North American Veterinary Licensing Examination

Exam at a glance

Exam fee

Standard fee is $800 for testing in the US, US territories, and Canada, with an additional international testing fee (reported at $380; total about $1,180) for testing outside those regions; the fee is nonrefundable and nontransferable

Questions on exam

360 multiple-choice questions, of which 300 are scored and 60 are unscored pretest items

Duration

Total testing time is 6.5 hours; the current format is administered in six blocks of 60 questions each, but beginning with the October–November 2026 NAVLE the exam will be divided into twelve blocks of 30 questions each

Passing score

Scores are reported on a 200–800 scale with a minimum passing score of 425

Retake policy

A lifetime limit of five attempts is in effect as of March 2026, with up to two attempts permitted before graduation

Validity

NAVLE validity for licensure varies by jurisdiction (commonly 3–5 years before retake/additional requirements may apply); there is no CE-based renewal of the exam itself

Published exam facts, from the official outline.

What’s on the NAVLE exam

1. Clinical Practice (70%)
2. Preventive Medicine and Animal Welfare (15%)
3. Communications (8%)
4. Professionalism, Practice Management, and Wellness (7%)

Official exam blueprint domains — your practice bank mirrors this outline.