PEPS Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows

What "Pass Rate" Means for PEPS

Candidates searching for a PEPS pass rate usually want one number: the odds of passing on the first try. The honest answer is that Patient Encounters and Performance Skills (PEPS), Part III of the National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO) sequence, has published figures, but they come from different populations and different time windows. Treating them as interchangeable, or as a forecast for your own administration, is the most common mistake in pass-rate discussions.

PEPS is an entry-to-practice licensure examination for optometry, not a standalone renewable certification. That context matters for interpreting results. The people sitting for it are overwhelmingly final-year optometry students and recent graduates who have already completed the written Parts I and II or are completing them on a defined timeline. If you are still sorting out the basics, our explainer on what PEPS is covers the exam's purpose before you dive into statistics.

This article lays out what is actually published, what each number does and does not measure, and how to translate imperfect data into a realistic preparation plan. For the broader difficulty picture, see How Hard Is the PEPS Exam?

The Two Published Figures Side by Side

Two separate sources report first-time Part III results. They are close in value, which tempts people to merge them, but they are not measuring the same thing.

Notice the label "CSE/PEPS" on the institutional figure. The Clinical Skills Examination (CSE) was the predecessor format, and graduating cohorts can include candidates whose Part III experience spans that transition. That is one reason to avoid reading the 70.09% as a clean measurement of the current PEPS blueprint alone.

Why There Is No 2026 Pass Rate Yet

As of the sources checked October 14, 2026, neither published statistic is a 2026 pass rate, and neither describes the August 2026 to May 2027 version of the exam specifically. Pass rates are reported after an administration year closes, then compiled into annual tables. A figure for the current testing window will not exist until the cohort has tested and the data has been published.

That has two practical consequences:

• Treat 69.0% and about 70% as a range of recent experience, not a promise. Roughly seven in ten first-time candidates passing in recent reporting suggests that a meaningful minority do not, and that preparation quality matters.
• Expect blueprint-driven variation. The August 2026 to May 2027 Blueprint and Content Outline and the Candidate Guide (V2026.1.0) define the current expectations. Anyone quoting a "2026 pass rate" today is either extrapolating or borrowing from a different credential that shares the acronym.

For a deeper look at what the pass/fail threshold represents, read our companion piece on the PEPS passing score.

How PEPS Is Scored and Reported

PEPS results are reported as pass or fail. Unlike Parts I and II, there is no scaled score to compare against peers. Passing requires meeting the overall NBEO cut-off, which means strength in one area does not guarantee success if overall performance falls short.

The performance format shapes how that cut-off is reached. The exam consists of 12 stations:

• 10 standardized-patient encounters, one of which is unscored data collection.
• Two hands-on clinical-skills stations.

That leaves nine scored encounters plus two skills stations contributing to the result. Encounters are recorded, and they assess focused history-taking, clinical interpretation, management, typed documentation, patient education, and communication. Because there is no scaled score, candidates cannot see how close they were to the line, which is part of why the first-time rate is the most useful public benchmark.

Official results can be verified through NBEO's credentialing channels rather than through third-party summaries.

What Likely Drives Results: The Five Domains

NBEO does not publish per-domain pass rates, so any claim about which domain "fails the most candidates" is speculation. What the blueprint does publish is how much each competency counts. These five weighted lines are official exam competency objectives, not preparation-curriculum headings, and the blueprint table's exact names control.

One wrinkle: the blueprint prose uses slightly different labels in places, referring to Clinical Interpretation and Assessment and to Communication and Professionalism. When in doubt, follow the table headings above. Our full PEPS exam domains guide walks through each area in detail.

The nine clinical-presentation categories are a separate blueprint axis. They are not additional competency domains, so do not add them to the five lines above when thinking about weights.

Format, Stamina, and the Day Itself

A pass rate near 70% reflects a performance exam where logistics and stamina can affect outcomes alongside knowledge. NBEO administers PEPS in person at the National Center of Clinical Testing in Optometry (NCCTO) in Charlotte, North Carolina.

• Session length: 4 hours 30 minutes of testing.
• Station rhythm: a 3-minute observation period followed by a 15-minute station period.
• Breaks: 4-minute breaks between stations and a 24-minute extended break after cycle 8.
• Time on site: allow approximately 7 hours including check-in, orientation, and check-out.

The exam is made of performance stations, not multiple-choice questions, so there is no way to skim or skip ahead. Every station demands a fresh patient interaction, which makes the back half of the session a test of consistency.

Practice tests on the main PEPS Exam Prep site can help you rehearse the thinking behind each encounter, but they are no substitute for timed, in-person station practice.

Attempts, Eligibility, and Retake Reality

First-time pass rates exist because retakes exist. Understanding the attempt policy changes how you should interpret a roughly 30% first-time miss rate.

• Six attempts total, combining former CSE and PEPS attempts. Attempts beyond six require NBEO Board committee approval.
• Eligibility: graduation-year students need institutional confirmation from an ACOE-accredited, accredited-with-conditions, or preliminary-approval program. Eligible accredited-program graduates may also apply, and sponsorship pathways exist for other candidates.
• Fee: USD 1,490 for administrations beginning August 2026.

Because every attempt carries the full fee and a recorded performance, a failed first try is expensive in both money and momentum. For the full eligibility picture, see PEPS requirements, and for budgeting, the PEPS cost breakdown. Timing your attempt within the testing windows is covered in PEPS exam dates.

Passing PEPS is a licensure milestone, and state licensure maintenance is handled separately. There is no periodic PEPS certificate renewal.

Scheduling Preparation Around the Weights

Since the data cannot tell you which domain trips candidates up, the blueprint weights are your best guide for allocating time. This is the only structured plan in this article, and it is tied to PEPS specifics rather than generic scheduling. For the full methodology, see our PEPS study guide.

The one-page PEPS cheat sheet is useful for last-week review of format and logistics facts.

How to Read School Outcome Tables Without Being Misled

Optometry programs publish student outcome tables, and these are where many candidates first encounter pass-rate numbers. They are valuable but easy to misread.

• Check the period. A table keyed to a graduating cohort (such as October 1 to September 30) is not the same as one keyed to an administration year (July 1 to June 30).
• Check who is counted. The 1,628-graduate institutional figure includes only those who attempted all three parts. A school's own table may count differently.
• Check first-time versus ultimate. Ultimate rates include candidates who passed on later attempts and will always look higher.
• Watch rounding. The same 70.09% appears as 70.1% in some school tables. That is the same data, not a second data point.
• Do not infer a school's quality from one year. Small cohorts swing noticeably from year to year.

If you are weighing the exam's value against its cost and effort, our analyses of whether PEPS is worth it and the PEPS salary guide put the numbers in career context, and PEPS jobs outlines where licensed optometrists practice.

Frequently Asked Questions