Step-by-Step PLAR Process

Step 1

The first step in the PLAR process is to research the provinces and decide where you want to live and work. Each Canadian province has a regulatory board responsible for licensing opticians; you must register with your province’s regulatory board. 

In Ontario and British Columbia, opticians must register for a single license that covers both eyeglasses and contact lenses to practice, but in other provinces you will register for eyeglass and contact lens licenses separately. In those provinces, Contact Lens Practitioner is an additional designation beyond your eyeglass license. In British Columbia, you may also register for Automated Refracting. NACOR administers PLAR for all the provincial regulatory boards except Quebec.

Step 2

Next, you must apply for PLAR through the regulatory body in your province of choice. You will submit your application form and documents for approval. 

You can find the application forms and required documents for each province here: 

After your documents have been reviewed, if your application is successful you will then move on to the next step.

Step 3

All PLAR candidates must complete a series of Professional Practice bridging modules. These modules focus on key areas of Canadian opticianry practice, including:

• Legislation
• Communication
• Professionalism
• Infection Control

Each module includes both interactive and theoretical components and concludes with a short post-test that must be successfully completed. If a post-test is not passed, it can be taken more than once for a fee of $100 (plus applicable GST/HST) for each additional attempt.

Step 4

PLAR also includes an online skills assessment, called the Competency Gap Analysis (CGA). The CGA is a multiple choice assessment based on the National Competencies for Canadian Opticians. The CGA consists of three sections:

• Eyeglasses and Low Vision 
• Contact Lenses
• Refraction

The CGAs will help determine any gaps in your knowledge that you need to improve on. It is important to note that the CGA is not a test that you pass or fail. The CGA is a way for us to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses according to National Competencies for Canadian Opticians. 

The CGA is a supervised assessment taken remotely online; because this assessment is virtual, you can complete the CGA from outside of Canada. 

All PLAR candidates are required to complete the Eyeglasses and Low Vision CGA. Candidates who have applied for contact lenses will be required to complete the Contact Lens CGA as well. Candidates who have applied for refracting in British Columbia will be required to complete the Refracting CGA as well. The cost for each CGA is $500.00 plus applicable GST/HST. 

Step 5

The results from each CGA produce a computer-generated score card used to determine if there are any gaps in knowledge and skills. NACOR reviews each score card and prepares a Reasons and Decisions letter which includes the CGA results and the next steps based on those results. The letter is sent to the candidate and the regulatory body in the province they applied to complete PLAR in via email.

If gaps are identified, candidates are required to complete additional bridging modules before proceeding. Upon completion of each assigned module, candidates will be required to successfully complete a post-test.

The bridging modules are available on the NACOR website. You can access them at any time at: https://nacor.ca/bridging-module-courses/

The bridging modules are self-study, and you work through them at your own pace.  Click on the bridging module you have been assigned to open it.  Each bridging module contains an interactive portion and a theoretical portion.  Work through both sections of the bridging module.  When you feel you are ready to attempt the post-test for the bridging module complete the post-test application form on the NACOR website.

There is a $100 fee plus applicable GST/HST for the post-test for each mandatory bridging module that you have been assigned. The pass mark for each post test is 80%. If you do not pass the post test you can take it again. The fee to retake a post-test is $100 plus applicable GST/HST.

Upon successful completion of their mandatory bridging modules, candidates will be eligible to proceed.

If no gaps are identified, candidates will be eligible to proceed immediately.

Step 6

To become a licensed optician in Canada, all candidates must pass the National Examinations for Canadian Opticians. The National Exams are practical examinations used by provincial regulators to assess competence. There are two national exams, one for eyeglasses and one for contact lenses.

After successful completion of the National Examination(s), candidates become eligible to apply for registration to independently practice as an optician in the province they applied to work in. Please note that in Alberta and Ontario, candidates must first register with their provincial regulator as a Provisional Optician (AB) or Intern Optician (ON) before they are eligible to challenge the national exams.