Requirements/Recommendations for Admission to Optometry School

Specifics vary widely from school to school. For the specific course requirements for each of the 17 optometry schools in the US please see the web link http://www.opted.org/info_profile1.cfm. Generally speaking, the following courses are required:

• Completion of a baccalaureate degree is strongly recommended in most cases.
• In addition to these courses, applicants are expected to take the OAT (Optometry Admission Test) which is now given on-line. The OAT consists of four tests: Survey of the Natural Sciences (Biology, General Chemistry, and Organic Chemistry), Reading Comprehension, Physics and Quantitative Reasoning. See web link for further information.
• Evidence of exposure to the optometry setting is also important. It is recommended that students wishing to become an optometrist, volunteer/work in an optometry environment and shadow optometrists.