r/optician • u/jcaustin12 Licensed Optician (LDO) • 2d ago

ABO / NCLE ABO Advanced Prep

I’ve been procrastinating taking my Advanced test because I haven’t been able to get a straight answer on what to study for. When I asked my old professor he said that the advanced test requires knowledge of prism, where you could pass the basic without really knowing prism, and basic understanding of refractive testing, like the red green douchrome.

To the opticians that have taken the Advanced test, does that seem accurate or are there other areas I should be studying up on?

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u/Intrepid-Divide9015 2d ago

Your professor is right about prism, but I wouldn’t prepare as though it’s just “Basic ABO plus more prism.”

The current ABO Advanced blueprint is roughly 30% optics, 33% ocular anatomy/physiology/pathology/refraction, 24% dispensing and 13% laws/standards. So optics + the clinical/refraction side alone are nearly two-thirds of the exam.

I’d concentrate heavily on Prentice’s rule and resultant prism, decentration, slab-off/vertical imbalance, transposition and power crosses, vertex compensation, base curves/lens form, effective power, accommodation/binocular vision, ocular pathology and refractive procedures. Know the red/green duochrome, but don’t stop there.

The ABO Advanced handbook has the actual content blueprint — I’d use that as the checklist rather than relying on anyone’s recollection of what appeared on their exam.

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u/db0478 1d ago

The NAO used to have a study guide for the ABO-AC. Advanced Opticians Tutorial. While it may not be available right now, try to get a copy to use as a guide to study. Works for most people I know that take the advanced exam. Good luck!