VTNE

Owned and administered by the AAVSB (American Association of Veterinary State Boards), the VTNE (Veterinary Technician National Examination) is used to assess the competency of entry-level veterinary technicians. All Canadian provinces and most United States jurisdictions require that candidates pass this test as one of the conditions to be met before licensure.

The exam is given twice a year-in January and in June. It is constantly reviewed and reevaluated by highly-qualified item writers, who update it as needed. This updating is done in order to keep the VTNE as a valid and useful tool in the licensing of candidates.

To qualify to sit for the test, the VTNE candidate must either be a graduate of an AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) or CVMA (Canadian Veterinary Medical Association) accredited Veterinary Technicians program or will be a graduate within six months. Before the candidate can sit for the VTNE, he or she must have submitted one of the following documents to the AAVSB:

• Official final transcript: This transcript must come directly from the school.
• Letter of eligibility: The school may send a letter on the candidate's behalf stating that he or she is within six months of graduating.

If the candidate fails the test the first time, he or she is allowed to take it four more times, for a total of five times. To take the exam after the fifth time, a candidate must get approval from the AAVSB Board of Directors. Before the Board approves such an appeal, the candidate will have to do these two things:

• Provide proof that the appropriate licensing board or certifying agency agrees that he or she would not be prohibited from being licensed or certified after five failures to pass the VTNE. This proof must come in the form of a letter from the licensing board or certifying agency.
• Provide proof that he or she has worked to become better prepared for the test. This proof can be in the form of records of test preparation classes or a letter from someone who has tutored the candidate.

Commercial Resources for VTNE Test Preparation (provided for information only, no endorsement implied)

VTNE Test Study Guide from Mometrix Media

VTNE Test Flashcards from Mometrix Media