Applying for the WQE

Application Procedure

• Ophthalmologists who complete residency training prior to August 1 are eligible to apply for the following year's Written Qualifying Examination (WQE).
• Candidates apply for the WQE via the ABO website between February and August 1 of each year. The $1,950 application fee is accepted online only, via Visa, MasterCard, or American Express payment. Active United States military service members may request a refund for 1/2 the total fee. Please write to info@abop.org to claim a refund.
• To apply for the WQE, candidates must login with the username and password supplied by the Board. Usernames and passwords are mailed to all eligible candidates through their residency programs. If you did not receive your username and password, you can retrieve it online or contact the ABO office for assistance.
• Approved applicants will receive scheduling information via email. Registered candidates will schedule an examination appointment in April.
• The ABO complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to mitigate the effects of an ADA-qualifying disability on the testing activity. To accommodate individuals with disabilities, the ABO will make reasonable modifications to its examinations that do not fundamentally alter the requirements of the examination or the measurement of the skills or knowledge the ABO examinations are intended to test. Click here to review the ABO's ADA policy and download the accommodation request form.
• Nursing mothers who would like to request break time and private space for pumping during this examination may do so by writing to info@abop.org. Please submit requests immediately after registration; due to test center space restrictions, we may be unable to fulfill requests received less than 90 days prior to testing.