Comparison · EBO / EBOD question banks

EBO question banks compared: which fits the EBOD's true/false and single-best-answer paper?

Six ways to practise for the European Board of Ophthalmology Diploma, from the EBO's own past-paper examples and videos to EyeDocs, Théa Academy, Open Exam Prep, EBO Exam Coach and OphthoMentor, compared by format fit, question count, price and free access as listed on 18 October 2026. Published by OphthoMentor, one of the banks compared.

Independent · Last reviewed 18 October 2026

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EBO question banks compared at a glance

EBOD Part I format	30 MCQs with five true/false statements each (150 decisions) plus 30 single-best-answer questions, in 2 hours with no negative marking^[1]
Weighting and pass mark	Part I counts 40% and the four clinical-case stations 60%; at least 6 (cohort mean minus one SD) is needed in Part I and overall^[1]
Next sittings	Online on 14 May 2027 (apply 1 October to 15 December 2026) and in person in Berlin on 1 October 2027^[6],[12]
Exam fee	€600, non-refundable (€400 for trainees from EBO-accredited training centres)^[6],[7]
EBO's own practice material	12 past five-statement MCQs from EBOD 2003 and 2004 and one example SBA on the structure page, topic videos with MCQ and viva practice from its 2023 and 2024 workshops, and a sample clinical case; all free^[1],[3],[2]
EBO endorsement	The EBO endorses only the learning materials on its own website and is not affiliated with any third-party EBO training platform^[2]
EyeDocs eyeQ	Part 1 (2,000+) and Part 2 (3,700+) banks list the EBO; £79 for 3 months or £99 for 6 per part; 100 free questions; its EBO page's format summary is dated April 2018^[9],[10],[8]
Free EBO practice	The EBO's own examples and videos; Open Exam Prep's 181 questions with no registration; eyeQ Basic's 100; OphthoMentor's free plan of 65 questions plus its public sample library^{[1],[12],[10],[18]}
OphthoMentor	Single-best-answer questions plus five-statement true/false items in every subspecialty; Free plan with 65 questions; Core $319 for 12 months or Residency $619 for 36 months, one-time with no subscription^[17]

An EBO question bank is only useful if it practises the paper the European Board of Ophthalmology actually sets. Since May 2024, Part I of the EBOD has been 30 traditional MCQs, each a stem with five statements to judge true or false, plus 30 single-best-answer (SBA) questions, in 2 hours with no negative marking. That is 150 true/false decisions and 30 SBA choices, so a bank written only as single best answer leaves five sixths of the raw marks unrehearsed. Of the options compared here, the EBO's own past examples and OphthoMentor carry the five-statement format. EyeDocs lists the EBO for its SBA-style eyeQ banks, Open Exam Prep's free questions are single-answer, Théa Academy does not state the format of its Prep'EBO MCQs, and EBO Exam Coach is a chat coach rather than a fixed bank.

Disclosure: OphthoMentor publishes this page and is one of the products compared. It is run by OphthoMentor AB, an independent Swedish company with no affiliation to the EBO, EyeDocs, Théa, Open Exam Prep, EBO Exam Coach or any examining body. Every figure comes from the provider's own pages or the EBO's, as listed on 18 October 2026; prices change, so confirm them before you buy.

EBO question banks at a glance (October 2026)

Format fit, size, price and free access as each provider listed them on 18 October 2026. "Not published" means the figure is not on the provider's public pages.

Feature	Fits the Part I format?	Questions (as listed)	Listed price	Free access	Checked
EBO's own material (official)^[1],[3],[2]	Yes: 12 past five-statement true/false MCQs (EBOD 2003 and 2004, fields 1 to 5) and one example SBA on the structure page; topic videos with MCQ and viva practice; a sample clinical case	12 MCQs and 1 SBA; video count not published	Free	Everything, no login	18 Oct 2026
OphthoMentor (publisher of this page)^[17],[18]	Yes: single-best-answer questions plus five-statement true/false items, organised by 13 BCSC-aligned subspecialties	Live count on the home page; every one of the 13 subspecialties has questions	Core $319 for 12 months; Residency $619 for 36 months; one-time, no subscription	Free plan: 65 questions, five from every subspecialty; public sample library needs no account	18 Oct 2026
EyeDocs eyeQ^[8],[9],[10]	Partly: the Part 1 and Part 2 banks list the EBO among their exams; the EBO page's format summary is dated April 2018 (52 stems of five true/false statements) and predates the SBA half	Part 1 2,000+; Part 2 3,700+; 5,700+ together	£79 for 3 months or £99 for 6 per part; both parts £159 for 6 months	eyeQ Basic: 100 free questions across Part 1 and Part 2	18 Oct 2026
Théa Academy Prep'EBO^[11]	Not stated: an MCQ programme from the exam's sponsor; the page's own format summary ("around 50" written questions and two 15-minute oral panels) predates the May 2024 change	Not published	Not published; Théa Academy is a healthcare-professional site with its own login	A virtual MCQ practice on the page	18 Oct 2026
Open Exam Prep (EBOD practice)^[12],[13]	Partly: single-answer questions written around the Part I fields; no five-statement true/false items	181	Free	All 181 questions and a study guide, no registration or card	18 Oct 2026
EBO Exam Coach^[15],[16]	Not a fixed bank: a chat coach by a FEBO consultant, run on a third-party chat platform, that generates MCQs and case discussions in conversation	No fixed bank	Not published; needs an account on the chat platform it runs on	The site and its coach link are open; usage limits are the chat platform's	18 Oct 2026

As listed on each provider's own pages on 18 October 2026, in the provider's currency, excluding promotions. Question counts are the providers' own claims. OphthoMentor publishes this page and is one of the products compared.

Which EBO question bank fits the current EBOD format?

The format changed in May 2024. Part I is now 30 traditional EBO MCQs, each a stem followed by five statements that you mark true or false, plus 30 single-best-answer questions, in 2 hours. Each true/false decision scores one point for a correct answer and nothing for a wrong or blank one, so there is no negative marking and no reason to leave a statement unanswered. Part I counts for 40% of the final result, and the four clinical-case stations of Part II (eight cases in 60 minutes onsite or 80 minutes online) for 60%. You need at least 6, the cohort mean minus one standard deviation, in Part I and overall.

The practical consequence is that 150 of the 180 raw Part I marks come from five-statement stems. A bank written only as single best answer prepares you for the other 30. Here is how each option compared stands on format, as of 18 October 2026:

The EBO's own structure page carries 12 past MCQs in the five-statement format, drawn from the 2003 and 2004 exams across fields 1 to 5, with answers, and one worked example SBA. They are the only official past-paper items we found.
OphthoMentor writes five-statement true/false items alongside its single-best-answer questions in every subspecialty, so both halves of Part I can be rehearsed in one place.
EyeDocs' eyeQ lists the EBO for both its Part 1 (2,000+) and Part 2 (3,700+) banks. Its EBO page still summarises the exam as 52 MCQs of five true/false stems and says the summary is current as of April 2018, six years before the SBA half was added, so check the question format in the free eyeQ Basic set before paying.
Open Exam Prep's 181 free questions are single-answer items built around the Part I fields; we saw no five-statement stems in its practice set.
Théa Academy's Prep'EBO describes itself as an MCQ programme without stating the format, and its own exam summary still describes a written paper of "around 50" questions and two 15-minute oral panels, which is the pre-2024 structure.
EBO Exam Coach is not a bank at all: its Get started button opens a chat coach on a third-party platform, which produces MCQs and case discussions in conversation, so the format depends on what you ask for.

Is there a free EBO question bank?

Yes, in pieces. No free source compared here is large, but together they cover both Part I formats and the clinical cases, and they cost nothing to try before you decide whether a paid bank is worth it.

What was free on 18 October 2026:

The EBO itself: 12 past five-statement MCQs and an example SBA on the structure page, a sample clinical case, a candidate briefing on the online exam, and topic videos (optics and refraction, paediatrics and strabismus, cornea, orbit and adnexa, glaucoma, cataract and refractive, retina, uveitis) recorded at its 2023 Berlin diploma workshop and its 2024 exam-preparation workshop, each covering MCQs and viva practice and hosted on Vimeo without a login.
Open Exam Prep: 181 practice questions with explanations and a 47-chapter study guide, with no registration and no card; sign-in is offered only to track progress.
EyeDocs eyeQ Basic: 100 free questions across the Part 1 and Part 2 banks after registering.
OphthoMentor: a free plan with 65 questions, five from every subspecialty, and a public library of sample questions organised by the 13 BCSC sections that needs no account.
EBO Exam Coach: the coach is free to open, within whatever limits your account on its chat platform has.
Théa Academy: a virtual MCQ practice on the Prep'EBO page, with no published question count.

EyeDocs vs OphthoMentor for the EBO exam

This is one side's account: OphthoMentor publishes this page. The figures for EyeDocs come from its own pages on 18 October 2026, and the fairest test of either bank is the free sample.

EyeDocs' eyeQ is the larger and older product. It states 2,000+ Part 1 questions in ophthalmic sciences and 3,700+ Part 2 questions in clinical ophthalmology, lists the EBO for both, and sells each part for £79 for 3 months or £99 for 6, or both parts for £159 for 6 months. Timed tests, replayable tests, question-by-question feedback and a comparison with other users are included, and eyeQ Basic opens 100 questions free. Its weakness for the EBOD is format: the EBO page's summary is dated April 2018, before the SBA half existed, and the site does not say whether its EBO practice uses five-statement stems.

OphthoMentor is smaller and newer. Its questions are original single-best-answer items plus five-statement true/false items, organised by the 13 BCSC-aligned subspecialties rather than by the EBO's ten fields, each with an explanation and many with a clinical decision flowchart, plus spaced-repetition review of misses, weak-topic drills and a readiness dashboard. The free plan opens 65 questions, five from every subspecialty, and the full bank is a one-time payment with no subscription: Core ($319, 12 months) or Residency ($619, 36 months). It is sold in US dollars and has fewer questions than eyeQ, so a candidate who wants volume in clinical ophthalmology may still want a larger bank beside it.

A reasonable split: use eyeQ or another large bank for breadth in clinical topics if you want it, and use the EBO's own examples and OphthoMentor for the five-statement format and the SBA stems. Whichever you pick, the EBO's position applies to both: it endorses only the material on its own website.

What does the EBO itself provide for exam preparation?

More than most candidates realise, and all of it free. The structure-of-examination page explains the scoring and lists 12 past MCQs in the five-statement format, labelled by exam year (2003 and 2004) and field, with their answers, followed by a worked example SBA in neuro-ophthalmology and a description of how the clinical cases are marked against model answers.

The educational-videos page collects recordings from EBO courses and partner societies: a set of topic sessions titled "MCQs and VV" (optics and refraction, paediatric ophthalmology and strabismus, cornea and external disease, orbit and adnexa, glaucoma, cataract and refractive surgery, retina, and uveitis) from the EBO Diploma Preparation Workshop in Berlin in 2023 and the Comprehensive Exam Preparation Workshop in 2024, plus symposia on ocular infections, eyelid disease and eye emergencies. The exam-information page links a sample clinical case and the briefing for the online exam.

The EBO also states that it is not affiliated with any website or platform claiming to offer EBO Diploma training, declines liability for results based on such material, and endorses only what is on its own site. Treat every third-party bank on this page, OphthoMentor included, as unofficial practice.

Théa Academy Prep'EBO, Open Exam Prep and EBO Exam Coach: what each offers

Three options sit outside the usual question-bank model, so they are worth describing on their own terms, as their pages read on 18 October 2026.

Théa Academy Prep'EBO: an MCQ training programme from Laboratoires Théa, which says it has supported the EBO's exam for over 10 years and is the exclusive sponsor of the exam event. The page explains why the diploma is worth having and offers a virtual MCQ practice, but publishes no question count, format or price; Théa Academy is a healthcare-professional education site with its own login. Its exam summary (a written paper of around 50 questions, then two 15-minute oral panels) describes the format before May 2024.
Open Exam Prep: an independent free site with 181 original EBOD questions, explanations, a hint feature and a 47-chapter study guide with chapters updated as recently as October 2026. It states that its questions are its own simulations, not EBO items, and that it is not endorsed by the EBO. Questions are single-answer, so pair it with true/false practice.
EBO Exam Coach: a site by Nikolaos Kappos, a FEBO consultant ophthalmologist at the Naval Hospital of Athens, whose Get started button opens a chat coach on a third-party platform. It promises structured coaching, explanations, MCQs and case discussions tailored to your pace. There is no fixed bank, no published question count and no price on the site, and it states that it is independent of the EBO.

How to choose and use an EBO question bank

Start from the EBO's own examples so you know what a five-statement stem feels like: each statement is judged on its own, and accepting one does not make its neighbours true. Then pick practice that covers both Part I formats and the ten written fields, and keep a timed rhythm of about two minutes per stem (60 stems in 120 minutes), remembering that a five-statement stem takes longer to read than a short SBA.

Checks to run on any bank before you pay:

Format: does it have five-statement true/false stems as well as single best answer? Ask for a sample if the site does not say.
Currency of the exam description: a page that still describes negative marking, a 52-question paper or a 2.5-hour Part I was written before May 2024.
Size against time: Part I has 60 stems, so a few hundred well-explained items used twice beat thousands skimmed once.
Clinical cases: Part II is 60% of the result and has no answer options, so practise describing images and outlining management aloud or in writing, which the EBO's topic videos and sample case support.
Cost and terms: eyeQ sells 3- and 6-month plans per part; Open Exam Prep and the EBO's material are free. OphthoMentor is a one-time payment with no subscription.

EBO question banks compared FAQ

Which EBO question bank is best?

The one that practises both Part I formats. As of 18 October 2026, the EBO's own structure page (12 past five-statement MCQs and an example SBA) and OphthoMentor carry the five-statement true/false format; EyeDocs eyeQ is the largest bank that lists the EBO, and Open Exam Prep is the largest free set. Try the free samples of each before paying.

Is there a free EBO question bank?

Yes, in parts. The EBO's own examples, sample clinical case and topic videos are free. Open Exam Prep offers 181 questions with no registration, eyeQ Basic opens 100, and OphthoMentor's free plan opens 65 questions, five from every subspecialty plus a public sample library.

Does EyeDocs cover the EBO exam?

Yes. EyeDocs lists the EBO for its eyeQ Part 1 (2,000+ questions) and Part 2 (3,700+) banks, at £79 for 3 months or £99 for 6 per part, with 100 free questions. Its EBO exam page's format summary is dated April 2018 and describes the older all-true/false paper, so check that its practice includes single-best-answer items.

Does the EBO publish past papers?

Not whole papers. The structure-of-examination page lists 12 MCQs from the 2003 and 2004 exams, each with five true/false statements and answers, plus one example SBA. The EBO also publishes topic videos with MCQ and viva practice from its 2023 and 2024 workshops and a sample clinical case.

What is Théa Academy's Prep'EBO, and what does it cost?

Prep'EBO is an MCQ training programme from Théa Academy, the EBO exam's sponsor, with a virtual MCQ practice on its page. As of 18 October 2026 the page publishes no question count, format or price; Théa Academy is a healthcare-professional education site with its own login.

What is EBO Exam Coach?

A conversational coaching tool created by Nikolaos Kappos, a FEBO consultant ophthalmologist in Athens. Its Get started button opens a chat coach on a third-party platform that explains topics and generates MCQs and case discussions. It has no fixed question bank or published price and states that it is independent of the EBO.

Is OphthoMentor endorsed by the EBO?

No. The EBO endorses only the learning materials on its own website and is not affiliated with any third-party EBO training platform. OphthoMentor is run by OphthoMentor AB, an independent Swedish company, and so are the other products compared here.

Does OphthoMentor have true/false questions for the EBO exam?

Yes. OphthoMentor writes five-statement true/false items alongside single-best-answer questions in every subspecialty. Its free plan opens 65 questions, and the full bank is a one-time payment with no subscription: Core $319 for 12 months or Residency $619 for 36 months.