NAVLE

What Is the NAVLE?

The NAVLE is the standardized veterinary licensing examination used throughout the United States and Canada. It is designed to determine whether a candidate has the knowledge and skills needed to enter private clinical veterinary practice safely and competently.

Passing the NAVLE is an important part of veterinary licensure, but passing the exam by itself does not grant a veterinary license. Each state, territory, or Canadian province has additional licensing requirements.

Who Is Eligible for the NAVLE?

NAVLE eligibility depends partly on where you are seeking licensure, so you must meet the requirements of the licensing authority that approves you for the examination.

In general, NAVLE candidates fall into one of two groups:

AVMA COE-Accredited Veterinary Programs

You may be eligible if you are enrolled in or have graduated from a veterinary school or college accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education (AVMA COE).

In Canada and most U.S. states, students who have not yet graduated must have an expected graduation date no later than 10 months after the last day of the applicable NAVLE testing window.

Students enrolled in an AVMA COE-accredited veterinary school may take the NAVLE a maximum of two times before graduation.

Non-Accredited Veterinary Programs

Candidates from veterinary programs that are not accredited by the AVMA COE generally must participate in an approved veterinary educational equivalency program:

• Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates (ECFVG)
• Program for the Assessment of Veterinary Education Equivalence (PAVE)

ECFVG candidates must complete the required Basic and Clinical Sciences Examination (BCSE) before being approved for the NAVLE. PAVE candidates must complete the required Qualifying Science Examination (QSE).

How Is the NAVLE Structured?

The NAVLE contains 360 clinically focused multiple-choice questions. Of these, 300 are scored and 60 are unscored pretest questions being evaluated for possible use on future exams.

The unscored questions are mixed throughout the examination and are not identified, so you should treat every question as though it counts.

You can take authorized breaks between testing blocks. Once you finish a block, however, you cannot return to questions from that block.

If you finish the tutorial or a testing block early, the unused time is added to your available break time.

What Are NAVLE Questions Like?

NAVLE questions typically present a veterinary clinical scenario or vignette followed by a question and several possible answers. In some cases, more than one response may seem reasonable, and you must identify the most accurate or appropriate answer.

Approximately 15% to 20% of questions include graphics such as photographs or radiographs. The current testing software includes tools that allow you to zoom, adjust contrast, and pan across images.

What Is on the NAVLE?

The NAVLE blueprint has two major dimensions: veterinary competencies and animal species and diagnoses. Individual questions can therefore test both a professional competency and knowledge related to a particular species.

Competency Domains

Clinical Practice — 70%

Clinical Practice is by far the largest competency domain and is divided evenly between two major areas:

• Data Gathering and Interpretation — 35%
• Health Maintenance and Prevention — 35%

These questions can require you to gather information, interpret examination findings and diagnostic results, develop differential diagnoses, select diagnostic procedures, formulate treatment plans, prescribe or administer medications, evaluate treatment outcomes, and manage individual animals or populations.

Preventive Medicine and Animal Welfare — 15%

This area covers three major categories:

• Animal Welfare Issues and Concerns — 6%
• Environmental Health and Safety — 5%
• Veterinary Public Health — 4%

Topics may involve animal welfare, disease control, biosecurity, environmental hazards, public-health reporting, food safety, and disease outbreaks.

Communication — 8%

Communication questions cover interactions with both clients and other veterinary professionals:

• Communication with Clients — 5%
• Communication with Veterinary and Other Professionals — 3%

You may be asked to interpret situations involving informed consent, explaining diagnoses and prognoses, discussing treatment options, communicating difficult information, providing follow-up instructions, consulting specialists, delegating care, and interacting with other members of the veterinary team.

Professionalism, Practice Management, and Wellness — 7%

This domain includes:

• Veterinary Practice Management — 4%
• Professional Development and Lifelong Learning — 3%

Questions can involve professional responsibilities, continuing development, staff supervision, practice operations, medical records, business decisions, and the appropriate use of veterinary resources.

Which Animal Species Are on the NAVLE?

Dogs and cats account for about half of the NAVLE, but the exam covers a wide range of species commonly encountered in North American veterinary practice.

Canine and feline questions together make up 49.9% of the species blueprint. Equine and bovine medicine account for another 28%, so those four species categories should receive a substantial portion of your study time.

How Much Does the NAVLE Cost?

For the 2026–2027 NAVLE testing cycle, ICVA lists the following examination fees:

The international amount consists of the standard $825 fee plus a $395 international testing fee.

An additional $55 NAVLE approval fee may apply when the ICVA processes your licensing-agency approval or when you use the ICVA direct-approval option. Individual licensing jurisdictions can also charge their own application or licensing fees.

NAVLE examination fees are nonrefundable and nontransferable. Testing-window extensions are not allowed.

When Is the NAVLE Offered?

The NAVLE is now offered during three testing windows each year: an October–November window, a March window, and a July–August window.

2026–2027 Testing Cycle

ICVA does not allow late application materials, testing-window transfers, or extensions, so make sure all required application, eligibility, and accommodation documents are submitted before the applicable deadline.

How Do I Apply for the NAVLE?

The application process depends on where you intend to obtain your veterinary license.

United States

You must submit the NAVLE application and receive approval to test through the appropriate licensing process. NAVLE candidates seeking U.S. licensure can apply for approval through one state or territorial licensing board. Some boards process their own approvals, while others use ICVA to handle the approval process.

Because eligibility requirements and additional fees vary by jurisdiction, check your chosen licensing board’s requirements before applying.

Canada

Candidates seeking veterinary licensure in Canada apply through the Canadian National Examining Board (NEB). Canadian candidates should follow the NEB’s application, eligibility, payment, and accommodation procedures.

After Approval

Once you have been approved to test, you will receive a Scheduling and Admission Permit. Follow the instructions on the permit to schedule your appointment at an available Prometric testing center.

Do not wait until the end of the scheduling period if you need a particular location or date. Available appointments can fill.

What Should I Expect on Test Day?

Plan to arrive at the Prometric test center approximately 30 minutes before your scheduled appointment.

You will need:

• Your Scheduling and Admission Permit, either digitally or physically
• An unexpired government-issued photo ID

The first and last names on your identification must match the names on your NAVLE application and permit.

Personal belongings such as phones, watches, bags, study materials, and other prohibited items must be stored according to Prometric’s security procedures.

How Is the NAVLE Scored?

NAVLE scores are reported on a scale ranging from 200 to 800. The minimum passing score is 425.

The exam is criterion-referenced, meaning you are measured against an established passing standard rather than against the performance of other candidates. The NAVLE is not graded on a curve.

Your score report includes:

• Your scaled NAVLE score
• A pass/fail designation
• Diagnostic information about your performance across content areas

Scores are generally released approximately four to five weeks after the testing window closes, rather than four to five weeks after your individual testing date.

What Happens If I Don’t Pass the NAVLE?

A new NAVLE retake policy took effect with the March 2026 testing window.

Under the current policy, each candidate receives a maximum of five attempts. Attempts made before December 1, 2025 do not count toward the new five-attempt limit.

After those five attempts are used, ICVA does not provide additional attempts or waivers.

There is also a separate restriction for current veterinary students: candidates enrolled in an AVMA COE-accredited program may take the NAVLE only two times before graduation. If both attempts are used unsuccessfully, the candidate must wait until after graduation before trying again.

How to Prepare for the NAVLE

The NAVLE covers an enormous amount of veterinary medicine, so trying to give every subject equal study time is inefficient. Use the blueprint to decide where your effort will have the greatest impact.

1. Start with clinical practice. It accounts for 70% of the competency blueprint, so diagnostic interpretation, patient management, treatment decisions, and preventive care should dominate your preparation.
2. Prioritize dogs and cats. Canine and feline medicine together account for almost half of the species blueprint.
3. Do not neglect horses and cattle. Equine and bovine questions contribute another 28% of the species blueprint.
4. Practice clinical decision-making. NAVLE questions often give you several plausible choices and require you to select the most appropriate response.
5. Practice with images. About 15% to 20% of the exam includes photographs, radiographs, or other graphics.
6. Train for the new block format. Practice answering 30 questions in approximately 33 minutes so you become comfortable with the pace required during each testing block.
7. Review your mistakes. For every missed practice question, identify why the correct answer is better than the alternatives rather than simply memorizing the answer.

NAVLE Study Resources