NAVLE Exam Requirements (2026–27 Testing Cycle)

To take the NAVLE, you need an accepted veterinary education path and approval through the correct application route. That means graduating from or being enrolled in an AVMA Council on Education-accredited veterinary school, or qualifying through ECFVG or PAVE after completing the required BCSE or QSE step. If you have not graduated yet, Canada and most U.S. states also require your expected graduation date to fall within 10 months after the last day of the testing window.

Next ICVA application period: December 1, 2026–January 7, 2027, for the March 1–20, 2027 U.S./ICVA testing window. All application, eligibility, and accommodation materials are due by the deadline. Last verified October 19, 2026 against the ICVA 2026–2027 NAVLE Candidate Handbook and current ICVA candidate guidance.

NAVLE requirements at a glance

Sources: ICVA 2026–2027 Candidate Handbook, especially pp. 15–17 and 29–35; ICVA NAVLE Application Process; ICVA Candidate FAQ; Canadian NEB NAVLE page.

Your pre-application checklist

Work through this before the application period opens. Most avoidable eligibility problems happen before exam day.

• Confirm your path. AVMA COE-accredited veterinary student or graduate, ECFVG with the BCSE completed, or PAVE with the QSE completed.
• Check the graduation-timing rule if you have not graduated.
• Pick the correct route. A U.S. licensing board, the ICVA no-board option, or the NEB for Canadian licensure.
• If your U.S. board runs its own NAVLE approval, get its form, fee, requirements, and deadline. A board deadline can be earlier than ICVA's.
• Arrange education verification through your school, ECFVG, PAVE, or licensing board as your route requires.
• Need disability accommodations? Submit the complete U.S. accommodation packet by the application deadline. Canadian candidates use the NEB process.
• Have a temporary medical situation? U.S. candidates using ICVA's non-standard testing-conditions process must submit the supported request no later than 14 days before the testing window starts.
• Match your name on the application and permit to the government ID you will use on test day.
• Apply and pay through the correct route before its deadline.
• After approval, schedule Prometric promptly when your Scheduling and Admission Permit becomes available.

Open the ICVA application process · Find your licensing authority · Canadian candidates: use the NEB NAVLE process

Who is eligible to take the NAVLE?

You qualify through one of two main paths: accredited veterinary education or an accepted educational-equivalency route. ICVA administers the NAVLE to candidates seeking veterinary licensure.

Students and graduates of AVMA COE-accredited schools

You're on this path if you graduated from, or are enrolled in, a school or college of veterinary medicine accredited by the AVMA Council on Education. The school must hold that accreditation when you graduate, so check the AVMA's list of accredited veterinary colleges if your program is new, changing status, or under review.

One edge case catches people. ICVA's current FAQ says Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) was AVMA COE-accredited from March 2011 through December 31, 2025. Graduates outside that accreditation period do not qualify through UNAM's former accreditation alone and need the ECFVG/PAVE route instead. See the current ICVA eligibility FAQ before relying on an older school-status list.

Graduates of schools that aren't AVMA COE-accredited

Graduating from a non-accredited school doesn't shut you out. You need an accepted equivalency program, and you must complete its required science examination before NAVLE approval:

ICVA's current guidance says ECFVG candidates need the BCSE before NAVLE approval and PAVE candidates need the QSE. Most U.S. jurisdictions require the BCSE step for an ECFVG candidate to reach NAVLE approval, but some states require all four ECFVG steps. Final licensure can require more than NAVLE eligibility, so check the jurisdiction where you plan to be licensed.

If you're seeking a Canadian license, you must use the NEB process. International non-accredited-school candidates need NEB approval and must have passed the BCSE before NAVLE registration. See the NEB NAVLE eligibility section.

Your licensing authority can be stricter

ICVA's eligibility rules do not erase jurisdiction-specific requirements. A U.S. state or territorial board can require more for NAVLE approval than ICVA's baseline, and licensure requirements vary after the exam as well.

You do not have to choose the state where you currently live. Choose the jurisdiction where you intend to seek licensure, or use ICVA's no-board option if you have not decided yet.

When can a final-year student take the NAVLE?

In Canada and most U.S. states, you can test before graduation if your expected graduation date is within 10 months after the last day of the applicable testing window. Students enrolled in AVMA COE-accredited programs can take the NAVLE no more than two times before graduation.

For the current cycle:

Source: ICVA 2026–2027 Candidate Handbook, p. 15 and ICVA eligibility FAQ.

This page does not calculate an exact cutoff date by adding 10 calendar months because ICVA's published rule states the 10-month condition but does not publish a separate boundary-date calculation method. If your expected graduation is close to the limit, confirm with the licensing authority or NEB before paying.

If your expected graduation date changes after you apply, your school must notify ICVA so your eligibility and options can be reviewed. ICVA states that NAVLE fees are nonrefundable and nontransferable, and a missed testing window does not count as one of the five attempts.

Do you apply through ICVA, your state board, or the NEB?

Choose your route by where you plan to be licensed. You use one licensing-board selection per NAVLE application.

Sources: ICVA Application Process; ICVA Candidate Handbook, p. 16; ICVA board-selection FAQ; NEB NAVLE page.

Rules that matter:

• Your board selection is fixed for that application. If you later need your score sent elsewhere, use AAVSB's score-transfer service.
• A board can set an earlier application deadline and can impose additional approval requirements.
• The licensing jurisdiction selected on the NAVLE application receives your score.
• Sending a score to another U.S. jurisdiction can be done through AAVSB's VAULT score-transfer service, which currently lists a 7–14 business-day processing time.
• Canada uses the NEB process. Do not submit an ICVA U.S. route and assume it can later be converted into a Canadian NEB registration.

2026–27 NAVLE dates and deadlines

The NAVLE runs in three windows per testing cycle. The ICVA and NEB publish the same registration periods for 2026–27, but their listed testing dates differ slightly, so use the table for the route that applies to you.

U.S. / ICVA testing cycle

Source: ICVA NAVLE testing cycles and Candidate Handbook, p. 16.

Canadian NEB testing cycle

Source: Canadian NEB NAVLE examination dates and registration deadlines.

For U.S./ICVA candidates, all application, eligibility, and disability-accommodation materials must be received by the application deadline. A licensing board can set an earlier deadline.

For Canadian candidates, all NAVLE registration materials, including exam-accommodation requests, must be received by the NEB registration deadline. International candidates seeking Canadian licensure must first complete the NEB application/approval process; the NEB warns that an initial application received less than 10 business days before the NAVLE registration deadline is not guaranteed to be approved in time.

Temporary medical conditions have a different U.S. deadline

ICVA separates disability accommodations from temporary non-standard testing conditions such as a recent surgery, injury, or lactation need. A supported non-standard testing-conditions request must be received no later than 14 days before the start of the testing window.

For the remaining ICVA windows in this cycle, that works out to:

• February 15, 2027 for the March 1, 2027 window start.
• June 28, 2027 for the July 12, 2027 window start.

Those dates are simple calendar subtraction from ICVA's published testing-window start dates. See the ICVA accommodations FAQ for the current distinction between disability accommodations and temporary conditions.

How much does the NAVLE cost?

If you apply through ICVA

The 2026–2027 Candidate Handbook lists a $825 USD standard NAVLE fee for testing in the U.S., U.S. territories, or Canada. Testing outside those regions adds a $395 USD international testing fee, for a total of $1,220 USD.

ICVA's current fee FAQ warns that fee figures can vary by source page and testing cycle, so confirm the amount shown in the live application before paying.

Sources: ICVA Candidate Handbook, pp. 17 and 24; ICVA current fee FAQ.

ICVA states that its NAVLE fees are nonrefundable and nontransferable.

If you're applying for Canadian licensure

Canadian candidates register and pay through the NEB Candidate Portal. Use the NEB schedule of fees for the amount in Canadian dollars rather than assuming the U.S./ICVA application amount applies to your NEB registration.

What do you need on exam day?

You need your Scheduling and Admission Permit and a current government-issued photo ID at check-in. The ID must include your photo and signature, and its name must match the permit.

ID rules

• Government-issued, current and unexpired, with a recent photo and a signature.
• Accepted examples include a passport, driver's license, national ID, or state ID.
• Electronic or digital ID versions are not accepted.
• If the name on your permit needs correction, submit the change early. ICVA's current FAQ says information corrections must be submitted at least seven business days before the test date.

See the current ICVA ID FAQ.

Arrival and testing-room rules

• Arrive at least 30 minutes early.
• If you arrive more than 30 minutes late, you will not be admitted that day.
• Phones, watches, notes, bags, and personal calculators are not allowed in the testing room. An on-screen calculator is provided.
• Review Prometric's current policies and any pre-approved personal-item guidance before exam day.

The format you'll sit

Beginning with the October–November 2026 testing window, the NAVLE uses this structure:

ICVA says about 15–20% of questions include graphics such as photos or radiographs.

Sources: ICVA 2026 structure update; Candidate Handbook, p. 29; ICVA Candidate FAQ.

The question count did not change in the October 2026 structural update; the block structure and testing interface did. Candidates approved for certain accommodations or additional break arrangements may use a different, multi-day format, so follow the timing on your approval and permit rather than this standard schedule.

What score do you need, and when do you get it?

You need a scaled score of 425 on a scale of 200 to 800. That is not a percent-correct requirement. NAVLE scoring is criterion-referenced rather than curved against the other candidates in your window.

• When: approximately 4–5 weeks after the testing window closes.
• What you get: pass/fail status, a three-digit scaled score, and performance information by content area.
• Review/rescore: ICVA's current handbook says there is no option to review the examination, rescore it, or appeal a released NAVLE result.
• Test-day problem: if testing conditions affected your performance, file a grievance with ICVA and report the problem to Prometric within 10 business days.

For school-level outcome data, Castleport's separate NAVLE pass rates by veterinary school page keeps school-reported cohorts, denominators, and national comparison measures separate.

How many times can you take the NAVLE?

For candidates under the ICVA policy, the current rule is five fresh attempts beginning with the March 2026 testing window.

• Attempts before December 1, 2025 do not count toward the new ICVA five-attempt limit.
• There is no ICVA waiver process after those five attempts.
• An attempt starts when you begin the tutorial. Applying but not starting the exam does not consume an attempt, although the fee is not transferred to another window.
• If an examination score is cancelled or invalidated, the effect on fees and attempt limits depends on why ICVA took that action; use the current handbook for those case-specific rules.

Sources: ICVA retake-policy announcement; ICVA retake FAQ.

The Canadian Certificate of Qualification rule is different for some candidates

The NEB's current NAVLE page says that, beginning with the March 2026 window, graduates of an accredited college must pass the NAVLE within five attempts to be eligible for a Canadian Certificate of Qualification, and all previous NAVLE attempts continue to count for that group.

For other NEB candidates, the NEB states that five new opportunities apply and attempts before December 1, 2025 do not count toward the new limit.

If you are seeking Canadian licensure and have previous NAVLE attempts, use the current NEB retake-policy section rather than assuming the U.S./ICVA reset applies to you in the same way.

How soon can you retake?

Your result needs to be available in time for the next application/registration process.

For the current cycle:

The NEB states directly that a July–August candidate cannot take the immediately following October–November window because of score-reporting and registration timing.

Passing the NAVLE doesn't license you

The NAVLE is a national licensing examination. The veterinary license comes from your state, territory, or province, and each jurisdiction sets its own application and licensing requirements.

The AAVSB notes that licensing jurisdictions commonly require an application plus verification of education and national-exam scores. Some jurisdictions add a jurisprudence or laws-and-rules examination.

Two examples:

• Wisconsin requires applicants to complete an examination on state laws and rules under Wis. Admin. Code VE 1.14(2). See the ICVA Wisconsin State Laws and Rules Examination page.
• Kentucky maintains separate examination requirements for veterinarians under 201 KAR 16:530.

Before you apply for a license, check the full requirements of the jurisdiction where you intend to practice. NAVLE eligibility or a passing NAVLE score does not prove that every licensing requirement has been met.

Quick answers

Can I take the NAVLE online?
No. ICVA states that the NAVLE is administered through Prometric test centers only. It is computer-based, but not an at-home online examination. See the ICVA online-testing FAQ.

Can I take it outside the U.S. or Canada?
Yes. ICVA offers the NAVLE at selected international Prometric locations. For an ICVA application, the 2026–27 handbook lists a $395 USD international testing fee added to the standard NAVLE fee.

Do I have to apply through the state where I live?
No. Select the jurisdiction where you plan to seek licensure. If you have not decided, ICVA offers a no-board option and you can transfer the score later through AAVSB.

Are there free official practice questions?
Yes. ICVA provides a complimentary computer-based NAVLE tutorial with 20 sample questions and additional sample questions on its site. See Prepare for the NAVLE. These resources are optional and are not part of the eligibility process.

Sources

• International Council for Veterinary Assessment, NAVLE Candidate Handbook, 2026–2027 Testing Cycle
• ICVA, NAVLE overview and 2026–2027 testing cycles
• ICVA, NAVLE Application Process
• ICVA, Candidate FAQ
• ICVA, NAVLE Structure Update Begins with October–November 2026 Testing Window
• ICVA, NAVLE Retake Policy Changes Effective December 1, 2025
• ICVA, State and Provincial Licensing Agencies
• Canadian Veterinary Medical Association, National Examining Board, NAVLE
• American Association of Veterinary State Boards, VAULT Transfer for First-Time License Applicants
• AVMA, Accredited Veterinary Colleges

Last verified: October 19, 2026. Eligibility, application routes, 2026–27 dates, fees, exam format, ID requirements, scoring, the ICVA retake policy, and the Canadian NEB route were checked against the sources above. Dates and fees can change with the testing cycle.

Castleport Test Prep is an independent exam prep publisher. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or approved by the International Council for Veterinary Assessment (ICVA), the CVMA National Examining Board, the AAVSB, the AVMA, or any veterinary licensing board. Exam and credential names are used only to identify their subjects; trademarks belong to their respective owners. This page explains published requirements; the applicable licensing authority decides your eligibility and license application.

By Castleport Test Prep Editorial Team