POSTS

Study for the COA

For those who may be considering why they should even think about getting certified I would suggest this post.Why You Need To Get Your COA

For some details on how to get there check out this post How to get Your COA

For tips on how to study for this test check this one out. COA Study Skills

What should you do the day of the test. Check out this post. COA Test Day

I have talked to a lot of people who highly recommend using Certified Ophthalmic Assistant Exam Review Manual. I used it and found it to be helpful

The COA Study Outline

See below the table for details

Order CONTENT AREA EXAM% NUMBER OF QUESTIONS ON EXAM DAYS PER CHAPTER
1 Ophthalmic Patient Services & Education 16 32 13
2 History Taking 8 16 2
3 Pharmacology 8 16 1
4 Supplemental Skills 8 16 2
5 Visual Assessment 8 16 2
6 Assisting in Surgical Procedures 7 14 3
7 Refractometry 6 12 3
8 Medical Ethics, Legal & Regulatory Issues 5 10 2
9 Equipment Maintenance & Repair 4 8 2
10 Tonometry 4 8 2
11 Visual Fields 4 8 2
12 Pupillary Assessment 3 6 1
13 Lensometry 3 6 2
14 Keratometry 3 6 1
15 Ocular Motility 3 6 2
16 Ophthalmic Imaging 3 6 2
17 Spectacle Skills 3 6
18 Contact Lenses 2 4 3
19 Microbiology 2 4 1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I used the information from JCAHPOs’ Criteria for Certification and Recertification Appendix A to create this study guide. I wanted to make sure that every section and subsections that JCAHPO tested was covered. I then reordered the chapters from the highest percent tested to the lowest precent. This is how I studied and how I suggest you study. This way you get the longest and most weighted sections out of the way first. If you got through 15 content areas and the test date is tomorrow don’t fret, you studied 90% of the content. If you click on the links you will see bold headings these, again, are from the JCAHPO pdf I linked to above. I tried to write a little about each section. This should be more than enough material to dig you teeth into, or if you are using one the items from my recommended materials list you may only want to use this page as a reference.

I hope this helps. Good luck I know you can pass.

Check out my New Study Guide Study For the Certified Ophthalmic Assistant Exam