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VeterinaryNAVLE Basics
Twenty flashcards on the licensing exam for veterinarians in the US and Canada: windows, free practice and sample questions.
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20 cards
- Where is the NAVLE required?
- In every licensing jurisdiction of the United States and Canada.
- Who administers the NAVLE, and since when?
- The International Council for Veterinary Assessment (ICVA), since 2000.
- What does the NAVLE set out to check?
- That every newly licensed veterinarian has the baseline knowledge to practice safely.
- How many NAVLE testing windows per year?
- Three, each with fixed testing dates.
- Fall 2026 NAVLE window?
- Testing October 12 to November 14; applications were June 1 to July 15.
- March 2027 NAVLE window?
- Testing March 1 to 20; applications December 1 to January 7.
- Summer 2027 NAVLE window?
- Testing July 12 to August 7; applications April 1 to May 7.
- Late papers, refunds or window extensions?
- None: everything must arrive by the deadline, and window dates are fixed.
- Official free NAVLE practice?
- An ICVA computer tutorial with 20 sample questions, in English and French.
- The tutorial on NAVLE exam day?
- The same tutorial, without sample questions, for 15 minutes at the Prometric center.
- How many NAVLE questions include images?
- About 15 to 20 %, shown in a viewer with zoom, contrast and panning.
- How many sample questions on the ICVA page?
- Five, across several species, with answers at the bottom.
- Sample: young horses in one barn, fever, nasal discharge, hot swollen jaw lymph nodes. Advice?
- Isolate every horse that has a fever.
- Sample: parrot on seeds with seizures, weak grip and low total calcium. Confirming test?
- Plasma ionized calcium.
- Sample: cow a week after calving, right-side ping from the paralumbar fossa to the 9th rib. Diagnosis?
- Abomasal volvulus.
- Sample: small dog, honking cough, blue tongue in fits, no response to medicines. Next step?
- Intraluminal stenting.
- Sample: cat bred 50 days ago, fever, large uterus, discharge, no fetal skeletons on X-ray. Diagnosis?
- Pyometra.
- Does ECFVG certification require the NAVLE?
- No, though every state board requires it for a license.
- What does California ask of a graduate from a non-accredited school?
- An ECFVG or PAVE certificate plus proof of passing the NAVLE.
- California's 60-month rule?
- The NAVLE, the California State Board exam and the Veterinary Law Exam must all be passed within 60 months.
Official sources
International Council for Veterinary Assessment (ICVA)
North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE)
International Council for Veterinary Assessment (ICVA)
NAVLE Tutorial and Sample Questions
International Council for Veterinary Assessment (ICVA)
NAVLE Sample Questions
American Veterinary Medical Association, ECFVG
ECFVG Basic and Clinical Sciences Examination (BCSE) Candidate Bulletin
California Veterinary Medical Board
Veterinarian, Non-California School Graduate: Application Instructions (Rev. 2/2020)
Making Synapses is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by the AVMA, the ECFVG, the AAVSB, the ICVA, the Canadian National Examining Board or any state board. ECFVG, CPE, BCSE, PAVE and NAVLE are trademarks of their respective owners and are named only to describe the exams.