The next round of examinations in British Columbia will take place on May 28-30, 2010.
The Application Deadline is Friday, April 30th, 2010 (4 weeks prior to the examination date).
To apply for the exams, please contact NACOR office for the application form and apply early to reserve your seat. If candidates need any special arrangements (e.g. travel and/or medical), please notify both NACOR office and the COBC in writing as soon as possible. Please visit the NACOR website - it has more information on registering for the exam and details on writing the exam.
Examinations are held throughout Canada, applicants are free to apply to challenge the examination in any province.
During past examinations in British Columbia, Saturdays have typically been set aside for the Eyeglass Examination, while Sundays have typically been set aside for the Contact Lens Examination. The location of the examinations will be at David Lam Campus, Douglas College in Coquitlam, BC.
Examination Dates in 2010: Application deadlines are to be announced
May 28-30, 2010
Location: Douglas College, Coquitlam, British Columbia
September 24 - 26, 2010
Location: Douglas College, Coquitlam, British Columbia
Examination Dates Background
Since inception, the COBC has held two examinations a year; the full/main examination date in the fall (October) and a rewrite opportunity in the spring (May). However, since 2004 the COBC has accepted applications for the spring examination from both rewrite and new candidates. During the year the COBC has attempted to hold examinations in a time frame that best benefits graduating students.
Three Colleges prepare students for examination: NAIT, Douglas College and BC College of Optics. The program end dates of each school do not coincide. This year May 24 & 25 (Rewrite) and Oct 4 & 5 (New), were chosen as a date that would benefit most BC students. The rational for the spring examination was twofold; it advanced the rewrite date to early spring, leaving a smaller gap between the fall and rewrite examination and it was ahead of the Ontario examination date. The rational for the fall examination was to benefit the most amounts of students after their spring/summer graduation, avoid dangerous road conditions and weather later in the year, and just as importantly to examine ahead of Ontario.
The issue to examine ahead of Ontario is important for applicants; examinations are marked in order of exam date; BC and Ontario exam up to 75 candidates per administration; by setting an examination date ahead of Ontario students in BC can expect their marks faster. Holding an examination within weeks of Ontario but after their date will delay the examination results for eight weeks.
In 2007, in order to best benefit students, the COBC asked the schools to set the most appropriate examination dates. We consequently ran into challenges due to the different end dates of programs and the subsequent ability for students to produce transcripts in time to meet deadlines. This year the examination dates were set by the College with the aim of providing the best dates to benefit students resident in British Columbia, to be fair in the lapsing time between the program end date and exam date between all 3 educational institutions, and also allow for the timely transfer of transcripts.
National Examination Background and Information
The College of Opticians deemed the National Examination Committee (combined Optical Sciences 1 - Eyeglasses Examination and Optical Sciences 2 - Advanced Practice Contact Lens Examination) administered by the National Association of Canadian Opticianry Regulators (NACOR), equivalent to the College of Opticians of British Columbia Registration Examination, in November 2003. NACOR developed the Optical Sciences 1 - Eyeglasses Examination and Optical Sciences 2 - Advanced Practice Contact Lens Examination as a vehicle to measure competencies of those individuals seeking entry to practice as an optician. The objective was to develop an examination that will be accepted across Canada.
Information about the National examination contents and process can be obtained by calling the NACOR office at 1-866-949-1950 or by visiting NACOR.
A candidate is entitled to attempt the National examination a maximum of three (3) times within a three-year period. After the third attempt, the candidate must comply with an upgrading program, as approved by the Registration Committee of the College of Opticians of British Columbia, before any further attempt of the examination will be permitted.
National Examination Committee
An extension of NACOR, the National Examination Committee, has an objective of developing an examination accepted across Canada. Currently, the National Exam is used in nine provinces and it has been administered on more than forty occasions.
Contact:
National Examination Committee
2711-83 Garry Street
Winnipeg, MB
R3C 4J9
Ph. 204-949-1950
Fax. (204) 949-9153
Toll Free: 1-866-949-1950
exam@nacor.ca