Completely free
No account walls, no upsell
Free exam prep for every test — 20,000+ exam pages and 2.4M+ practice questions.
Open free COA prep resources ↗Exam facts & prep options
Certified Ophthalmic Assistant (COA)
The Certified Ophthalmic Assistant (COA) is the entry-level core designation of the International Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology (IJCAHPO), earned by passing a 200-question multiple-choice certification examination.
Official exam siteJump to prep options ↓
Questions200 multiple-choice questions
Testing time180 minutes
ScoringPass/fail; no cut score is published and candidates are not shown their actual score
Exam feeUSD 300 initial examination (USD 250 first retest, USD 150 second retest); reduced-fee COA Practice Examination pathway at USD 150 plus USD 150 after a pass; up to 50% discount for US and Canadian military personnel
Prep options
Study resources for COA
Independent prep
Courses and study resources
Exam overview
What to know before choosing your prep
- Who runs it
- IJCAHPO
- Category
- Eye Care Technology
- Current version
- Current specification; no public version label
- Where it applies
- International / multi-country
- Exam languages
- English
- Testing provider
- Pearson VUE
- Format
- Computer-based multiple-choice exam at Pearson VUE test centers, with online proctoring (OnVUE) available for the COA
- Availability
- By appointment at Pearson VUE test centers (or OnVUE) within a 90-day eligibility period stated in the confirmation letter
- Results
- Unofficial pass/fail performance report at the test center; official results mailed by IJCAHPO two to four weeks after the examination
- Remote testing
- Available
Exam structure
One 200-item multiple-choice examination covering 22 content areas; the heaviest are Ophthalmic Patient Services and Education (14%) and General Medical Knowledge (14%), followed by Visual Assessment (6%), History and Documentation (5%), Refraction Retinoscopy & Refinement (5%), Ophthalmic Imaging (5%), and Photography and Videography (5%).
Where rules vary
IJCAHPO treats the United States and Canada as its standard certification scope (military fee discounts apply to personnel of both countries, and special consideration exists for training received outside the two countries); the examination itself is a single uniform English-language exam, with overseas testing locations available for foreign-service personnel
Eligibility
One of three pathways: (A1) graduation from an ICA-accredited clinical assistant training program; (A2) ICA-accredited non-clinical assistant program plus 500 hours of work under an ophthalmologist within 12 months; (A3) high school diploma or equivalent plus an approved independent study course (JCAT or AAO Ophthalmic Medical Assisting) plus 1,000 hours of work under an ophthalmologist within 12 months
Retake policy
Up to two retests may be applied for within 12 months of the initial test date (at reduced fees); after that a 12-month waiting period from the initial test date applies before reapplying with a new application and full fee