New pre-reg exams completed as 58% make the grade

The first cohort of trainees has successfully completed the College of Optometrists' Scheme for Registration that replaces the Professional Qualifying Examination Part 2.

The College said that following an assessment board meeting earlier this week, 58 per cent of trainees who sat the Final Assessment in July, learned of their success yesterday (August 3).

It described the Scheme for Registration as 'an holistic approach to the training and assessment of postgraduate pre-registration trainees, incorporating continuous assessment in the workplace by College-trained assessors and a one-day Final Assessment under examination conditions'.

All the results from the first sitting of the Final Assessment were considered in conjunction with trainees' work-based assessment reports before deciding whether each trainee was safe to practise.