend it's reputation all it wants. It is by consensus to be a poorly performing school.

 

[carizma12]

nova can defend it's reputation all it wants. It is by consensus to be a poorly performing school.

Where is your proof?

 

[PepsiSucks]

call up a doctor and ask who they would rather hire, someone from another school or someone from nova

 

[iproblem]

nova at 89% is good. i would worry more for Puerto rico graduates. god knows how awful their rates are. i'm not surprised if they are the one that drains down the average

 

[carizma12]

call up a doctor and ask who they would rather hire, someone from another school or someone from nova

..that's it tho? if you're going to say its a poorly performing school - i'd like to know why. and what are those doctor's reasons? what do they know about the school?

 

[eyestrain]

nova can defend it's reputation all it wants. It is by consensus to be a poorly performing school.

Hmmm, what consensus would this be? If you want to make blanket statements like that, you better have some proof to back it up besides "call any doctor and ask them."

 

[still_confused]

just look at SUNY at 96%! oh my gosh!

its easy why suny's pass rate is so high. Those they think cannot pass arent even allowed to take it, they are kicked out. Those that still dont pass, managed to sneak through the weeding out process.

 

[IndianaOD]

I don't know about the current state of Nova, for all I know it may now be as good as any other school. It does have a troubled past almost loosing its accredidation several times. I'm quite sure the school was on some sort of probation with the regulatory boards. One of the reasons I come down on private schools that basically just want your money. It seems the osteopaths that ran Nova didn't care about the education, just the money and thus they got in hot water. It was later sold to southeastern university or whatever school they are connected to and hopefuly is better now. I am always leary of for-profit schools.

Interesting Pepsi made such comments. Always seems to have some smart remark for my posts.

 

[luckyfool]

its easy why suny's pass rate is so high. Those they think cannot pass arent even allowed to take it, they are kicked out. Those that still dont pass, managed to sneak through the weeding out process.

You made it sound like it's a bad thing. I'd actually prefer schools to set certain standards to maintain competitiveness. This would encourage its students to study harder and smarter. The difference between optometry schools and undergraduate universities, i'd think, is a sense of survival of the fittest that separates the strong and the weak.

 

[CDN_twin]

you mean pco's pass rate is lower than 79%? thats the only way to make the average valid if schools have such high %. just look at SUNY at 96%! oh my gosh!

He means that PCO's rates are higher than 79%. Our passing rate this year was 88% and we had the 2 highest scores in the nation.

And I don't know if this is true or not, but isn't it an option if you want your results released to your school? So some schools might be reporting their results on the students who they received scores for. (and it is more likely for the students who don't think they'll do well to not release their grades to their school and thus 'increasing' the pass rates for their school)

 

[eyestrain]

And I don't know if this is true or not, but isn't it an option if you want your results released to your school? So some schools might be reporting their results on the students who they received scores for. (and it is more likely for the students who don't think they'll do well to not release their grades to their school and thus 'increasing' the pass rates for their school)

Why wouldn't you release the results to your school? Why bother taking the test?

 

[IndianaOD]

He means that PCO's rates are higher than 79%. Our passing rate this year was 88% and we had the 2 highest scores in the nation.

And I don't know if this is true or not, but isn't it an option if you want your results released to your school? So some schools might be reporting their results on the students who they received scores for. (and it is more likely for the students who don't think they'll do well to not release their grades to their school and thus 'increasing' the pass rates for their school)

How do you know they were the 2 highest scores. I smoked the boards and no one told me of any rankings.

 

[CDN_twin]

Why wouldn't you release the results to your school? Why bother taking the test?

I would definitely release my results to my school but I know of some schools at which passing the boards in not a requirement to graduate with an OD degree! (although it would be pretty useless til u pass!)

 

[CDN_twin]

How do you know they were the 2 highest scores. I smoked the boards and no one told me of any rankings.

The 2 students were all over the PCO website and newsletters and there was a presentation at our school.

 

[eyestrain]

You made it sound like it's a bad thing. I'd actually prefer schools to set certain standards to maintain competitiveness. This would encourage its students to study harder and smarter. The difference between optometry schools and undergraduate universities, i'd think, is a sense of survival of the fittest that separates the strong and the weak.

I think we've established on this forum that the majority think there should be no academic standards.

 

[blazenmadison]

Hmmm, what consensus would this be? If you want to make blanket statements like that, you better have some proof to back it up besides "call any doctor and ask them."

the doctor i worked hired a nova grad, and she said she will never hire another nova grad. he had a lot of re-do exams that took up a lot of valuable patient time. this is just one situation and doesn't necessarily reflect nova. they had some accreditation problems in the early days. students applying to the new school in California should be careful.

 

[still_confused]

You made it sound like it's a bad thing. I'd actually prefer schools to set certain standards to maintain competitiveness. This would encourage its students to study harder and smarter. The difference between optometry schools and undergraduate universities, i'd think, is a sense of survival of the fittest that separates the strong and the weak.

never said it was bad, just explaining why its so high. and its not survival of the fittest, everyon can and should pass, its survival of who wants it

 

[doofy]

its easy why suny's pass rate is so high. Those they think cannot pass arent even allowed to take it, they are kicked out. Those that still dont pass, managed to sneak through the weeding out process.

I have no proof to offer, but I heard that you can take Part I even if you don't pass 2nd year. I think if they don't think you can pass, they just don't move you into 3rd year, that's all.

But overall, I would say it's a pretty decent vetting process. 96% pass rate probably means 2 students snuck below the rader.

 

[Gainesvillian]

For those who did not pass the first time, what is the percentage that passed the second time? Did those that failed also have poor OAT scores. I struggle with the OAT but get good grades(320/3.75) , so I am worried if I could make it in optometry school. Also, can you take time off to study like med school, or do you need to take the new boards during school?

 

[4Eyes]

I only know of my class (UMSL)....

Part II, TMOD, and Part III...all 100% pass-rate first time.

Part I, my class wasn't as good as what came before and after us...I don't know the exact number but it was around 86% or so. All the rest passed the second time. That's been a while now, so sorry I don't have any more recent stats.

Gainesvillian: study a reasonable amount and you should be just fine. Plus, as I recall, it can be hard to complete all the questions on the OAT? I don't know about the new format, but time was NOT an issue at least with the old NBEO exams.

 

[Gainesvillian]

Thanks 4eyes! Time is definitely a factor for me on the OAT, but we'll see what score I actually get on Thursday. Test got moved due to Tropical storm Faye closing FAU.

 

[seminolefish]

Gainesvillian where are you applying?