IGOEE guide
The IGOEE: dates, format and fees for 2026–2027
The Internationally Graduated Optometrist Evaluating Examination (IGOEE) compares your knowledge, skills and judgment with a recent Canadian optometry graduate's. Touchstone Institute runs it, and it is step 5 of FORAC's pathway to practise in every province and territory except Quebec.
Summarized from Touchstone Institute's and FORAC's public pages, checked October 21, 2026. Always confirm with the official sources.
Key facts
- Who runs it: Touchstone Institute, for FORAC (the Federation of Optometric Regulatory Authorities of Canada)
- Parts: General MCQ and TPAO (virtual), short-case and long-case OSCE (in person, Toronto)
- 2027 sitting: registration closes January 8, 2027; virtual exams March 3–4; OSCE March 12–14
- Fee: CAD $5,000 (Visa or Mastercard); $1,000 cancellation fee; refunds end 30 days before the exam
- Results: Up to eight weeks; results go to FORAC, which notifies you
Dates for the 2026–2027 cycle
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| September 1, 2026 | Registration opens |
| January 8, 2027 | Registration closes |
| March 3, 2027 | Virtual TPAO and General MCQ (Mar 3–4) |
| March 10, 2027 | Open house and equipment viewing |
| March 12, 2027 | Short-case OSCE |
| March 13, 2027 | Long-case OSCE (Mar 13–14) |
The four parts of the exam
| Part | Where | Items / stations | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TPAO Therapeutics Prescribing Assessment for Optometry | Virtual | 98 | 132 min | Case-based; plus up to 10 unscored pilot items |
| General MCQ General multiple-choice examination | Virtual | 140 | 160 min | Case-based; plus up to 10 unscored pilot items |
| Short-case OSCE 10 stations × 17 min: 2 reading · 5 with the patient · 10 examiner questions | Toronto | 10 | 17 min | Touchstone's page also mentions nine short stations; confirm in your invitation |
| Long-case OSCE 3 stations × 32 min: 2 reading · 2 equipment check · 22 with the patient · 6 examiner questions | Toronto | 3 | 32 min | Dilated fundus exam, BIO, contact tonometry and gonioscopy on standardized patients |
On the virtual exams every question hangs off a case: a patient, their complaint and history, and clinical data. Select the single best answer. The real pace is about 69 seconds per General MCQ item and 81 seconds per TPAO item.
What the exam covers
General MCQ content areas
- Glaucoma and glaucoma suspects
- Macular disease
- Diabetic eye disease
- Hypertensive and vascular disease
- Other causes of vision loss
- Refractive error and spectacles
- Binocular vision and pediatrics
- Anterior segment and contact lenses
- Low vision and geriatrics
- Collaborative care, law and ethics
Touchstone's four roles
- R1: Provide comprehensive eye and vision care
- R2: Collaborate
- R3: Manage
- R4: Educate
TPAO domains
- Assessment and diagnosis
- Interpretation of results
- Management, scope and referral
- Mechanism of action
- Side effects and interactions
- Managing side effects
- Monitoring and follow-up
- Treatment selection
OSCE content areas
- Refractive error and presbyopia
- Diabetes
- Binocular vision
- Retinal vascular disease
- Cataract and glaucoma or glaucoma suspect
- Anterior segment disease
- Macular disease
Where the IGOEE fits: FORAC's pathway
- Check your education against Waterloo's optometry curriculum
Non-accredited graduates need either 3 years of full-time undergraduate science plus a 4-year optometry degree, or a 4-year optometry degree plus 3 years of full-time licensed practice.
- Get a WES ICAP course-by-course report
$245 per person. WES sends a copy to FORAC.
- Prove English proficiency if your program wasn't taught in English
IELTS General 7.5 overall (none below 7), PTE 80 (none below 70), or CELPIP General 9 (none below 8).
- Apply to FORAC for credential assessment
Forms 5 and 2, official course descriptions, translations, and the $2,655.50 COEC assessment fee (non-refundable).
- Pass the IGOEE at Touchstone Institute
Three attempts within five years. Exceptionally high scores allow a direct challenge of the OEBC exam.
- Complete Waterloo's Advanced Standing Optometry Preparatory Program (ASOPP)
The bridge for those who need it; it replaced the IOBP.
- Pass the OEBC entry-to-practice exam
The national competency exam every Canadian optometrist takes.
- Register with your provincial regulator
Every province and territory except Quebec, which has its own French-language pathway through the OOQ.
How to prepare
Start with Touchstone's free samples and orientation documents. Then practise case-based questions at exam pace, learn Ontario's prescribing limits cold for the TPAO, and rehearse OSCE stations out loud with a timer.
Official resources
IGOEE at Touchstone Institute
Dates, fees, format, orientation documents and official samples.
FORAC: applying in English
Credential assessment steps, forms and fees.
Waterloo ASOPP
The advanced standing pathway.
OEBC
The national entry-to-practice exam.
O. Reg. 112/11 (Ontario designated drugs)
Schedule 1 and the glaucoma standards of practice.
Touchstone: ethical exam behaviour
Sharing recalled exam content can void a result.
IGOEE questions
When is the IGOEE in 2027?
For the 2026–2027 cycle, registration closes on January 8, 2027. The virtual TPAO and General MCQ are on March 3–4, 2027, and the OSCE runs in Toronto from March 12, 2027 (short cases) to March 14 (long cases). Confirm the dates with Touchstone Institute.
What are the four parts of the IGOEE?
The General MCQ (140 items in 160 minutes), the TPAO (98 items in 132 minutes), the short-case OSCE (10 stations of 17 minutes) and the long-case OSCE (3 stations of 32 minutes).
What is the TPAO?
The Therapeutics Prescribing Assessment for Optometry: a case-based multiple-choice exam on diagnosis, drug selection, mechanisms, side effects, follow-up and the limits of an Ontario optometrist's prescribing scope.
How much does the IGOEE cost?
Touchstone lists the fee as CAD $5,000 (Visa or Mastercard); $1,000 cancellation fee; refunds end 30 days before the exam.
How are results reported?
Up to eight weeks; results go to FORAC, which notifies you.
How many attempts do I get?
Three attempts within five years. Exceptionally high scores allow a direct challenge of the OEBC exam.
Is the IGOEE the licensing exam?
No. It is the evaluating exam on FORAC's pathway. After it come Waterloo's ASOPP (if required), the OEBC entry-to-practice exam and registration with a provincial regulator.