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Exam Overview
Exam Overview
What Is the NAVLE?
The NAVLE is developed and owned by the International Council for Veterinary Assessment (ICVA). Every U.S. state and Canadian province requires a passing score for licensure, along with any state or provincial jurisprudence exam. The exam measures the entry-level knowledge and clinical judgment expected of a new graduate in general practice.
Exam Format at a Glance
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Questions | 360 multiple-choice, single best answer (most have five options) |
| Structure | 12 blocks of 30 questions, 33 minutes per block |
| Breaks | 50 minutes in total, taken only between blocks |
| Tutorial | Optional 10-minute tutorial before the first block |
| Exam day | About 7.5 hours |
| Graphics | About 15–20% of questions include images (photos, radiographs, cytology) |
| Delivery | Computer-based at Prometric test centers |
| Testing windows | October–November, March, and July–August |
| Fee | $825 (U.S., U.S. territories, Canada); $1,220 elsewhere |
| Score | Scaled score from 200 to 800; 425 is the minimum passing score |
Key Concept
You can review and change answers only inside the current block. Once a block closes, you cannot return to it, and the clock does not stop for breaks taken during a block.What the NAVLE Tests
ICVA builds every exam form from two blueprints at once: a competency blueprint (what you are asked to do) and a species blueprint (which animal the question is about). Every question sits on both axes, for example a feline question that tests public health, or an equine question that tests communication with an owner.
| Competency domain | Share of exam | Subdomains |
|---|---|---|
| Clinical Practice | 70% | Data Gathering and Interpretation (35%); Health Maintenance and Prevention (35%) |
| Preventive Medicine and Animal Welfare | 15% | Animal Welfare Issues (6%); Environmental Health and Safety (5%); Veterinary Public Health (4%) |
| Communication | 8% | With Clients (5%); With Veterinary and Other Professionals (3%) |
| Professionalism, Practice Management and Wellness | 7% | Practice Management (4%); Professional Development and Life-Long Learning (3%) |
NAVLE Species Target Blueprint (% of questions)
Scoring and Results
- Your number of correct answers is converted to a three-digit scaled score from 200 to 800; the passing standard of 425 is criterion-referenced, so you are not graded against other candidates.
- Every form includes unscored pretest questions mixed with the scored ones. ICVA does not say how many, so treat every question as if it counts.
- Results arrive about 4–5 weeks after the testing window closes, with a pass/fail decision, the scaled score and a diagnostic report by content area.
- There is no rescoring or appeal of results.
Eligibility and Attempts
- Students at AVMA Council on Education–accredited schools may test before graduation (graduation must fall within 10 months after the window) and may take the NAVLE up to two times before graduating.
- Graduates of non-accredited schools first complete the ECFVG or PAVE program.
- U.S. candidates apply through one state licensing board; Canadian candidates apply through the National Examining Board.
- There is a lifetime limit of five NAVLE attempts.
Check Before You Apply
Application periods close weeks before each window, fees are nonrefundable and windows cannot be extended. Confirm dates and policies in the current ICVA Candidate Handbook.Finished reading?
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