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National Board of Examiners in Optometry

EIN 46-0238342 · Charlotte, NC

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthStrong90 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

THE MISSION OF THE NATIONAL BOARD OF EXAMINERS IN OPTOMETRY IS TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC BY DEVELOPING, ADMINISTERING, SCORING, AND REPORTING RESULTS OF VALID EXAMINATIONS THAT ASSESS COMPETENCY IN OPTOMETRY.

Income
$11.8 million
Spending
$9.6 million
Spent on programs
70%
Reserves
14.6 months of spending
Largest source of income
fees for its services, 95%
Employees
96
Volunteers
0
Highest pay
$306,086, executive director

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Strong: 90 out of 100. Higher than 88% of charities in its peer group (human services, $10m to $100m).

  • Reserves

    35 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 14.6 months of spending.

  • Debt

    10 of 20

    It owes 30% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 19% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 9% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    70% of spending went to programs.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 35% of charities in its peer group (human services, $10m to $100m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    8 of 8 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    8 of 8

    Has a written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    7 of 7

    Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    10 of 10

    Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • Independent check of accounts

    15 of 15

    Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Impact evidence

Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.

Programs described in its return (1)
  1. $6.7 million spent. THE NBEO SERIES OF LICENSURE EXAMS CONSISTS OF THREE SEPARATE PARTS. PART I APPLIED BASIC SCIENCE (ABS) IS A MULTIPLE-CHOICE, COMPUTER-BASED EXAM THAT ASSESSES CANDIDATES' MASTERY OF THE UNDERLYING BASIC SCIENCE CONCEPTS NECESSARY FOR ENTRY INTO OPTOMETRIC PRACTICE. PART II PATIENT ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT (PAM) EXAMINATION ASSESSES CLINICAL THINKING AND DECISION-MAKING, ALONG WITH KNOWLEDGE OF DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT. THE PART II PAM EXAM IS ALSO A COMPUTER-BASED, MULTIPLE-CHOICE EXAM. CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O.PART II PAM QUESTIONS FREQUENTLY ARE SHOWN AS PART OF AN OVERALL CASE WHEREIN CANDIDATES ARE GIVEN CLINICAL INFORMATION, SOMETIMES INCLUDING DIAGNOSTIC IMAGES. THE TREATMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF OCULAR DISEASE (TMOD) EXAMINATION CAN BE COMPLETED AS PART OF PART II PAM (EMBEDDED WITHIN THE EXAM) OR MAY BE TAKEN AS A STANDALONE EXAMINATION. PART III CLINICAL SKILLS EXAM (CSE), WHICH RETIRED AT THE END OF THE 2023-2024 ADMINISTRATIVE YEAR, WAS A PERFORMANCE-BASED EXAM WHEREIN EXAMINEES WERE REQUIRED TO PERFORM OPTOMETRIC CLINICAL SKILLS THAT REFLECT PRACTICE. THESE SKILLS WERE PERFORMED AT FOUR DIFFERENT STATIONS; ALL STATIONS RELIED ON STANDARDIZED PATIENTS ON WHOM THE EXAMINEE PERFORMED THE SKILLS FOR EACH STATION. EACH STATION WAS HOUSED WITHIN AN EXAMINATION ROOM THAT WAS DESIGNED TO SIMULATE REAL-LIFE OPTOMETRIC EXAM ROOMS. THE EQUIPMENT, PLACEMENT OF MATERIALS, AND ROOM DIMENSIONS WERE STANDARDIZED, AND THE NBEO FOLLOWED A MULTILAYERED PROTOCOL FOR QUALITY ASSURANCE THROUGHOUT THE EXAMINATION PROCESS. BEGINNING IN AUGUST 2024, NBEO BEGAN ADMINISTERING THE PART III PATIENT ENCOUNTERS AND PERFORMANCE SKILLS (PEPS) EXAMINATION. THIS NEW, RESTRUCTURED PART III EXAM IS CONSISTENT WITH NBEO'S MISSION OF PUBLIC PROTECTION AND COMPLEMENTS THE PART I AND PART II EXAMS IN ASSESSING WHETHER CANDIDATES ARE QUALIFIED TO ENTER INTO THE INDEPENDENT PRACTICE OF OPTOMETRY. IT IS THE COMBINATION OF THESE THREE EXAMS THAT REPRESENTS OVERALL COMPETENCY AND ULTIMATELY ENABLES A CANDIDATE TO DEMONSTRATE THE OPTOMETRIC KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS NECESSARY TO PRACTICE. PART III PEPS HAS BEEN DEVELOPED TO NOT ONLY EVALUATE ESSENTIAL SKILLS BUT ALSO TO MEASURE A CANDIDATE'S ABILITY TO APPLY EVIDENCE-BASED KNOWLEDGE TO PATIENT CARE. THE NEW EXAM MOVES BEYOND THE ASSESSMENT OF THE PHYSICAL ABILITY TO PERFORM THE SKILL TO ALSO MEASURE A CANDIDATE'S COGNITIVE ABILITY TO INTERPRET THE RESULT AND APPLY THAT KNOWLEDGE DIRECTLY TO PATIENT CARE. FOR INFORMATION ON THESE LICENSURE EXAMS AS WELL AS THE ADDITIONAL EXAMS OFFERED BY NBEO, PLEASE VISIT THE NBEO WEBSITE AT WWW.OPTOMETRY.ORG.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Legitimacy checks

  1. Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.

    Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  2. Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.

    Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.

    Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 30, 2026.

  3. Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.

    On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.

    Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 10, 2026.

  4. Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2024.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since December 1993.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  6. Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.

    Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.

    Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 7, 2026.

Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.