24S Oral Examination Report

American Board of Ophthalmology Announces June 2024 Oral Exam Results, Welcomes 237 New Diplomates

July 30, 2024

The American Board of Ophthalmology announced today that scoring has been completed for the Spring 2024 Oral Examination which was administered online to 299 candidates over 3 days in 6 sessions. All candidates completed the examination. There were no breaches of exam security.

Results

  • 237 of 299 candidates passed for an overall pass rate of 79.3%.
  • 210 candidates took and passed the exam for the first time for a first-time pass rate of 82.4%.
  • 44 candidates repeated the exam; 27 passed (61.4%).

About Scoring & Results

Scoring for the Oral Examination is based on a candidate’s ability to appropriately diagnose and manage the patients described in the 42 clinical scenarios presented, all of which are equally weighted. Results are based on whether each candidate meets the overall passing standard. Scores are not adjusted in relation to how well other candidates perform, and though statistically unlikely, this method makes it possible for all candidates to pass the exam provided they meet the standard.

The current passing standard was set in 2021 and will be maintained until the next passing standard study, which occurs approximately every five years. The standard is set by a group of practicing, board-certified ophthalmologists selected to represent diversity in gender, practice area, time since initial certification, practice environment, and geographical location. The process is overseen by a psychometrician who is trained in defensible standard-setting practices supported by research. The passing standard is not released.

Between passing standard studies, the passing standard is maintained through a psychometrically validated equating process. This process accounts for the standard 4-6-week interval between an exam administration and the release of results; however, results for June 2024 were delayed an additional week to accommodate the piloting of an asynchronous scoring process. Candidates who were evaluated by fewer than six examiners during the live examination were scored by an additional examiner asynchronously via recorded video of the exam session.

As a final quality assurance measure before scores are finalized, a key validation process is performed. This process considers the performance of all test items (PMPs), flags any potentially underperforming items, and sends them for re-review by subject matter experts to confirm correctness and fairness. If an item is determined to be flawed, it is removed from scoring.

Next Steps

Candidates seeking to re-take the Oral Examination in November may register online until Friday, August 16, 2024. Requests for rescoring, which is limited to re-confirming that no errors have been made in the calculation of candidate scores, must be submitted in writing to the Board Office.

The ABO congratulates the 237 ophthalmologists who are now Diplomates of the American Board of Ophthalmology with a 10-year, time-limited certificate expiring 12/31/2034.