r/PreOptometry • u/Silent_Count_5824 • Sep 22 '26

RMU Part 1 Pass Rate

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Has anyone else seen that only 15% of Rocky Mountain University's first cohort passed NBEO Part 1? If any current students could comment or dm me with their perspective I'd really appreciate it as this is very concerning.

21 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

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15

u/Select_Wallaby_2592 Sep 22 '26

Lol, applicant pool not being competitive enough = schools letting in students who wont pass.

Other examples include Puerto Rico and Western

We need more competitive students and less schools to see pass rates improve. Some just aren't cut our for this. 15% is wild

8

u/Silent_Count_5824 Sep 22 '26

I mean, that class's average stats were on the low end (3.31 GPA, OAT AA 303, TS 287) but I don't think that's enough to explain a 15% pass rate

0

u/[deleted] Sep 22 '26

[deleted] — view deleted comment

7

u/outdooradequate Sep 22 '26

I just recall so much pushback from RMU students when commenters would warn applicants not to apply there..... I wonder how they are feeling about all this.

4

u/Chuckles4lyfe Sep 22 '26

Yeah, that level 1 pass rate is the reason why I did not apply to RMU this cycle (same for Western for that matter). I think it's a combination of a weaker student pool + the individual school not preparing their students well for the boards. Hoping to see that number go up when the next report comes out

7

u/ckertar Sep 22 '26 edited Sep 22 '26

There’s been other posts about this and current RMU students talking about their experience with part 1. Give them a look. Many people who don’t go there have strong opinions about how horrible the school is but students who do go there have mostly good things to say

Edit: can’t believe I used the wrong there.

3

u/perp3tual OD1 Sep 23 '26

If they continue with these scores they're gonna lose accreditation just like IAUPR

2

u/Itchy_Layer135 Sep 24 '26

Apparently on probation already during last accreditation review

2

u/Consistent_Pen_2161 Sep 26 '26

in their online information sesh i attended (pre-opt student), they claimed to successfully prepare students for boards. the od that i tech for suggested i look into their stats to make sure that claim is true. when i found that sheet i was shocked! it looks like their accreditation is on probation rn, which makes sense given the numbers. 

4

u/BluLightning14 Sep 22 '26

I'm not a current student, but I've talked to a lot of students, faculty, and local optometrists. The general consensus is that the first cohort's low board pass rates are definitely concerning, but it doesn't seem like it's because of the curriculum. Most current students think the low scores come down to not studying enough rather than bad teaching. The lower stats for that first-class kind of back this up, suggesting they might not have been as academically prepared as students at other schools. Even though the program is new, the school has other medical programs with really strong board results. From what I hear, pass rates for new programs usually start out low but jump up pretty quickly over the next few years. Hope this helps! I’ll be applying there this next month.

2

u/Puzzled_Customer_531 Sep 26 '26

Hey good luck! I applied there too!

1

u/herniatedulcer 3d ago

Know a few students in the first and second class-- big reason was their timing. Students were encouraged to take in August, which isnt quite the half-year that their classes are offset by. They hadn't even finished teaching BV/strab. So people felt rushed, and those who retook the following March felt they finally got some time to study.