What You Need to Know about the NAVLE Exam
The NAVLE exam contains 360 multiple-choice questions, 60 of which are unscored, and you will have a time limit of 6.5 hours. The numbers refer to the target for the number of items for each category on the NAVLE. These are decided by the ICVA’s most recent Practice Analysis, which is updated to stay current with knowledge and trends in veterinary medicine.
The current analysis obtained information about the following characteristics of veterinary practice: (a) work context, (b) animal species and diagnoses managed, (c) clinical and professional competencies required for success, and (d) foundational and basic veterinary sciences knowledge required to appropriately perform the responsibilities of effective practice. Each of these characteristics provides important considerations when designing and developing an examination's blueprint and overall context. For additional details visit the NAVLE Practice Analysis or Executive Summary.
Executive summary:
To ensure that the exams veterinarians take are closely aligned with their real-world responsibilities, the International Council for Veterinary Assessment (ICVA) conducts regular studies called practice analyses. These studies, last done in 2003 and 2010, involve surveys sent to many veterinarians to learn about the animals they treat and the health issues they handle. The latest study, completed more recently, aimed to gather even more data from a larger group of North American veterinarians. This study also introduced two significant improvements: it looked at the skills veterinarians need, and it identified the basic science knowledge essential for all veterinarians.
The practice analysis survey, developed over several months by Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and project staff, consisted of three main sections: Demographics and Practice Characteristics, Species and Diagnoses, and Clinical and Professional Competencies. Each veterinarian only answered parts of the survey relevant to their specific practice. Foundational veterinary science questions were kept separate and answered later by SMEs specializing in basic science.
In 2016, the survey was sent online to 19,829 licensed veterinarians across the United States and Canada. The web-based delivery allowed the survey to be tailored based on respondents' practice areas. From the responses received, 6,975 were deemed complete enough to contribute to the analysis, marking a significant improvement in response rate compared to previous studies.
Additionally, supplementary activities were conducted to refine the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE) specifications. SMEs provided input on the importance of competencies and diagnoses by species, and engaged in a sorting activity to group similar competencies together. The final NAVLE specifications were reviewed and approved by the ICVA board in June 2017.
The results of these efforts led to the development of a blueprint for future NAVLE exams. This blueprint comprises three dimensions: Diagnoses (organized by species), Competencies, and Foundational Veterinary Sciences. Notable changes include the integration of Public Health into the competency dimension and adjustments to species groupings. The new blueprint will guide the recoding of test questions starting in fall 2017.
The NAVLE exam contains 360 multiple-choice questions, 60 of which are unscored, and you will have a time limit of 6.5 hours. The exam is administered in six blocks, with each block containing 60 questions.
The exam is split into four competency domains.
1. Clinical Practice (70%)
The questions in this domain test your knowledge and skills related to gathering and interpreting data and health maintenance and prevention.
Data Gathering and InterpretationHealth Maintenance and Problem Management
2. Communication (8%)
The questions in this domain test your ability to communicate with clients and other professionals in the workplace.
Communication with ClientsCommunication with Veterinary and Other Professionals
3. Professionalism, Practice Management, and Wellness (7%)
The questions in this domain test your knowledge and skills pertaining to professional development and veterinary practice management.
Professional Development and Life-Long LearningVeterinary Practice Management
4. Preventive Medicine and Animal Welfare (15%)
The questions in this domain test your knowledge and skills pertaining to health and safety and animal welfare issues.
Environmental Health and SafetyVeterinary Public HealthAnimal Welfare Issues and Concerns
Compentencies
This section covers the clinical and professional competencies required of veterinarians as they perform their daily responsibilities, such as Communication, Leadership, Lifelong Learning, Practice Management, Professionalism, Health Management, One Health Concepts, and Epidemiology.
NAVLE Competencies
Diagnosis
Clinical activities were grouped by species and organ system within species, for most species. Similar species were grouped together for the purpose of analyses.
