Kansas optometry board will not hold patient-based clinical exam for July 2025; will use written tests and interviews

The Board of Examiners in Optometry voted during its April meeting to forgo a patient-contact clinical practical for the July 2025 licensure exam and instead administer the state written exam, a written clinical (paper-based/case) test and continue applicant interviews.

Board Chair (name not provided) moved the measure, saying, “I am going to make a motion that during the 02/2025 application process for a Kansas State optometric license, that we administer a written state test, a written clinical test, and we are not administering a clinical didactic test,” and the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote.

Why it matters: Board members said recent changes and security incidents involving the National Board of Examiners in Optometry’s (NBEO) new Part 3 patient‑encounter format — plus a higher failure rate in some cohorts — prompted discussion about whether the state should add another live clinical exam on top of the NBEO test. Several board members and staff argued the NBEO’s new Part 3 now emphasizes clinical decision‑making and is administered and…