The Canadian provincial optometry regulatory bodies established OEBC to develop and administer a national entry-to-practice (ETP) examination for optometrists in the public interest, and fosters accountability among practitioners. A competency-based ETP examination is the gold standard, as it measures entry-to-practice competence relevant to professional practice.

The Exam has two components:

• Written Exam — a case-based assessment delivered via computer using remote proctoring, consisting of multiple-choice questions based on different case scenarios
• OSCE — an objective structured clinical evaluation presenting realistic scenarios in a clinical setting, where a candidate constructs the appropriate response.

Optometrists develop the content for OEBC exam components, and psychometricians ensure each test item’s validity. The examiners for the OSCE are volunteer optometrists.

To set standards for its Written Exam, OEBC uses the Angoff method, the best practice for static assessments.  For its OSCE, OEBC uses borderline regression, the best method to set the standards for dynamic exams.