The ABO and NCLE basic exams are 125-question, multiple-choice computer tests: the NOCE for spectacle opticians and the CLRE for contact lens fitters.
Each costs $275, runs two hours, and is offered year-round at Prometric test centers or by remote proctor.
Here is what each exam covers, what it costs, when you can sit it, and what happens after you pass or fail.
What is the ABO-NCLE exam?
ABO-NCLE — the American Board of Opticianry & National Contact Lens Examiners — is the national nonprofit that certifies opticians.
Its ABO side certifies the dispensers who work with spectacles, and its NCLE side certifies those who fit and dispense contact lenses.
The body says it has awarded more than 96,000 certifications since 1976, with more than 40,000 in force as of its About page in October 2026.
Each side has its own basic exam, and both have formal names.
The ABO basic exam is the National Opticianry Competency Examination (NOCE); the NCLE basic exam is the Contact Lens Registry Exam (CLRE).
Both are voluntary competency exams: ABO-NCLE describes certification as separate from state licensure, so a pass on either exam does not by itself permit dispensing in a licensing state.
State licensing is its own system: ABO-NCLE's board list named opticianry licensing boards in 22 states plus Puerto Rico as of October 2026, and those boards may set stricter eligibility — such as apprenticeship or schooling — for their own licensing exams.
Keep the two apart as you plan: the state-by-state optician license requirements guide covers licensure, while ABO certification as a credential — the three levels, renewal and career value — is the certification page's subject.
Content outline: what the NOCE and CLRE cover
Each basic exam draws its scored questions from a published blueprint of 100 questions, with the remaining 25 of the exam's 125 items unscored pretest questions.
The NOCE puts its weight on optics, ophthalmic products and dispensing, while the CLRE spreads its weight across prefitting, diagnostic fitting, dispensing and follow-up.
NOCE (ABO basic) test specifications — 100 scored questions:
| NOCE domain | Scored questions |
|---|---|
| Ophthalmic Optics | 25 |
| Ocular Anatomy, Physiology, Pathology and Refraction | 10 |
| Ophthalmic Products | 20 |
| Instrumentation | 15 |
| Dispensing Procedures | 20 |
| Laws, Regulations and Standards | 10 |
CLRE (NCLE basic) test specifications — 100 scored questions:
| CLRE domain | Scored questions |
|---|---|
| Ocular Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology | 12 |
| Refractive Errors | 5 |
| Instrumentation | 12 |
| Prefitting | 15 |
| Diagnostic Fitting | 11 |
| Dispensing | 20 |
| Follow-Up | 20 |
| Regulatory and Administrative | 5 |
Format and length
Both basic exams are secure, computer-based tests of 125 multiple-choice questions with a two-hour time limit.
A portion of the questions are unscored pretest items being trialed for use on future exams, so not every question you answer counts toward your result.
You choose the setting: the basic and advanced written exams run at Prometric test centers or by remote online proctoring through Prometric ProProctor, and Spanish versions of the NOCE and CLRE basic exams are offered.
Two practical variants exist alongside the written exams.
Where a state has approved it, a combined basic-plus-practical exam — NOCOP for opticianry, CLROP for contact lenses — runs 3 hours: a two-hour basic section and a one-hour practical section, each scored separately.
The standalone computer-simulated practical exams, ABOP for spectacles and NCLEP for contact lenses, each present 30 questions in 60 minutes, using pictorial items such as a simulated lensmeter and slit lamp.
To sit one, you need an active ABO or NCLE certification or must meet your state's licensing requirements.
Cost
Every basic exam costs $275.
That is ABO-NCLE's certification-exam fee on the schedule effective October 1, 2026, which also sets the practical exam at $125, the combined basic-plus-practical exam at $300 and certification renewal at $175.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Basic exam — NOCE or CLRE | $275 |
| Practical exam — ABOP or NCLEP | $125 |
| Combined basic + practical — NOCOP or CLROP | $300 |
| Certification renewal | $175 |
| Rescheduling or transferring an exam | $75 |
The $275, $125, $300 and $175 figures are ABO-NCLE's fee schedule effective October 1, 2026.
Moving a scheduled exam is its own line item — rescheduling or transferring costs $75.
Retakes are not discounted: each attempt requires a new exam fee, so a second sit of either basic exam costs the same $275 as the first.
Dates and registration
The basic exams run year-round in four testing windows.
ABO-NCLE's 2026 windows are January 2–March 31, April 1–June 30, July 1–September 30 and October 1–December 21, and there is no late registration.
Registration for each window closes about two weeks before the window ends — the page listing the 2026 windows shows the January–March window closing March 15, for example — so register early in the window you want.
Eligibility is the same for both exams: a high school diploma or GED, with no prior optical experience required.
ABO-NCLE notes that candidates with 2–3 years of hands-on experience or completion of an optical school program have higher success rates.
One boundary matters: state licensing boards may set stricter eligibility for their own licensing exams, so check your board if you are testing for a license rather than voluntary certification.
Fees, windows and rules change
Results and passing score
The basic exams are not graded on a curve.
ABO-NCLE's handbook sets the passing standard with the Modified Angoff method, a criterion-referenced cut score — the bar reflects what the exam measures, not how other candidates performed on the day.
The cut score itself is a number ABO-NCLE administers rather than promotes: we did not find a published passing score for either basic exam in the materials we reviewed, so check the current handbook.
What the body does publish is difficulty context: 2024 pass rates of 64.0% for the ABO Basic exam and 59.0% for the NCLE Basic exam.
Passing triggers the paperwork.
The wallet card appears in your ABO-NCLE account within 1–2 days, and the wall certificate is mailed within 6–8 weeks.
Retakes
A failed attempt is recoverable on a fixed schedule.
You may retake the exam 14 days after the date you tested, and you have three attempts to retake it.
After a third unsuccessful attempt, you must wait 90 days before you become eligible to test again.
Each attempt requires a new exam fee — $275 per basic exam attempt on the current schedule — so a retake is a real cost as well as a 14-day wait.
Career information, not licensing, legal, medical, clinical or billing advice. Exam fees, windows, formats and retake rules change — confirm current requirements with ABO-NCLE and, where you are testing for a state license, with your state's opticianry licensing board.