Maintaining Board Certification Policies & Fees

4Enrollment and Schedules

  • New Diplomates are enrolled in MOC beginning January 1st of the calendar year after successfully passing the Board Certification exam.
  • Each MOC cycle is 4 years in length.
  • Evaluation of requirements will be made after 3 years. If all requirements have been met, Diplomates will have no requirements due in year 4. If requirements have not been met, Diplomates may use year 4 as a remediation year to complete outstanding requirements, including retaking any failed or missed CAP assessments.
  • Failure to complete all requirements by the end of the remediation year will result in a status change from Current to Not Current and require a Diplomate to retake the board certification exam. The exam must be taken within 2 years of the end of the remediation year. Diplomates who successfully pass the exam will be placed into a new 4-year MOC cycle and their status will be updated to Current. Diplomates who do not successfully complete the exam within 2 years of the end of the remediation year will lose the board certification credential and must re-apply and meet post-graduate requirements before being approved to sit for the exam again.

Fees

An annual MOC fee of $250 is due each January 1st. This fee covers program essentials including:

  • Portal access to all ABO MOC activities and personal Learning Plan page to track status
  • Developing educational modules
  • Access to COPE-accredited quarterly webinars
  • Verifications provided for all third-party requests
  • Developing CAP assessments, which eliminates the cost of taking a secure examination every 10 years
  • Administration of program elements

The fee may be paid online through your Learning Plan page, over the phone by calling the ABO office at 314-983-4226 or by check, mailed to:

American Board of Optometry
243 N Lindbergh Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63141

Payments received after May 31st each year will be charged a $25 late fee.

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Upcoming Events

Stay in the know about exams, training, and more by visiting our events page.

AFOS Atlanta

Feb 24, 2025 - Feb 25, 2025
ABO will be attending the AFOS at SECO in Atlanta, Georgia! Working with AFOS to make board certification more accessible...
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SECO Atlanta

Feb 28, 2025 - Mar 1, 2025
Attending SECO this year? Stop by booth 820 to visit ABO and learn more about board certification!  We also invite...
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Webinar: Clinical Quandaries

May 8, 2025 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm CDT
Save the date for Thursday May 8, 2025 to attend Clinical Quandaries, presented by Dr. Paul Ajamian. This course will...
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