Study Materials
One guide per official COT exam content area. Not yet sure you qualify? See how to get COT certified. Want to test yourself first? Try 28 free practice questions with answers.
Supplemental Skills
Adjunct testing at technician depth — color vision, pachymetry, glare and contrast, exophthalmometry, and specialty workups. The heaviest area on the COT exam.
Ophthalmic Patient Services and Education
Patient communication, education, triage support, and delivering clinical services at technician depth.
Ophthalmic Imaging
OCT, fundus photography, and angiography — acquisition technique, artifacts, and image quality.
Refractometry
Retinoscopy and subjective refinement — cross cylinder, balancing, and cycloplegic refractions.
History Taking
Structured histories at technician depth — complaint characterization, systemic review, and documentation.
Assisting in Surgical Procedures
Aseptic technique, instrumentation, and assisting for minor and intraocular procedures.
Visual Assessment
Acuity measurement across ages and abilities, low-vision assessment, and potential acuity testing.
Visual Fields
Automated perimetry strategy selection, reliability analysis, and recognizing field-defect patterns.
Pupillary Assessment
Pupil pathway testing — RAPD grading, anisocoria workup, and pharmacologic testing support.
Lensometry
Neutralizing single-vision, multifocal, and prism prescriptions; progressive lens verification.
Keratometry
Manual and automated keratometry — technique, calibration, extended-range readings, and irregular corneas.
Pharmacology
Diagnostic and therapeutic agents, dosages, contraindications, and adverse reactions at technician depth.
Ocular Motility
Strabismus measurement — prism and cover testing, ductions and versions, and sensory testing.
Tonometry
Applanation technique mastery, alternate methods, sources of error, and disinfection protocol.
Equipment Maintenance and Repair
Calibration, troubleshooting, and care of clinical instruments from slit lamp to perimeter.
Contact Lenses
Fitting support, over-refraction, lens verification, and complication recognition.
Medical Ethics, Legal and Regulatory Issues
Scope of practice, consent, confidentiality, and regulatory compliance in the clinic.
Microbiology
Ocular pathogens, specimen handling, and infection-control protocol at technician depth.
Spectacle Skills
Ophthalmic optics, transposition, vertex conversion, and spectacle troubleshooting.