CACO Administration Policy and Procedures: Candidate Instructions The following information describes examination day procedures for candidates and applies to both the Written and Skills assessments. Candidate Identification Candidates must bring and wear their identification badge to both the written and skills assessments. CEO reserves the right to deny access to the assessment to those candidates who are not wearing their identification badge and to request additional government-issued identification if deemed necessary to authenticate the candidate s identity. Arrival & Sign In Candidates must arrive at the sign-in area of the assessment facility between 30-60 minutes before the scheduled start time of the examination. The recommended arrival time will be noted on the candidate s personal examination schedule. At sign in, candidates will present their identification badge to examination staff and remain in a designated area of the assessment facility. Candidates will not be permitted to leave after sign in. Candidates are asked to make sure that they have everything that they will need for the examination before they are signed in. Bringing Papers/Notes to the exam: Candidates are not permitted to bring materials such as textbooks, papers or study notes to the exam or to review such materials while waiting for the exam to start. Late Arrival Important examination instructions are provided about 15 minutes before the scheduled start of the examination. Candidates who arrive during this provision of instruction may be refused entry by the Chief Proctor, Lead Assessor or other designated exam staff. For Written CACO: Candidates arriving 15 minutes or more after the exam has started will not be permitted to take the examination. For Skills CACO: Candidates arriving after the scheduled start time of the examination will not be permitted to take the examination Permissible / Non-permissible Materials Any materials or equipment will be inspected by OEBC before the candidate is permitted into the assessment area. Candidates may bring only the following into the assessment areas: Official ID badge supplied by OEBC (required)
For Skills exam only: Personal CACO exam schedule supplied by OEBC which is on a single sheet of paper (required) Bottled water in a clear bottle with label removed. Beverages other than water are not permitted. Sweater Analogue Watch (below) - for the written exam the watch must be placed on the desk For Skills exam only - equipment required to perform the examination (see Equipment & Materials below) Analogue watch (permitted) Digital /computerized watch (NOT permitted) Candidates CANNOT bring the following into the assessment areas: Digital or computerized watch (above) Clipboard Any computing or transmission device, such as a computer, calculator, mobile device, cell phone, beeper/pager, ipod or other mobile/handheld device. Purses, wallets, bags, backpacks, suitcases Books, paper and any notes The Guide to the CACO and/or the Table of Specifications of the CACO Pencil cases, eyewear cases Outerwear - see Dress Code Food, tobacco Visible jewelry Prohibited materials are to be left outside the assessment areas or in a designated waiting area within the assessment facility. OEBC assumes NO responsibility for loss or damage to candidates materials left in these areas. Candidates are encouraged to avoid bringing items of value to the assessment. Prohibited materials brought into the exam or accessed during the examination including during a break may be confiscated. Any devices or materials that may compromise the administration or security of the examination will be confiscated. Confiscated items will be inspected either on site or sent together with a report of the incident to OEBC for inspection, and will be kept until any investigation is completed. Scents
All exam sites are scent-free environments. Candidates are to refrain from wearing perfume, scented hairspray, cologne, scented deodorant, aftershave or any other scented products to or at an exam site. Medication/Food is permitted ONLY if prior permission has been obtained: Food is not permitted in the Skills exam. Bottled water must be placed on the floor by the exam room door, away from any equipment. Written exam only: All candidates are permitted to bring in unwrapped snacks in a small, clear, seethrough plastic bag (for example, a sandwich-sized Ziploc bag). Grocery or shopping bags are not permitted. Any food must be clearly visible to administration staff. Candidates with special medical or dietary needs relating to a medical condition: Candidates who are requesting to bring in medicine/food/medical equipment for either the written or skills exams for medical reasons must request approval under the Special Accommodations policy. If you are approved to bring food into the skills exam: Food must be consumed outside of the exam station rooms and between stations. OEBC is not responsible for damage to examination documents, equipment or lost exam time as a result of a candidate s food/water spillages. Departure At the completion of the examination, the candidate is required to leave the assessment area, retrieve any personal effects and leave the examination facility promptly and without discussion with other candidates. Candidates are not permitted to reenter the waiting area or the assessment area. Incidents OEBC is committed to ensuring that the performance of a candidate is accurately recorded for the purpose of scoring. In exceptional circumstances, where some procedural or technical factor impacts upon an individual candidate s performance, OEBC provides the candidate an opportunity to complete an Incident Report. The purpose of filling out the form is to provide any additional information which will ensure that OEBC has an accurate account of a candidate s performance, including identifying any factor which the candidate feels should be taken into account in arriving at the candidate s score. Incident Reports will be considered in the assessment process for candidates who have been unsuccessful in the specific component of the examination for which an Incident Report has been submitted. Candidates are responsible for completing an Incident Report and providing it to an official of OEBC if anything has occurred that could reasonably be understood to have detrimentally affected the candidate s performance or evaluation. A candidate may complete an incident report at the end of a written component or at the end of a skills exam, but prior to sign out. The form must include all required information (i.e. the station name, candidate number and a description of the issue). The completed form must be given to exam staff at sign out. Incident report forms submitted after sign-out and/or forms that are missing information will not be accepted. Incident reports sent to OEBC after the candidate has left the examination premises will not be accepted.
Candidates must complete Incident Reports individually and are not allowed to discuss the exam or the incident report with others before completing the Incident Report. The following information and procedures apply to the Skills assessments. Identification & Schedule Candidates must bring: - their schedule to the Clinical Skills section of the CACO - their OEBC Identification Badge to sign in for the assessment and wear it throughout the assessment. - a government-issued ID (e.g. passport, driver s license health cards are not acceptable) Equipment & Forms a) Record Forms: Candidate Clinical Record Forms will be available in each examination room. No other paper is allowed into the examination room with the exception of the candidate s examination schedule and OEBC ID Badge which are mailed to the candidate prior to the exam. Improper answer recording is not grounds for successful appeal. b) Equipment: Candidates are responsible for providing their own equipment as outlined in the Equipment List Summary Candidates may bring only the required equipment into the assessment area, as follows: BIO and any hand-held lenses may be carried into the exam in a single equipment carrying case. ALL other equipment MUST be in a see-through (e.g. Ziploc) plastic bag. The case and clear bag will be inspected by the Lead Assessor /Exam staff. Sharing or exchange of equipment during or between the stations is not allowed OEBC will not assist candidates with securing equipment before or during the exam Bags that may have been used to transport equipment to the exam site, such as backpacks or large bags/purses are not permitted into the assessment area All other equipment or instrumentation is provided within each station room. Individual rooms may vary in the type or brand of instruments and equipment available. Candidates do NOT have the option of changing rooms based on the supplied instruments or equipment. Touching Equipment before the exam starts: All equipment is set up in advance of the exam. Candidates may NOT touch and/or calibrate and/or adjust instruments (e.g. focusing eyepieces, adjusting pupillary distances of instruments to personal requirements) before the station starts. Such adjustments are considered to be part of the skill that may be required to be demonstrated. While binocular indirect ophthalmoscopes (BIO) are provided by OEBC, candidates wishing to use their own BIO may do so as long as it contains an acceptable teaching mirror.
Exam Day Scheduling and Timing Prior to the exam day, candidates will have received their assessment room assignments and schedule. Any required exam-day changes in room assignments are made at the discretion of the Lead Assessor. On exam day, the Lead Assessor will direct candidates to proceed to their assigned room and remain outside the room until the beginning of the examination period. (Should the start time of the examination be delayed, full time allotment will be provided by the Lead Assessor). Candidates are responsible for allocating their time within each skill component to ensure that they complete all of the required techniques within the allotted time (refer to the CACO Guide for allotted time). The candidate will be signaled to begin the assessment at each station. Candidates will also be signaled at the end of the station and must remain in the examination room until this signal. Entering the exam room: - Clinical Skills 1-3 exam only: Candidates enter the assigned room five minutes before the assessment begins. Candidates may use this time to become familiar with the layout of the room, the equipment within the room (the candidate is allowed to locate and test the on/off switch only), and to review their record form. No part of the assessment component, including communicating with the assessor or the patient is allowed during this time. - Communication Skills 1-3: Candidates will read the case stem outside the assigned room and enter the room after 5 minutes. A 10 minute period is provided between each station to allow candidates to move to the next examination room. Talking with other candidates, assessors or patients during this time is not allowed. Candidates may not enter the next examination room until the scheduled time. No additional time is allowed for the restroom during the assessment stations. Note: Candidates may not leave the assigned exam room or any part of the exam area for any reason without the permission of an assessor. Candidates who leave the exam area (e.g. to go to the restroom) without permission will not be permitted to re-enter the assessment area or complete the remainder of the exam. At the end of the station, the Assessor will stop assessing the candidate. Exam Day Sequestering Between the morning and afternoon administrations of the CACO skills exam, candidates scheduled in the morning administration will be sequestered, i.e. required to remain in a classroom-style holding area, until the afternoon examination has started, for approximately 30-50 minutes. Note: - Candidates will collect and bring any personal belongings to the holding room - Candidates are encouraged to bring a snack or light lunch to eat - Restroom breaks will be permitted under escort
- Use of cell phones or other electronic devices is strictly prohibited - Failure to comply with these rules is considered disruptive behaviour as defined in the Misconduct policy Recording and Scoring Instructions Important: All marked answer sheets and all other testing materials including incident report forms are the property of OEBC. At the completion of the skills station, candidates must submit their forms, all notes and data made or recorded and all other testing materials to the Assessor. Candidates may not remove any materials on which they recorded information from the assigned examination room. Clinical Skills 1-3: Candidates will follow the instructions and record their findings on the Candidate Record Forms, which will be in each examination room. Findings should also be stated verbally to the Assessor. Candidates should be familiar with the sequence of techniques and tests to be performed but may review the instructions before and during the assessment station. Retinoscopy. Procedures within a station may be repeated at the candidate's discretion with the exception of static retinoscopy. However, a candidate may perform retinoscopy and measure visual acuity with this result. Candidates may then continue retinoscopy at this point if they are dissatisfied with the vision achieved. Assessors will score the last result stated and recorded unless otherwise directed. Important: Commencement of the next technique, subjective refraction, disallows repeating or continuing retinoscopy thereafter. Repeating a procedure. A candidate's intention to repeat any procedure should be announced to the Assessor. Candidates should state and record all results obtained, but clearly strike through recorded results not to be scored. Assessors will not score any procedures carried out in advance of the starting time of the component. Incomplete parts of the station will be scored by the assessor. The skills components are time constrained and failure to complete all of the procedures required in the station will affect scoring. Assessors may intervene in a candidate's procedures in order to protect the subject's safety or comfort. The Assessor has the authority to terminate a station or require the candidate to omit certain procedures if the Assessor feels that the subject is being placed at risk. Communication Skills 1: Candidates will follow the instructions and record their findings on the Communication Skills 1 Record Form, which will be in each examination room. Candidates should be familiar with the sequence of the station. Communication Skills 2-3: one blank sheet of paper will be provided Role of Assessors & Observers Each candidate is evaluated by one Assessor per station. Important: Assessors are not permitted to provide candidates with advice, counsel, or direction.
Upon entering the room, the candidate may introduce themselves to the Assessor and to the subject/standardized patient. Conflict of Interest Knowledge of or acquaintance with either the Assessor or the subject, personally or professionally must be declared by the candidate prior to the commencement of the examination. The Assessor will also declare such knowledge or acquaintance. Alternate Assessors or subjects/patients will be provided to a candidate. Authorized observers may enter the examination rooms during the assessment. Observers do not converse with Candidates or Assessors in the examination rooms. Dress Code Outerwear such as coats, ski pants, gloves/mitts, scarves, hats are not permitted in the assessment area. Candidates dress and grooming must be appropriate to a professional in a health care setting. Candidates may wish to dress in layers as the temperature of examination sites may fluctuate. Clothing with excessive pockets or excessive in size may not be permitted. OEBC will refuse entry or assessment to candidates who, in the opinion of the Lead Assessor or other designated exam staff are inappropriately dressed. Inappropriate dress would include: Jeans, shorts, sleeveless shirts (short-sleeve shirt is acceptable) Sandals, flip-flops T-shirts with slogans, pictures, statements Ripped clothing Baseball caps and any other non-religious head covering Visible jewelry is not permitted NEW Lettering or logos identifying an optometry school, association or other optometry affiliation is strictly prohibited. Avoid wearing clothing or lab coats with logos/lettering or ensure the logos/lettering is covered. Exam Termination The skills exam will be terminated if the candidate is found to be in possession of prohibited materials inside the assessment area, if the candidate has brought unauthorized equipment or attempts to share equipment, if the candidate leaves the assessment area for any reason without permission, if a candidate attempts to set up or adjust instruments in advance of the exam, or if a candidate is found to be violating the rules of conduct (e.g. talking with another candidate during the exam). An exam station will be terminated if a patient is injured or if it is determined that the patient or assessor is being placed at risk of injury.
The following information and administration procedures apply to the Written assessments. Exam Day Timing and Seating On entering the assessment area, candidates proceed directly to their seat and must remain there until the beginning of the examination and during the examination. Candidates must not leave their seats without the permission of a proctor. Seating in the exam will be assigned. Candidates do not begin the examination until directed by the Chief Proctor. Full time allotment will be provided in the event of a delayed start. Note: Candidates may not leave the examination room for any reason without the permission of a proctor. Candidates who leave the assigned examination room without permission will not be permitted to reenter the assessment area or complete the exam. Equipment Calculators (Casio FX 260) will be supplied. All candidates must use the supplied calculators. Each calculator may be used by a single candidate only. NEW Pencils and erasers are supplied. Candidates will not be permitted to bring their own pencils and erasers. Dress Code Outerwear such as coats, ski pants, gloves/mitts, scarves, hats are not permitted in the assessment area. Visible jewelry is not permitted. Candidates may wish to dress in layers as the temperature of examination sites may fluctuate. Clothing with excessive pockets or excessive in size may not be permitted. OEBC will refuse entry or assessment to candidates who, in the opinion of the Chief Proctor are inappropriately dressed. Inappropriate dress would include: Baseball caps and any other non-religious head covering including wearing a hood Clothing with excessive pockets or excessive in size Answer sheets Candidates are individually responsible for correctly and fully completing their answer (bubble) sheets. The Chief Proctor will provide some general direction to the candidates at the beginning of each examination on completing the name and candidate number section of the answer sheets. Candidates mark only one answer for each question. Questions that have no answer selected or which have two or more selected answers are scored as incorrect. All answers are recorded on the answer sheets. Examination question books are not scored, only answer sheets. Improper answer recording is not grounds for successful appeal.
Important: Marked answer sheets and all other testing materials including incident report forms are the property of OEBC. Candidates must submit their answer sheets, question books, and all other testing materials to the Chief Proctor or other designated person prior to leaving the exam. Candidates may not remove any materials from the examination room. Departure Candidates may exit the examination any time after the midpoint of the examination, except during the last 15 minutes. Termination The written exam will be terminated if the candidate is found to be in possession of prohibited materials inside the assessment area, if the candidate leaves the assessment area for any reason without permission, or if a candidate is found to be violating the rules of conduct (e.g. talking with another candidate during the exam). Note: OEBC reserves the right to cancel a CACO assessment administration if it has been determined that the security of the assessment has been violated. OEBC reserves the right to delete from scoring any test item which is found to have been exposed to one or more candidates before the CACO administration. OEBC reserves the right to change the exam application requirements and instructions at any time.