NCLE CLRE Cheat Sheet.
The night-before summary, built like the exam.

The numbers to remember

• Fee: $225, paid by credit card at registration
• Time limit: 2 hours
• Outlined questions: 100 across 8 domains
• Delivered questions: 125 multiple-choice, with 85-100 scored (the rest are unscored pilot items)
• Eligibility: high school diploma, GED, or equivalent
• Test centers: 300+ nationwide, quarterly windows (Jan-Mar, Apr-Jun, Jul-Sep, Oct-Dec)
• Arrive: 30 minutes early; 15+ minutes late is tardy
• Retake wait: 14 days after a failed attempt
• Max attempts: 3, then a 90-day wait before trying again
• Reschedule/transfer fee: $75
• Appeal verification fee: $75
• Certificate delivery: ~6-8 weeks after the window closes
• Renewal: every 3 years, with only a 90-day grace period after expiration

Subtests and scores

The CLRE is a single 100-question (outline) / 125-question (delivered) exam, not split into separately scored subtests. It's criterion-referenced: ABO-NCLE sets the passing standard using the Modified Angoff Method, where a subject-matter expert panel rates item difficulty to derive the cut score. There is no published fixed scaled passing score — ignore any source that quotes one as official. Prepare to perform consistently across all domains rather than chase a specific target number.

High-yield review areas

• Dispensing (20 q): insertion/removal instruction, lens care systems, initial-fit troubleshooting
• Follow-Up (20 q): performance evaluation at follow-up visits, complication signs, referral triggers
• Prefitting (15 q): history-taking, contraindications, baseline measurements
• Ocular Anatomy/Physiology/Pathology (12 q) and Instrumentation (12 q): corneal anatomy paired with keratometry and slit lamp use
• Diagnostic Fitting (11 q), Refractive Errors (5 q), Regulatory/Administrative (5 q): smaller domains — don't skip them, they still add up

Top traps

• Assuming there's a published percentage cut score — there isn't; the standard is item-based via Modified Angoff.
• Confusing the 100-question outline with the 125 questions actually delivered on test day (only 85-100 of those are scored).
• Under-preparing Dispensing and Follow-Up, which together are nearly half the outlined exam.
• Arriving less than 30 minutes early — 15+ minutes late is treated as tardy.
• Forgetting the 90-day certification renewal grace period and lapsing past it.
• Not budgeting for the $75 reschedule/transfer or $75 appeal-verification fees if you need either.