I hereby apply to the American Board of Ophthalmology (ABO) for the issuance of a certificate of qualification as a specialist in ophthalmology and for examinations relative to that certificate, all in accordance with and subject to the Rules and Regulations of the ABO. A complete copy of the Rules and Regulations is available on the ABO website. By electronically signing this Agreement and submitting it to the ABO, I agree to be legally bound by and to abide by all of the terms and conditions of this Agreement and the Rules and Regulations of the ABO. I agree that upon the issuance to me of a certificate of qualification, I shall become bound by the Bylaws of the ABO and shall remain bound by the Rules and Regulations of the ABO as they may be amended from time to time.
I hereby certify that I have read and accept the terms and conditions of this examination set forth in the Rules and Regulations of the ABO. I understand and agree that the virtual oral examination is supervised by examiners, staff, and others who are responsible to the ABO and are empowered by the ABO to ensure that the examination is conducted securely and appropriately and in accordance with the Rules and Regulations of the ABO.
I understand and agree that:
(i) The ABO will verify my identity before I take the examination. I certify that all sources of identification I provide to the ABO for these purposes are true and accurate representations of my identity.
(ii) The ABO will use my webcam to visually inspect and verify that my test environment meets the Board’s standards for privacy and security before I am admitted to the examination. I consent to this check and understand that, in addition to my immediate surroundings, I will be fully visible to others on screen. Prior to my examination, I will take appropriate measures to remove personal or sensitive items from my test environment.
(iii) I am responsible for ensuring that I am able to participate in the full 4-hour examination appointment in a quiet, distraction-free setting.
(iv) I am responsible for supplying and using my own testing equipment, including a computer, webcam, internet access, and required software. I understand that this equipment must meet the technical requirements specified in this manual.
(v) The ABO is not responsible for technical issues that may prevent the administration of the examination on the scheduled day or time. This includes equipment malfunctions and internet disruption. The ABO will not penalize me for examination administration failures on the part of the ABO or myself. If I am unable to test on the scheduled day and time due to technical failure on the part of the ABO or myself, I will be rescheduled to a future examination administration. If this happens, the ABO is not responsible for reimbursing me for time and materials spent in preparation for the examination or necessary increased preparation, including professional and personal time and materials used for examination preparation.
(vi) My examiners, in consultation with ABO leadership and staff, may terminate my examination, without appeal, if:
a. they determine, in their sole discretion, that my testing environment is not suitable for the examination; and/or
b. they are concerned about the examination security or my behavior regarding examination security, the integrity of the examination, and/or professional conduct.
(vii) Examinations that are terminated prior to completion of the required number of questions being answered (partial examination) will not be scored, regardless of the reason.
(viii) For the duration of the examination, including break times, I may not use pen and paper, access written materials or non-exam applications, interact with other individuals verbally or via electronic device, or operate non-exam phones, tablets, or other electronic devices except in the case of an internet outage or equipment failure where my phone may be used solely to contact the Board Office for emergency assistance. I am responsible for disabling all incoming communications, including calls, messages, virtual assistants, and pop-up notifications. I understand that, at any time for any reason, I may be asked to share my screen to demonstrate that I am in compliance with the rules and regulations of the examination. I further understand that violations of this policy will initiate potential disciplinary proceedings which may require me to provide the Board with documentation subsequent to the incident, such as, but not limited to, screenshots or phone records.
(ix) Any irregular candidate behavior before, during, or after the examination, such as communicating with other candidates about test questions and/or answers, conversing with non-exam personnel during the exam administration, recording the examination in any manner, accessing external resources or unauthorized applications including those powered by artificial intelligence (AI) for the purpose of obtaining exam information, or otherwise giving or obtaining any information or aid to other candidates, as evidenced by observation or otherwise, on any portion of the oral examination is cause for immediate termination of my candidacy. Violations of this policy constitute grounds for the ABO to invalidate the results of my examination and any prior examinations, to bar me permanently from all future examinations, to withhold my scores or certificate, to revoke my certificate, and/or to take any other appropriate action, including legal action.
(x) The ABO may withhold my scores and may require me to retake the oral examination or other assessment if the ABO is presented with evidence demonstrating to the ABO, in its sole discretion, that the security of the examination may have been compromised, notwithstanding the absence of any evidence of my personal involvement in the compromising activities.
(xi) The materials and questions utilized in the oral examination are copyrighted as the sole property of the ABO and must not be removed from the test area or recorded, copied or reproduced in any way. I have read and I understand the Copyright Notice and Agreement and the Non-Disclosure Agreement in the following sections. Copying, recording, or reproducing copyrighted material, in whole or in part, is a federal offense and also constitutes grounds for the ABO to take one or more of the actions listed in (viii) above.
(xii) The decision as to whether my grades and other performances on the ABO’s examinations qualify me for a certificate of qualification rests solely and exclusively in the ABO, and that its decision is final.
I hereby waive and release and shall indemnify and hold harmless the ABO and persons in their capacities as the ABO’s directors, members, officers, committee members, employees, and agents from, against and with respect to any and all claims, losses, costs, expenses, damages, and judgments (including reasonable attorney’s fees) alleged to have arisen from, out of, with respect to or in connection with any action which they, or any of them, take or fail to take, any examination conducted by the ABO which I apply to take or take, the grade or grades given me on the examination and, if applicable, the failure of the ABO to issue me a certificate of qualification or the ABO’s revocation of any certificate of qualification previously issued to me.
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