Arrival
Calculators
Answer Sheets
Departure
Incidents
Arrival (Skills Component)
Identification
Equipment and Materials
Scheduling and Timing
Recording and Scoring
Conduct

Arrival

• Candidates arrive at the assessment facility 30 minutes in advance of the scheduled starting time of the session.
• On arrival at the assessment centre, candidates "check-in" with the CEO receptionist.
• Candidates bring and wear their identification badge to all sessions of the CSAO. CEO reserves the right to deny access to the assessment to those candidates who are not wearing their identification badge.
• Garments, bags and other disallowed items are left outside the assessment areas or in a specified area within the assessment facility. CEO assumes no responsibility for loss or damage to materials left in these areas.
• Disallowed items include anything that can be construed as a transcription device, cell phones, personal digital assistants (PDA’s), computers, pencil cases, calculators, outdoor clothing, hats, food, cigarettes, cigars, pipes, any notes or the Guide to the CSAO and/or the Blueprint of the CSAO.
• Allowed materials include sweaters, bottled water, protractors, rulers, compasses.
• Candidates requiring nourishment or medication during the examination period must have obtained prior permission from CEO to bring required food or medication. A request for permission to bring food or medicine must be made in writing at least thirty days in advance of the assessment. Food and/or medicinal items must be clearly visible to administration staff – it is suggested that any items be wrapped in clear cellophane.
• Sharing of any equipment and/or materials, including calculators, is not allowed.
• Candidate’s materials may be individually inspected before being allowed into the assessment area.
• Seating within the assessment area may be assigned by the Site Supervisor.
• Candidates are not guaranteed the seating position of their choice within the assessment area.
• On entering the assessment area, candidates proceed directly to their seat and remain there until the beginning of the examination. Leaving the assessment area after entering is not allowed until the examination begins.
• Candidates arriving later than the midpoint of an examination are not permitted to take the examination.
• Candidates arriving late do not receive additional time.
• Candidates do not begin the examination until directed.
• The starting time of the examination is at the direction of the Site Supervisor and may be delayed from the scheduled start time at his/her discretion. Full time allotment will be provided in the event of a delayed start.

Calculators

Calculators (Casio FX 260) will be supplied.:

• Calculators may be used by a single candidate only.
• Candidates who use a nonconforming calculator or other disallowed device may be disqualified from the entire assessment.

Answer sheets

CEO utilizes answer sheets that can be scanned and machine scored.

Candidates are individually responsible for correctly and completely identifying their answer sheets. The Site Supervisor will provide some general direction to the candidates at the beginning of each examination on completing the identification 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.

Marked answer sheets and all other testing materials are the property of CEO.

Departure

Candidates may exit the examination room any time after the midpoint of the examination, except the last 15 minutes.

Candidates must submit their answer sheets, question books, and all other testing materials to the Site Supervisor or designated person upon departure.

Candidates may not remove any materials from the examination room.

An opportunity to complete an Incident Report and/or a Candidate Critique Form will be provided at the conclusion of the session.

Incidents

Incidents are events or circumstances at the time of the administration that could reasonably be understood to have a detrimental effect on one or more of the candidate's performances.

Candidates may identify an incident to the Site Supervisor at the conclusion of a session. Claims of incidents made after candidate’s leave the examination room are not considered.

Procedures and Rules for the Skills Components of the CSAO

Arrival

Candidates arrive at the assessment facility 30 minutes in advance of the scheduled starting time of the session.

On arrival at the assessment centre, candidates "check-in" with the CEO receptionist, and remain in a designated waiting area until directed by the Site Supervisor. Leaving the assessment area after check-in is not allowed.

Identification

Candidates bring and wear their identification badge to all sessions of the CSAO.

CEO reserves the right to deny access to the assessment to those candidates who are not wearing their identification badge.

Equipment and Materials

Garments, bags and other disallowed items are left outside the assessment areas or in a specified area within the assessment facility. CEO assumes no responsibility for loss or damage to materials left in these areas.

Disallowed items include cell phones, personal digital assistants (PDA’s), computers, pencil cases, calculators, outdoor clothing, hats, food, cigarettes, cigars, pipes, any notes, the Guide to the CSAO and/or the Blueprint of the CSAO.

Allowed materials include sweaters, bottled water, protractors, rulers, compasses.

Candidates are responsible for providing their own equipment as required. Please refer to top section of the Candidate Clinical Record Forms for lists of the required equipment as it pertains to each Clinical Skills session.

Large equipment or instrumentation necessary for the performance of the Skills component is provided within each session 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.

While binocular indirect ophthalmoscopes (BIO) are provided by CEO, candidates wishing to use their own BIO may do so as long as it contains an acceptable teaching mirror.

Calibration of instruments (e.g. the keratometer) is not expected of candidates either in advance of the assessment or during the assessment. Candidates should assume that the instruments that they are assigned have been calibrated in advance.

Setting up instruments for individual use (e.g. focusing eyepieces, adjusting pupillary distances of instruments to personal requirements) is considered to be part of the skill to be demonstrated. Accordingly, these adjustments may not be done in advance and should be included within the demonstration of your skills as required.

Sharing of instruments, equipment and/or materials is strictly prohibited.

Candidates requiring nourishment or medication during the examination period must have obtained prior permission from CEO to bring required food or medication. A request for permission to bring food or medicine must be made in writing at least thirty days in advance of the assessment. Food and/or medicinal items must be clearly visible to administration staff – it is suggested that any items be wrapped in clear cellophane.

Candidate’s materials may be individually inspected before being allowed into the assessment area.

Scheduling and Timing

Room assignments within the assessment area are made in advance and provided to candidates. However, last minute changes in room assignments may be made at the discretion of the Site Supervisor.

Time coordination will be carried out by the Site Supervisor in advance of the examination period.

Upon direction of the Site Supervisor, candidates proceed directly to their assigned room and remain outside the room until the beginning of the examination period.

Candidates arriving after the scheduled start time of the examination period are not permitted to take the examination.

The start time of the examination is at the direction of the Site Supervisor and may be delayed from the scheduled start time at his/her discretion. Full time allotment will be provided in the event of a delayed start. Candidates are responsible for allocating their time within each skill component to ensure that they complete all of the required techniques within 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, the Assessor will stop assessing the candidate and indicate the end of the allotted time. Incomplete parts of the session will be scored by the assessor.

Each candidate is evaluated by one Assessor per session.

Assessors and candidates enter the examination room five minutes before the assessment begins. Upon entering the room, the candidate may introduce themselves to the Assessor and to the subject. Candidates may use this time to become familiar with the layout of the room, the equipment within the room, and to review the procedures that are to be performed. No part of the assessment component, including interviewing the subject, is allowed during this time.

Acquaintance with either the Assessor or the subject, personally or professionally must be declared by the candidate. Alternate Assessors or subjects will be provided to a candidate.

Instructions are available on the Candidate Clinical Record Forms, copies of which will be made available in each examination room. Candidates should be familiar with the sequence of techniques and tests to be performed but may review the instructions before and during the assessment session. Assessors do not provide advice, counsel, or direction to the candidates other than to direct candidates to the tasks at hand.

An indication from the Assessor begins the assessment at each session.

Assessors will not score any procedures carried out in advance of the starting time of the component.

Recording and Scoring

Recording forms are available in each examination room on which candidates should record their findings. Findings are also stated verbally to the Assessor.

At the completion of the session, all notes and data made or recorded by the candidate must be turned in to the Assessor. Notes and data made by the candidate, along with all other testing materials, are the property of CEO.

A Candidate's demeanor, instructions given to the subjects by the candidates, and general use of language are assessed along with communication and other interpersonal skills.

Procedures within a session 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. Commencement of the next technique, subjective refraction, disallows repeating or continuing retinoscopy thereafter.

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 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 session or require the candidate to omit certain procedures if the Assessor feels that the subject is being placed at risk.

The skills components are time constrained and failure to complete all of the procedures required in the session will affect scoring.

Candidates must remain in the examination room until the Assessor signals the end of the allotted time.

A 10 minute period is provided between each session to allow candidates to move to the next examination room. Candidates may not enter the next examination room until the scheduled time.

No additional time is allowed for lavatory use during the assessment sessions.

Authorized observers may enter the examination rooms during the assessment. Observers do not converse with Candidates or Assessors in the examination rooms.

Candidates do not leave the assessment centre until they have signed out. Having left the assessment centre, candidates may not reenter the assessment centre for any reason. Candidates may not remove any testing materials from the assessment centre.

Candidates are responsible for completing an Incident Report and providing it to an official of CEO if anything has occurred that could have detrimentally affected their performance or evaluation. Any report must be completed prior to leaving the Assessment facility. Incident reports will not be accepted subsequently.

Conduct

Conversations between Candidates and Assessors, or between candidates during the assessment, including breaks between sessions is prohibited. Violation of this policy will result in disqualification from the assessment.

Candidates dress and grooming must be appropriate to a professional in a health care setting. CEO reserves the right to refuse entry or assessment to candidates who, in the opinion of the site supervisor, present with inappropriate dress or grooming.