Part I ABS Practice Items Databank FAQ's

The Part I ABS Practice Items Databank, administered by Test Run, provides Part I ABS candidates with an opportunity to take unlimited abbreviated practice exams using items that are similar to those found on the Part I ABS Examination. After completing an abbreviated practice examination, the candidate will receive a detailed score report, including a list of all questions and the candidate’s answers, with incorrect answers indicated, as well as the correct answers for items the candidate missed. Test Run also analyzes the individual’s Practice Items results and provides resulting analytics, designed to help them tailor their studying.(Please note that subscribing to and/or completing the Part I ABS Practice Items Databank does not guarantee a passing score on the Part I ABS Examination.)
The Tutorial for the Part I ABS Examination is different from the Part I ABS Practice Items Databank as the Tutorial shows candidates what to expect on test day when taking the Part I ABS Examination by computer at a Pearson Vue testing center. The Tutorial for the Part I ABS Examination can be found here.

Test Run is a proven exam-preparation provider. Many other credentialing organizations also use Test Run to help support their exam candidates.

The Part I ABS Practice Items Databank is a tool to help you prepare for your examination. The practice items are just one of many resources available, however, and should not be the only means of preparation for your examination.
The Part I ABS Practice Items Databank provides you with the ability to take abbreviated examinations with real questions that have been written for or included in previous Part I ABS Examinations. (Note that the questions included in the practice items will no longer be used in the Part I ABS Examination.)
Immediately following completion of practice items, you will receive a score report that provides visual performance feedback to help you assess your strengths and weaknesses relative to the exam content. Completing a series of practice items and reviewing your results may help you feel better prepared when you sit for the Part I ABS Examination.

In creating the Part I ABS Practice Items Databank, NBEO selected actual questions from the Part I ABS Examination databank that can no longer be used in the examination. In doing so, NBEO needed to create additional, new questions to add to the examination databank to replace those used for the Part I ABS Practice Items Databank. The fee helps to defray some of the costs associated with question development, review and approval.

The Part I ABS Practice Items Databank contains real questions taken from the NBEO Part I ABS item bank. Note that these items have now been removed from the Part I ABS item bank.

The Test Run platform for the Part I ABS Practice Items Databank works best with the current versions of Google Chrome, Firefox and Safari. Cookies must be enabled, but pop-ups do not need to be disabled since there are no pop-ups in the platform.

The online tools for the Part I ABS Practice Items Databank and the Part I ABS Examination are somewhat different, but both are easy to follow.

Candidates who have registered for the Part I ABS exam may purchase a one-month subscription to the Part I ABS Practice Items Databank for $199 by clicking here after registering for the Part I ABS Examination. A one-month subscription will expire at 11:59 p.m. on the same date of the following month. For a discounted fee of $149, candidates may renew their subscription for one additional month at any time up until the date of that respective Part I ABS administration.

A candidate can only subscribe to one month of access to the Part I ABS Practice Items Databank initially. When a candidate is nearing the end of a purchased, one-month subscription, the candidate will receive an email from Test Run offering the opportunity to renew the subscription by purchasing another one-month subscription at a reduced fee.

No. The Part I ABS Practice Items Databank is only accessible to candidates who have registered for the Part I ABS Examination.

It depends on how and when you choose to prepare for the Part I ABS Examination. You may want to consider what is best for your preparation and make your decision accordingly.

After you purchase a subscription through Test Run, you will have immediate access to the Part I ABS Practice Items Databank. You will have the ability to take practice tests as follows:


(1) As a full session (up to 185 items)
(2) By Discipline (e.g., Anatomy, Pharmacology, etc.)
(3) By major condition area (i.e., Refractive Conditions or Disease/Trauma)
(4) By specific condition area (e.g., Contact Lenses, Glaucoma, etc.)

You will have the ability to complete practice items at one of four levels by clicking on the pencil icon associated with your desired choice:



You can also choose the number of items you would like to take at a time (for each area, there is a minimum and maximum range of items to choose from). You also can either choose to have your practice item session timed or untimed.
When completing the practice items, you are able to pause your session if desired. (Note that if you are inactive for four hours, the session will time out, and you will have to start over.) You also can bookmark questions you may want to revisit during the session.
Once you have completed selected items, you will be given the opportunity to review all of your answers before submitting your answers for scoring. After you submit your answers for scoring, you will be able to see your results in the Test Run platform.

While the user experience is better on a desktop or laptop computer, the Test Run platform provides full functionality on most devices.

No. The Part I ABS Practice Items Databank questions constitute intellectual property owned exclusively by NBEO. All rights, including the copyright in these exam questions, are reserved.


Additionally, sharing your login information will interfere with Test Run’s ability to provide individualized score reports and performance feedback. Sharing your subscription with third parties is also prohibited by Test Run’s Terms & Conditions.

It depends on what type of practice items you select to take. If you would like to take an entire session and want to time yourself to match the actual exam, then the practice session could last as long as 4 hours.

No. If you are inactive for 4 hours, however, the system will time out and you would need to restart.

No. The online system does not offer that functionality.

No. Test results are just for the individual user.

You may take as many selected practice items as you would like during the period of your subscription. Note, however, that because questions are generated randomly, you will likely see questions that you saw when you previously completed a session.

While the Part I ABS Practice Items Databank is designed to help candidates prepare for the Part I ABS Examination, use of this tool does not guarantee a passing score on any NBEO examination (including the Part I ABS examination). The practice items are just one of many resources available and should not be the only means of preparation for the Part I ABS examination.

No. Please note that all subscription sales are final. Subscription fees paid to Test Run are nonrefundable.

For questions or technical assistance, please contact NBEO at 800-969-EXAM or nbeo@optometry.org.