Your optometrist went to optometry school overseas: should you care? Researchers from UNSW and four other Australian and New Zealand universities completed a historical analysis of the written exam set by the Optometry Council of Australia and New Zealand (OCANZ). The written exam is one component that must be passed before an overseas qualified optometrist can apply for registration to practice in Australia or New Zealand. The results confirmed that the process used to design and analyse the written exams has meant that only competent candidates have passed. The validation process described in this research will likely prove useful for a broad range of health professions beyond optometry.