Optical Technicians:
Optical Production Process
Level 2
Examination
To obtain the Level 2 Certificate in Optical Production Processes, a candidate must successfully sit one two-hour written paper in the morning, and one two-hour paper in the afternoon. Examinations are normally held twice a year - in June and December. Candidates may opt to take the examination online from their place of work provided that certain conditions are met.
The papers are:
Paper 1 (Two hours) The following six mandatory units, each of three questions or sets of questions:
Unit 1: Working in the optical
industry.
Unit 2: Preparing to make ophthalmic
appliances.
Unit 3: Label & despatch optical
orders.
Unit 4: Health & Safety in an optical
production workshop.
Unit 5: Efficiency &
effectiveness at work.
Unit 6: Creating & maintaining
effective working relationships.
The second two-hour paper will depend on which one of the following four pathways the candidate has opted to pursue:
- Spectacle surfacing: Unit 7 (five questions or sets of questions), Unit 8 (three questions or sets of questions) and one of Units 9,10,11, 12 or 13 (three questions or sets of questions).
- Spectacle glazing: Unit 7 (five questions or sets of questions), Unit 9 (three questions or sets of questions) and one of Units 8,10,11, 12 or 13 (three questions or sets of questions).
- Lathe-cut contact lenses: Unit 14 (five questions or sets of questions), Unit 15 (three questions or sets of questions) and one of Units 10, 13 or 16 (three questions or sets of questions).
- Moulded contact lenses: Unit 14 (five questions or sets of questions), Unit 16 (three questions or sets of questions) and one of Units 10, 13 or 15 (three questions or sets of questions).
| Spectacle Surfacing pathway | |
| Mandatory units | |
| Unit 7 | The eye and spectacles |
| Unit 8 | The surfacing of spectacle lenses |
| Optional units - Choose one unit from | |
| Unit 9 | The glazing of spectacles |
| Unit 10 | Receive, store and monitor stock |
| Unit 11 | Special lens treatments |
| Unit 12 | Providing an optical repair service |
| Unit 13 | Machine-based optical production processes |
| Spectacle Glazing pathway | |
| Mandatory units | |
| Unit 7 | The eye and spectacles |
| Unit 9 | The glazing of spectacles |
| Optional units - Choose one unit from | |
| Unit 8 | The surfacing of spectacle lenses |
| Unit 10 | Receive, store and monitor stock |
| Unit 11 | Special lens treatments |
| Unit 12 | Providing an optical repair service |
| Unit 13 | Machine-based optical production processes |
| Lathe-cut Contact Lens pathway | |
| Mandatory units | |
| Unit 14 | The eye and contact lenses |
| Unit 15 | The manufacture of lathe cut contact lenses |
| Optional units - Choose one unit from | |
| Unit 10 | Receive, store and monitor stock |
| Unit 13 | Machine-based optical production processes |
| Unit 16 | The manufacture of moulded contact lenses |
| Moulded Contact Lens pathway | |
| Mandatory units | |
| Unit 14 | The eye and contact lenses |
| Unit 16 | The manufacture of moulded contact lenses |
| Optional units - Choose one unit from | |
| Unit 10 | Receive, store and monitor stock |
| Unit 13 | Machine-based optical production processes |
| Unit 15 | The manufacture of lathe cut contact lenses |
Question Format
Questions will be in the form of either MCQs, or short-answer questions requiring short sentences, diagrams and/or labelling.
Passing the examination
To pass the examination, a candidate must achieve a minimum of 50% in each unit of each paper.
Candidates will only be able to retake a unit three times, and only within three years of their first sitting for the examination. Those who have still not achieved a pass by that stage will be required to re-sit the whole examination.
Grading
Results are not graded. A candidate either passes an examination, or fails it.
Prizes
Both the WCSM Education Trust and the Optical Industry award prizes to those obtaining the best marks in each part of the examinations held throughout the same calendar year.
Examinations: important note
With effect from June 2011 the format of all WCSM examinations will change to reflect the fact that qualifications accredited to the Qualifications and Credits Framework may be achieved through passing the qualifying examination unit by unit, as opposed to trying to pass the whole examination at one sitting, provided all units are achieved within five years of the candidate's achieving the first one. However, this would clearly be a longer and, because of the increased administrative overheads, a more expensive way of obtaining a qualification.
All WCSM Application Forms will allow candidates to specify how many units they wish to attempt at that particular time.
The time allowed in the examination room to complete each unit will be determined by the time allocated to the whole paper, the total number of units into which that paper is divided, and their respective credit value.
Take advantage of the distance learning packages offered by the
WCSM Education Trust to prepare youself for a WCSM qualification that will
make you a more skilled employee.
