1. (1) Licensure Examination. The licensure examination authorized in Section 463.006(2), F.S., shall consist of the following parts:

   1. (a) The Applied Basic Science (Part I) portion of the examination developed by the National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO) as Part I of its examination.
   2. (b) The Patient Assessment and Management (PAM) portion of the examination developed by NBEO as Part II of its examination which includes an embedded Treatment and Management of Ocular Disease (TMOD) examination. An applicant for licensure in Florida must obtain a passing score on the TMOD section of the examination as well as an overall passing score on the examination.
   3. (c) The Patient Encounters and Performance Skills (PEPS) portion of the examination developed by NBEO as Part III of its examination. An applicant for licensure in Florida must obtain a passing score on the patient encounter section, a passing score on the skills stations portion, as well as an overall passing score on the PEPS examination.
   4. (d) A written examination on applicable Florida laws and rules governing the practice of optometry developed yearly by Florida Board of Optometry approved consultants, as Part IV of its examination. The Board shall review and approve the content of the laws and rules examination annually.

2. (2) Passing Scores.

   1. (a) Passing scores for Parts I, II, and III and the NBEO licensure examination are established by the NBEO. A score of eighty-four percent (84%) or better must be obtained in order to achieve a passing score on Part IV of the examination.

   2. (b) 1. Pursuant to Section 463.006(3), F.S., the Board will accept passing scores obtained on any part of the licensure examination obtained within the three (3) year period immediately preceding application for licensure or within the three (3) year period following submission of an application for licensure in Florida. Scores obtained on any part of the licensure examination obtained more than three (3) years immediately preceding application or more than three (3) years following the date of submission of an application for Florida licensure will not be accepted.

      2. Pursuant to Section 120.60(1), F.S., the Board’s approval of an application will not result in issuance of a license until passing scores on all parts of the Florida licensure examination are achieved.

   3. (c) Pursuant to Rule 64B13-4.004, F.A.C., an application for licensure will not be deemed complete until an applicant demonstrates graduation from a Board approved school or college of optometry as specified in subsection 64B13-4.004(2), F.A.C.; incomplete applications expire one (1) year after initial filing.
3. (3) Certification Examination. A licensee applying for certification must obtain a passing score on either the TMOD examination embedded in the Patient Assessment and Management portion of the examination developed and administered by the NBEO or a passing score on the stand alone TMOD examination developed and administered by the NBEO.

Rulemaking Authority 456.017(1), 463.005, 463.006(2) FS. Law Implemented 456.013, 456.017(1), 463.006(2), (3) FS. History–New 11-13-79, Amended 5-28-80, 7-10-80, 8-20-81, 2-14-82, 6-6-82, 10-3-82, 4-10-84, 5-29-85, Formerly 21Q-4.01, Amended 7-21-86, 11-20-86, 7-27-87, 7-11-88, 7-18-91, 4-14-92, Formerly 21Q-4.001, Amended 2-14-94, Formerly 61F8-4.001, Amended 8-8-94, 11-21-94, 4-21-96, Formerly 59V-4.001, Amended 7-27-99, 7-15-02, 3-8-04, 4-22-10, 10-13-10, 7-21-11, 6-5-12, 2-27-14, 11-5-14, 9-30-15, 9-7-17, 1-24-18, 10-2-18, 3-31-22, 7-20-25.