OCANZ COE study plan
OCANZ COE · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 8 hours per week
Written examination (optometry knowledge and clinical reasoning)
Build a one-page syllabus map listing every written-exam topic area and rate your current confidence 1-5 for each
Derive the core optical formulae (vergence, thin-lens, effective power, spectacle-to-contact-lens conversion) from first principles on blank paper without notes
Solve 20 calculation items on vergence and lens power, logging every error with its cause
Draft a spaced-repetition deck of 60 cards covering optics fundamentals and start daily 15-minute reviews
Your checkpoint
A completed confidence-rated syllabus map plus a scored 20-item optics calculation set with error log
Written examination (optometry knowledge and clinical reasoning)
Explain retinal image formation, accommodation, and the amplitude-of-accommodation calculation aloud in under five minutes
Differentiate myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism by their optical cause, symptoms, and refractive correction strategy
Interpret 10 worked retinoscopy and subjective-refraction scenarios, predicting the endpoint for each
Write a 400-word summary sheet linking refractive error type to presenting complaint and management
Your checkpoint
A one-page refractive-error decision table cross-checked against 10 practice scenarios
Written examination (optometry knowledge and clinical reasoning)
Classify the common anterior-segment and retinal conditions by presentation, risk factors, and referral urgency
Construct a differential-diagnosis grid for red eye covering at least eight conditions
Practise 15 case-vignette questions on ocular disease, justifying each answer in one written sentence
Identify the referral red flags you must never miss and memorise them as a checklist
Your checkpoint
A red-eye differential grid plus a red-flag referral checklist validated against 15 answered vignettes
Written examination (optometry knowledge and clinical reasoning)
Apply binocular-vision and accommodative testing logic to interpret 10 strabismus and convergence-insufficiency scenarios
Explain the principles of tonometry, perimetry, and fundus examination, including their sources of error
Complete a 60-item mixed-format timed written mock under exam conditions
Analyse every mock error by topic and write a remediation list for weeks 5-6
Your checkpoint
A timed 60-item mock with a scored topic-by-topic error analysis and remediation list
Clinical examination (optometric clinical competence)
Rehearse the full entrance-and-history sequence aloud until it flows without prompts
Demonstrate distance and near visual-acuity testing, cover test, and ocular motility on a volunteer while narrating each step
Perform retinoscopy and subjective refraction on a volunteer, timing yourself against a 15-minute target
Record yourself on video and mark your own technique against a written station checklist
Your checkpoint
A self-scored video of a complete refraction station against a written checklist with at least three named fixes
Clinical examination (optometric clinical competence) & Written examination (optometry knowledge and clinical reasoning)
Perform slit-lamp anterior-segment examination, direct ophthalmoscopy, and confrontation fields on a volunteer in sequence
Practise pupil, extraocular-muscle, and confrontation testing while stating normal versus abnormal findings
Interpret 10 clinical findings and state the correct next action or referral pathway
Run one 20-minute mixed written-and-practical drill combining disease recognition with hands-on technique
Your checkpoint
A signed-off practical log of five examination stations with examiner-style comments and one referral decision justified in writing
Clinical examination (optometric clinical competence) & Written examination (optometry knowledge and clinical reasoning)
Simulate a full 40-minute clinical station with a volunteer, including communication, record-keeping, and handover
Deliver a structured case presentation of three patients in under three minutes each
Answer 20 rapid-fire written items on management and referral to sharpen recall under time pressure
Review weak areas flagged in weeks 4-6 and re-test only those topics
Your checkpoint
A full simulated clinical station with a completed record card and a three-minute case presentation for three cases
Clinical examination (optometric clinical competence) & Written examination (optometry knowledge and clinical reasoning)
Complete two full-length timed written papers and score both against the answer key
Run two complete mock clinical circuits back-to-back to build stamina and timing discipline
Consolidate a one-page pre-exam review sheet of formulae, red flags, and station checklists
Rehearse your opening and closing scripts for each station until they are automatic
Your checkpoint
Two scored full-length written papers plus two completed mock clinical circuits with a final one-page review sheet
Milestones
Week 2: Can derive the core optical formulae from memory and score at least 80% on a 20-item optics calculation set
Week 4: Scores at least 65% on the timed 60-item mixed written mock and has a written remediation list for every missed topic
Week 6: Completes five practical stations unaided, with a self-scored checklist showing no critical-step omissions
Week 8: Scores at least 75% on both full-length written papers and finishes both mock clinical circuits within time with all record cards complete