Iraqi Board Ophthalmology exam-day guide
Iraqi Board Ophthalmology · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Bring your primary photo ID plus a second form of identification
The name and spelling must match your registration exactly. The exact list of accepted ID types and whether a second ID is mandatory for the practical/clinical examination should be confirmed with the provider (Iraqi Board of Medical Specializations / your training centre) in advance, so treat the second ID as needs_review.
Bring your admission permit / examination card and registration confirmation
Print a paper copy even if a digital version is accepted; do not rely on phone battery or network coverage. Confirm with the provider whether the permit is issued by the Board or by your host training centre and where to collect it.
Carry your training logbook and portfolio (needs_review)
Some clinical/oral stations allow candidates to present documented surgical and clinic numbers; whether the logbook may be brought into the examination hall varies. Confirm with the provider whether it is permitted and in what form.
Bring a stethoscope and a penlight (needs_review)
For clinical stations involving general examination or pupillary/relative afferent pupillary defect testing, personal instruments are commonly useful, but the provider may supply them or prohibit personal equipment. Confirm with the provider.
Do not bring your own ophthalmoscope, trial lenses, or surgical instruments unless explicitly permitted (needs_review)
Station equipment is normally provided and standardised. Personal optical or diagnostic devices can raise fairness concerns; confirm the policy with the provider before the day.
Wear clean clinical attire with a white coat if your centre requires it, and comfortable shoes
You may be standing for long periods across multiple stations. Avoid strong perfume, dangling jewellery, and anything that could interfere with patient contact or infection-control rules.
Know the exact venue, building entrance, and reporting time
Practical examinations are often held in teaching hospitals or designated clinical skills centres rather than the written examination hall. Do a route rehearsal and confirm the reporting time and gate with the provider, as these details are not uniform across centres.
Plan for a long day: water, a light snack, and any permitted medication
Station-based practicals can run for several hours with short or no breaks. Confirm with the provider whether food and drink are allowed in the waiting area and whether you may leave between stations.
Leave phones, smartwatches, and study notes outside the examination area
Assume a strict no-device rule in clinical areas. Secure valuables beforehand rather than carrying them into the hall; the provider's exact storage arrangements should be confirmed on the day.
Review the station format and timing the provider has published
Know in advance whether you will rotate through timed stations, face a viva panel, or examine real or simulated patients, and how many minutes per station. If the format is not published, ask your programme coordinator rather than guessing.
Prepare a concise, structured case presentation framework
For history and examination stations, practise a fixed order: presenting complaint, relevant history, examination findings, differential diagnosis, investigation plan, and management. Rehearsing this aloud keeps you efficient under time pressure.
Re-read infection-control and patient-dignity expectations
Hand hygiene before and after patient contact, introducing yourself, explaining each step, and obtaining consent are commonly assessed as part of professionalism. Confirm any centre-specific rules with the provider.
Plan the day
Stop learning new topics. Consolidate high-yield practical routines: relative afferent pupillary defect testing, slit-lamp and fundoscopy technique, confrontation visual fields, cover test and ocular motility, tonometry, and a structured optic nerve and retina description. Rehearse each aloud as if teaching a junior colleague, because examiners score communication and technique, not only conclusions.
Run two or three timed mock stations with a colleague, ideally using a volunteer as the patient. Practise the opening lines (introduction, consent, hand hygiene), the examination sequence, and a 60-90 second summary with differential and plan. Ask your colleague to interrupt with questions, as vivas often probe reasoning.
Confirm logistics with the provider: venue, reporting time, ID requirements, permitted equipment, and whether the logbook may be presented. Resolve any uncertainty now rather than on the morning.
Protect sleep. Shift your routine so you are alert at the examination's start time, and avoid late-night cramming that degrades fine motor technique and verbal fluency.
Pack your bag: ID documents, permit, pens, stethoscope and penlight if permitted, white coat if required, water, snack, and any medication. Lay out clothes. Re-check the route and travel time, including traffic and hospital parking or security checks.
Do a light review only: your own summary sheets on common station scenarios (red eye, sudden vision loss, diplopia, proptosis, trauma, paediatric squint, glaucoma work-up, diabetic retinopathy grading). Stop by early evening and eat a normal meal.
Eat breakfast, arrive early with a buffer for security and registration, and re-read only your one-page technique checklist. Avoid discussing cases with other candidates in the waiting area, as it raises anxiety and can spread misinformation.
At registration, present your documents, confirm your candidate number and station order, and ask staff where to store belongings. Use the waiting time for slow breathing and mental rehearsal of your opening lines rather than last-minute fact-checking.
At each station, read the instructions fully, introduce yourself to the patient, obtain consent, perform hand hygiene, and narrate your technique clearly. If time is short, state what you would do next rather than silently rushing; examiners credit safe, systematic reasoning.
Finish each station with a structured summary: key positive and negative findings, differential diagnosis ranked, investigations, and immediate management including any sight-threatening red flags. If you do not know something, say so and describe how you would find out or whom you would escalate to, rather than inventing facts.
Do not attempt to reconstruct station content with other candidates in a way that breaches confidentiality rules, and do not post station details online. Note any procedural concerns and raise them through the provider's official channel if needed.
Rules to check
Carry valid photo identification matching your registration at all times; the accepted ID types and whether a second form is required must be confirmed with the provider before the examination day.
Follow the provider's instructions on personal devices. Assume phones, smartwatches, and recording devices are prohibited in clinical and examination areas, and that any recording of patients or station materials is a serious breach.
Treat all patients and simulated patients with dignity: introduce yourself, explain each step, obtain consent, maintain privacy, and observe infection-control precautions. Professionalism and communication are typically part of the assessment.
Do not disclose, discuss, or reproduce station content, patient details, or examination materials afterwards. Confidentiality obligations continue after the examination ends.
If you need to leave a station or the hall for illness or another urgent reason, attract the attention of an invigilator rather than leaving unannounced; the procedure for breaks and rest periods should be confirmed with the provider.
Do not seek or accept help from other candidates during the examination, and do not bring notes, textbooks, or pre-written case summaries into stations unless the provider explicitly allows them.
The scoring method, weighting of stations, and pass standard are set by the provider and are not uniform across centres or sittings; do not rely on hearsay about marks, and confirm any published scoring information with the provider.
If you believe a station was conducted unfairly or equipment failed, report it immediately to the station invigilator and follow the provider's formal appeals or complaints process afterwards rather than confronting examiners.