The national board exams for optometry are administered by the National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO). The NBEO is an independent, non-governmental, non-profit organization whose mission is to protect the public by accurately assessing the competence of practicing optometrists.
Berkeley Optometry Students Score Well
No matter how it’s measured, Berkeley students typically perform markedly better on all three sections of the NBEO examination than the average performance of students from other schools. We believe this is a testament to the quality of our students and the excellence of the training we provide.
Ultimate Pass Rate, Parts I-III, at Graduation
All Test Takers
| Class Year | Berkeley Pass Rate | National Pass Rate | Berkeley Difference |
| 2023 | 86.9% | 83.5% | +3.3% |
| 2022 | 98.4% | 87.8% | +10.6% |
| 2021 | 96.9% | 92.5% | +4.4% |
| 2020 | 92.5% | 92.2% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 93.8% | 92.7% | +1.1% |
About NBEO Scoring
The Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO)
publishes scores for first-time test takers who have graduated. The scores listed in the three tables below represent comparison between Berkeley first time test takers and first time test takers at other schools.
Part I: Applied Basic Science
First Time Test Takers
| Class Year | Test Date | Berkeley Test Takers | Berkeley Pass Rate | All Test Takers | National Pass Rate | Berkeley Difference |
| 2025 | March 2024 | 65 | 70.8% | 1541 | 68.7% | 2.1% |
| 2024 | March 2023 | 48 | 72.9% | 1695 | 67.1% | +5.8% |
| 2024 | August 2023 | 1 | 0% | 66 | 33.3% | |
| 2023 | March 2022 | 63 | 71.4% | 1682 | 65.3% | +6.1% |
| 2023 | August 2022 | 3 | 33.3% | 71 | 23.9% | |
| 2022 | March 2021 | 61 | 90.2% | 1676 | 74.1% | +16.1% |
| 2022 | August 2021 | 1 | 0 | 78 | 24.4% | |
| 2021 | July 2020 | 58 | 94.8% | 1550 | 77.5% | +17.3% |
| 2021 | Nov 2020 | 6 | 50% | 126 | 57.1% | |
| 2020 | March 2019 | 67 | 85.1% | 1698 | 79.2% | +5.9% |
| 2020 | August 2019 | 0 | NA | 78 | 42.3% | |
Part II: Patient Assessment and Management
First Time Test Takers
| Class Year | Test Date | Berkeley Test Takers | Berkeley Pass Rate | All Test Takers | National Pass Rate | Berkeley Difference |
| 2024 | December 2023 | 49 | 97.9% | 1739 | 85.1% | +12.8% |
| 2023 | December 2022 | 67 | 94.0% | 1737 | 83.8% | 10.2% |
| 2023 | April 2023 | 2 | 100% | 20 | 45.0% | |
| 2022 | Dec 2021 | 62 | 95.2% | 1714 | 85.2% | +10% |
| 2022 | April 2022 | 0 | NA | 39 | 59.0% | NA |
| 2021 | Dec 2020 | 55 | 96.4% | 1695 | 89.3% | +7.1% |
| 2021 | Feb 2021 | 8 | 100% | 59 | 91.5% | |
| 2021 | April 2021 | 1 | 100% | 56 | 64.3% | |
| 2020 | Dec 2019 | 67 | 85.1% | 1698 | 79.2% | +5.9% |
| 2020 | July 2020 | 0 | NA | 1 | 100% | |
| 2019 | Dec 2018 | 64 | 93.8% | 1661 | 90.3% | +3.5% |
| 2019 | April 2019 | 1 | 100% | 25 | 84% | |
Part III: Clinical Skills
First Time Test Takers
| Class Year | Test Date | Berkeley Test Takers | Berkeley Pass Rate | All Test Takers | National Pass Rate | Berkeley Difference |
| 2023 | July 2022-June 2023 | 69 | 76.8% | 1761 | 74.4% | 2.4% |
| 2022 | July 2021-June 2022 | 62 | 96.8% | 1749 | 79.7% | +17.1% |
| 2021 | July 2020-June 2021 | 64 | 89.1% | 1789 | 80.9% | +8.2% |
| 2020 | July 2019-June 2020 | 67 | 91.0% | 1593 | 85.1% | +5.9% |
| 2019 | July 2018-June 2019 | 64 | 90.6% | 1665 | 87% | +3.6% |
