OCANZ COE study guide
OCANZ COE · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
OCANZ - the Optometry Council of Australia and New Zealand - describes itself as the independent accreditation authority responsible for assessing optometry education programs and qualifications in Australia and New Zealand, with a mission of upholding public safety by ensuring optometrists entering the profession are competent, well-trained and equipped to deliver high standards of care. Its examination pathway is split on the OCANZ site between Australian/New Zealand optometrists and overseas optometrists, so the route a candidate takes depends on where they qualified. The published 2027 schedule shows two written examination series (1–2 March 2027 and 2–3 August 2027) and two clinical examination sessions (weeks of 21 June 2027 and 28 June 2027), which indicates the assessment has a knowledge component and a separate clinical component. OCANZ also publishes Professional Competency Standards, and these are the most sensible framework for structuring preparation. Topics on this exam: Written examination (optometry knowledge and clinical reasoning) and Clinical examination (optometric clinical competence). The OCANZ COE study guide has 2 sections and about 684 words.
01Written Examination: Optometry Knowledge and Clinical Reasoning
The written component rewards structured clinical reasoning rather than isolated recall. You must be fluent in optics and refraction (vergence, accommodation, spherical equivalent, vertex distance effects), ocular anatomy and physiology, pharmacology of diagnostic and therapeutic agents, ocular pathology and its ocular manifestations, binocular vision and strabismus, contact lens fitting and complications, low vision and paediatric optometry, and professional standards including referral and record-keeping expectations.
346 words, about 2 min02Clinical Examination: Optometric Clinical Competence
This component tests observable competence: communication and history taking, technique accuracy, interpretation, safety, and professional conduct. Expect stations covering visual acuity, retinoscopy and subjective refraction, slit-lamp examination, direct and indirect ophthalmoscopy, tonometry, visual field testing, binocular vision assessment, contact lens fitting and evaluation, and paediatric or low-vision consultation.
338 words, about 2 min