Why is the OKAP exam important?

By John W. Kitchens, MD

First, let me say that the OKAP exam does not assess how good of an ophthalmologist you are or will become. The exam also does not assess your surgical abilities and judgment in the operating room. In my mind, these are the two most critical factors to being a good resident and ophthalmologist. You can be guaranteed that missing an endophthalmitis in a post-keratoplasty patient will generate much more discussion amongst the faculty than a 5% score on optics.
The OKAP exam evaluates your fund of knowledge and to an extent how much you read during residency. Like the previous standardized tests you have taken (e.g., SAT, ACT, MCAT, and USMLE), the OKAP exam depends on how well you are at taking standardized tests.

The OKAP exam results are often used to judge year-to-year progress of the individual resident as well as how well the individual services or rotations are doing at teaching their subjects. The OKAP exam results may also be included in letters of recommendation if they are good and will often be omitted if they are poor. A few fellowship programs that I applied to requested OKAP exam scores. In general, the most important factor that a fellowship or employer will look at is your letters of recommendation. Outstanding or poor OKAP exam scores may have a minor influence on a decision made.

The most important thing about the OKAP exam is that they are very similar to the written board exam. Given that 30% of participants fail the written board exam, it is essential to know whether you are at risk for failing this important test. The OKAP exam provides an accurate assessment of what to expect with the written exam.