Castleport Test Prep

VTNE Exam Dates and Application Deadlines

The VTNE is given in four two-month testing windows each year; to test in a window, your AAVSB application has to be complete by the 15th of that window's middle month. As of October 17, 2026, the next window is November 15, 2026 – January 15, 2027, and its application cutoff is December 15, 2026.

VTNE testing windows and completed-application cutoffs, 2026–2028
VTNE testing windowApplication must be complete by
Nov 15, 2026 – Jan 15, 2027Dec 15, 2026
Feb 15 – Apr 15, 2027Mar 15, 2027
May 15 – Jul 15, 2027Jun 15, 2027
Aug 15 – Oct 15, 2027Sep 15, 2027
Nov 15, 2027 – Jan 15, 2028Dec 15, 2027

Source: AAVSB VTNE Candidate Handbook, p. 13, checked October 17, 2026. AAVSB publishes these as the same month-and-day dates every year. We added the years by applying that recurring calendar. Your actual exam date is the appointment you book with PSI, and it depends on seat availability.

Written by the Castleport Test Prep Editorial Team.

Which window can you still make?

Find the date your application will be complete, including AAVSB's eligibility review. The row tells you the earliest window to check using the published cutoffs.

Earliest VTNE window to check by application completion date
Your application is complete between…Earliest window to checkThe window after that
Sep 16 and Dec 15Nov 15 – Jan 15 (ends in the following year)Feb 15 – Apr 15
Dec 16 and Mar 15Feb 15 – Apr 15May 15 – Jul 15
Mar 16 and Jun 15May 15 – Jul 15Aug 15 – Oct 15
Jun 16 and Sep 15Aug 15 – Oct 15Nov 15 – Jan 15

After your eligibility review is done, the handbook says you can choose from the next two administration windows (p. 13). Your MyAAVSB account shows the windows actually offered to you. You still need to meet the eligibility and retake rules and find an available PSI appointment.

The January trap. A January 2027 exam belongs to the November 15, 2026 – January 15, 2027 window. Its cutoff is December 15, 2026. It is not a date later in 2027.

The mid-window trap. The cutoff falls inside the window, not before it opens. Say your application is finished on March 10. March 10 is before the March 15 cutoff for the February 15 – April 15 window; testing in that window still depends on it being offered to you and on an available appointment. If it's finished on March 16, the next window to check is May 15 – July 15, even though the February window is still running.

Turn a testing window into your exam date

A window is a range of dates, not an appointment. These four steps get you from the calendar to a booked seat.

  1. Pick your target window and write down its cutoff. You can start the VTNE application at any time; the application is open year-round (handbook p. 12). Starting the form is not the same as completing it. If AAVSB hasn't verified your eligibility yet, the application stops partway until it has.
  2. Get your eligibility documents to AAVSB early. What AAVSB needs depends on your pathway:
    • Accredited program, graduated before January 1, 2025: your school sends your transcript directly to AAVSB.
    • Accredited program, graduating after January 1, 2025: your program director uploads a roster to AAVSB. You can't take the exam until you're on an uploaded roster.
    • On-the-job training (OJT): download your jurisdiction's OJT form from MyAAVSB and upload the completed form as part of your application.
    • Alternate pathway: arrange for your school or its designated transcript service to send your transcript directly to AAVSB. Upload a work-verification form if your jurisdiction requires work experience. Not every state or province accepts these pathways.

    Eligibility review may take up to two weeks once all documents are received (handbook p. 13). Plan for those two weeks plus time to fix anything missing. Don't treat the cutoff as your starting date.

  3. Finish the application and pay. The application fee is $375, paid by card or with a voucher, and it is nonrefundable. Use your legal first and last name exactly as it appears on the unexpired, government-issued photo ID with a signature you'll show on exam day.
  4. Book with PSI and save the confirmation. Once approved, log in to MyAAVSB to get your candidate ID. Then schedule through PSI, either online or by phone at 1-833-256-1419. You can test at a PSI center in the U.S. or Canada or by live remote proctoring from home. Write down the confirmed date, time, time zone, and location or remote instructions. You can check PSI test-center locations before you apply.

Keep track: your target window, its cutoff, what's still pending with AAVSB, and your confirmed PSI appointment.

What the application cutoff actually means

The cutoff is the date your application must be complete for that window, as labeled on the handbook calendar (p. 13). It is not the date you start the form, and it is not the last day you can sit the exam.

A few situations come up often:

  • Your documents are still pending. Check your status in MyAAVSB and confirm what your pathway requires. A missing roster or transcript can hold up your application. Ask your school early about those documents; check MyAAVSB for any other missing requirements.
  • The cutoff passes before your application is complete. Plan on a later window. Nothing in AAVSB's current materials promises a grace period or an automatic carryover, so if you're unsure where your application stands, ask AAVSB at vettech@aavsb.org.
  • You're approved but haven't booked yet. Book right away. AAVSB says it sets scheduling cutoffs for each window to manage seat availability. If the cutoff has already passed and you still have no appointment, ask AAVSB about your authorization.
  • You're working up to the last day. The cited handbook calendar doesn't specify a cutoff time or time zone. Don't build your plan around the final hours of the cutoff date.
  • You need testing accommodations. The accommodations deadline is the same as the application cutoff (handbook p. 15). Review can take up to two weeks. You can't book an accommodated exam until you have AAVSB's approval letter (Accommodations Guide, p. 3). Late requests are reviewed, but AAVSB doesn't guarantee they'll meet scheduling deadlines. If you think you'll need accommodations, say so when you apply.

How to change or postpone your VTNE date

Changing your appointment within a window and moving to a different window are separate processes.

Changing or postponing a VTNE appointment
Your situationWhat the current rules say
New date, time, or location inside the same windowReschedule in your PSI portal at least 48 hours before your appointment. Changes depend on open seats.
Move to the next windowAllowed once per application, only to the very next window, for a $90 fee. Request it at least 48 hours before your appointment, or before the window ends if you haven't scheduled. AAVSB's website points you to your MyAAVSB portal; the handbook lists vettech@aavsb.org. A second window transfer requires a new application and the full fee.
The window ends and you didn't test or transferWithout an approved exception, you forfeit the $375 fee and must reapply for a later window.

Missing your appointment without an approved excuse means losing the fee. Arriving at a test center—or logging in for a remote exam—more than 15 minutes late, or showing an ID that doesn't match your application, also means being denied the exam and losing the fee (handbook pp. 21 and 23).

AAVSB may approve a no-charge move to the next window for a qualifying documented emergency. These include your own serious illness, serious illness or death of an immediate family member, or a disabling traffic accident involving the vehicle transporting you on exam day. Email vettech@aavsb.org immediately, and no later than 48 hours after your scheduled exam time, if one applies. AAVSB will tell you which documentation it requires.

If weather or an emergency closes your test center and PSI cancels appointments, PSI will contact you to reschedule within the current window. If the center remains open, AAVSB expects you to attend.

Sources: AAVSB, Rescheduling Your Exam; handbook pp. 24–25.

Retaking the VTNE: when is your next possible date?

If you don't pass, the handbook (pp. 14 and 26) sets these rules:

  • You can test again at least 31 days after your previous attempt.
  • You can test no more than three times in a calendar year.
  • Each retake needs a new application and the full $375 fee.
  • A retake in the same window is possible, but only if your new application is complete before that window's cutoff.

Example, using the handbook's 31-day rule. Your attempt is on February 20, 2027. Thirty-one days later is March 23, 2027, which is still inside the February 15 – April 15 window. But to retake in that window, your new application must be complete by March 15. That's before you'd even be allowed to sit again. Complete the new application by March 15 to keep the same-window option open. After that cutoff, May 15 – July 15 is the next window to check.

Two more limits can apply. AAVSB requires its Board's approval for a sixth or later attempt, counting attempts taken on or after January 1, 2006. The request needs a letter from your jurisdiction and your own signed statement describing how you've prepared; Board review can take up to 45 days (handbook p. 14; Retake Guidelines).

Some jurisdictions require their own approval sooner. The handbook (p. 14) lists all Canadian provinces, Indiana, Missouri, and Tennessee as requiring an eligibility letter for each attempt beyond three. Missouri won't accept scores from attempts beyond the fourth. Its application instructions (p. 4, item 4) count attempts outside Missouri too and require a board appearance and completion of a board-approved continuing-education program before you apply for a fourth attempt. Tennessee's rules (1730-03-.07(4), p. 8) also close the licensure application file after three opportunities to take the VTNE without passing.

AAVSB's retake page words the spacing rule as "one time in a 30-day period." If your plan sits right on that edge, confirm the earliest date with AAVSB before you book.

Why other sites list different VTNE dates

In 2024, the VTNE ran three one-month windows: March 15 – April 15, July 15 – August 15, and November 15 – December 15. Starting with 2025 exams, AAVSB switched to four two-month windows. The application is now open year-round (handbook p. 12).

Some pages still show the old three-window schedule. When we checked on October 17, 2026, that included the Pennsylvania board's resources page and RVTTC's VTNE information page. If a page lists March 15 – April 15 as the full spring testing window, it's describing the retired calendar. The current Candidate Handbook controls.

Quick answers

Can I take the VTNE before I graduate? Possibly, if your program allows it and you meet your jurisdiction's eligibility requirements. Some accredited programs let students test in their last semester, and you can't test until your program director has put you on an uploaded roster. Ask your program and check AAVSB's pathway rules.

When will I get my results? You see pass or fail on screen right after the exam. The handbook (p. 29) says your score report appears in your MyAAVSB portal within three business days; AAVSB's current score page says within three days. Check the portal for your report. Your official score is available to the jurisdiction you chose within 72 hours, according to the handbook. Scores are scaled from 200 to 800, and 425 passes (handbook p. 29).

Do I also need to apply to my state? Check the requirements of the jurisdiction where you plan to practice. AAVSB runs the exam but doesn't license or certify vet techs. The relevant state or provincial authority handles credentialing and may have its own application and timeline. Find your authority in AAVSB's directory and check its application, approval requirements, and deadlines alongside AAVSB's before booking.

Looking at programs rather than dates? Our VTNE pass rates by school audit covers 81 official program disclosures for 2023–2025.

Sources and verification

Last verified: October 17, 2026. We checked the testing windows, application cutoffs, fees, eligibility pathways, scheduling, rescheduling, accommodations, retake rules, and the source wording for score timing. We checked them against AAVSB's currently linked Candidate Handbook, AAVSB's official VTNE web pages, and the cited board publications. We did not check individual PSI appointment availability or anyone's personal eligibility.

Castleport Test Prep is an independent exam prep publisher and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or approved by the American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB) or PSI. Exam and credential names are used only to identify their subjects; trademarks belong to their respective owners. Confirm your own dates in MyAAVSB and your credential requirements with your state or provincial authority.