CSAO Assessment/Reassessment Policy

• A candidate for the CSAO must initially take all components of the CSAO at the same administration.
• A candidate must pass all components of the CSAO within three consecutive administrations before being issued a report and certificate indicating that they are competent.
• Performance scores on reassessments and repeat assessments of competence supersede performance scores obtained on previous assessments or reassessments.

Failure of One or More Components

• A candidate who fails one or more components of the CSAO on initial assessment may be reassessed on the failed component(s) at the immediate next administration of the CSAO.
• A candidate who fails one or more components of the CSAO on initial assessment will be advised to address the cause of the failure(s) with appropriate remedial training before taking a reassessment of the failed component(s).

Failure of One or More Components on First Reassessment

• A candidate who fails a first reassessment of any component(s) may be reassessed a second time in the failed component(s) at the immediate next administration of the CSAO.
• A candidate who fails one or more components of the CSAO on a first reassessment will be advised to participate in structured and supervised education and/or training related to the failed components before taking a second reassessment of the failed component(s)

Failure of One or More Components on Second Reassessment

• A candidate who fails a second reassessment of any component of the CSAO may apply to take the CSAO again in its entirety as a new candidate after having participated in a structured and supervised education and/or training related to the failed component(s) acceptable to CEO-ECO.

Please Note:
CEO-ECO provides candidates with Performance Reports, indicating specific areas of issue, to aid candidates in identifying their learning needs and to identify and avail themselves of the resources required to enhance their competencies. CEO-ECO does not provide further counseling or programs to educate or train candidates lacking essential competencies. Other organizations, particularly optometric educators may be able to provide to the educational needs of failed candidates. The Executive Director of the Vision Institute of Canada and the Director of the International Optometric Bridging Program at the University of Waterloo have indicated some willingness to consider requests from failed candidates for assistance, but have suggested that their respective organizations do not have the resources to be able to handle all failed candidates. As well, some provincial regulators make remediation programs available to their members which may be of some value to failed candidates.