[ PRC BOARD OF OPTOMETRY RESOLUTION NO. 03, s. 1994, April 13, 1994 ]

FULL COMPUTERIZATION OF THE OPTOMETRY LICENSURE EXAMINATION



WHEREAS the Board deems it appropriate to embark into full computerization of the examination, i.e., not only the correction of the test papers but also the selection of questions shall be via the computer process; and

WHEREAS, full computerization's thrust is to prevent the premature leakage of questions, thereby promoting better confidentiality and integrity of the examination; and

WHEREAS, the computerization process of the licensure examination will promote its integrity, credibility, and effectiveness and the early release of its results; and will afford the Board to attend more to its regulatory functions,

NOW, THEREFORE, by virtue of Commission Res. No. 265, Series of 1993 and the Board's quasi-legislative (rule-making) power under Sec. 10, R.A. 1998, the Board hereby RESOLVED, as it so RESOLVES, to fully computerize the Optometry Licensure Examination (Theoretical) starting in the July 1994 schedule under the hereunder guidelines, to wit:

1.  The Board member with the assigned subject shall frame or formulate her own questions or adopt those supplied by the academe after she has modified or reformed them. Every questions shall be appraised by a technical expert, if necessary, as to its objectivity, validity, reliability, efficaciousness and shall be unambiguous and definite, calling only for one definite correct answer. Each question inputted into the test data bank should be categorized as to easy, average, and difficult; and as to its level of knowledge and proficiency.

2.  The Board Member assigned to the subject shall initially input into the question bank located at the Commission no less than five hundred (500) questions for each syllabus which must be based on the syllabus and which she has to build up for every succeeding examination to reach the optimum ideal number of at least three-thousand (3,000) questions. The test questions already given shall be withdrawn and replenished with those which are abreast of economic, technological, and scientific modernization and globalization of the profession.

3.  The questions once fed into the question bank shall become intellectual property of the Commission the moment the Board Member who formulated the same is no longer a member of the Board. The Commission may allow the newly appointed Board member assigned to the subject to adopt after their modification or use as reference the questions in the test for the subject.

4.  The Board member shall extract or withdraw the number of questions required for the subject from the question bank which shall be randomized so as to produce two (2) sets with each having different chronological arrangements of questions for printing and distribution to the examinees.

5.  During the extraction and printing of questions, assembling and packaging of questionnaires, all the authorized persons present in the confidential room shall not be allowed to get out therefrom until after the lapse of one (1) hour from the start of the examination for the concerned subject. Agents of NBI, security officers, or designated persons and even authorized observers shall be stationed to watch the proceedings.

6.  The computer programs and files shall be insured to be tamper-free. Multiple passwords shall be adopted so that no one person has complete control of, or access to, the computer programs and files. Three (3) responsible key officials shall be designated for the purpose.

7.  The answers to the objective type questions (multiple choice) shall be corrected and read through the use of the Optical Mark Reader Machine.

FURTHER, RESOLVED, that the herein Resolution, upon approval by the Commission, shall be effective after fifteen (15) days following its publication in the Official Gazette or any newspaper of general circulation, whichever is earlier.

FINALLY, RESOLVED, that the herein Resolution be disseminated through schools/colleges/universities offering the course of Optometry to all concerned.

Adopted: 13 Apr. 1994

(SGD.) LUIS O. CASAJE
  Chairman
(SGD.) PRIMITIVA U. SISON
Member
(SGD.) FLORENCE E. VILLANUEVA
Member
Approved:
(SGD.) HERMOGENES P. POBRE
Commissioner
(SGD.) ARMANDO C. PASCUAL
Associate Commissioner