VTNE Pass Rate: First-Time, Retake, and Pathway Numbers

These are national figures drawn from AAVSB-derived reporting and current program disclosures. They are not state-by-state pass rates.

About 2 in 3 first-time VTNE candidates pass.

• 67.4% is the current three-year national average published alongside accredited programs' results for 14,465 first-time candidates from January 1, 2023, through December 31, 2025 (Purdue University, VTNE Scores). Kent State Tuscarawas reports 67% for the same window (Kent State).
• First attempts in 2025, by eligibility pathway: 70% for graduates of accredited programs, 59% for alternate-pathway candidates, and 54% for on-the-job-trained candidates. These AAVSB figures were reported by AVMA (AVMA News, Feb. 3, 2026).
• Retakes: 35% to 41% of repeat candidates passed in the AAVSB-based reports we found, covering 2021–2024.

Last verified: October 19, 2026.

Seen 56% or 70% somewhere else? Both are real numbers. They come from different years and different groups of candidates. Here's where each one comes from.

Which VTNE pass rate applies to you?

Published VTNE pass rates differ sharply by eligibility pathway and by whether the candidates are taking the exam for the first time or repeating it.

In 2025, accredited-program graduates passed on the first try 16 percentage points more often than on-the-job-trained candidates (70% vs. 54%). On a retake, the reports we found show roughly 1 in 3 to 2 in 5 candidates passing.

A few things to know about these numbers:

• No candidate counts were published with the 2025 pathway percentages. AAVSB's CEO stated the rates in AVMA's report of a meeting among AAVSB, AVMA, and veterinary technician educators.
• The retake figures are a range for a reason. The reports behind them counted very different numbers of repeat candidates: 400 in one three-year report and 7,496 in another. Treat 35%–41% as a rough band, not one current national retake rate.
• Not every jurisdiction accepts every pathway. The current AAVSB Candidate Handbook lists on-the-job training as a valid licensure pathway only in Montana, Wisconsin, Alaska, and Utah. It also warns that credentials earned through OJT or alternate pathways can limit where you transfer later (AAVSB Candidate Handbook, p. 10). For details, see VTNE eligibility pathways and requirements.

Why other sites say 56%, 58%, or 70%

Every number below is real. Each covers a different window or a different group of candidates. The biggest difference is who is counted.

We rechecked the arithmetic for every row above that publishes both counts. Each percentage matches its own numerator and denominator to the displayed precision.

Where the "56.6%" figure comes from. Some prep sites quote 56.6% for "2023–2024." That matches AAVSB's one-year report for July 2023 through June 2024: 5,261 of 9,286 first-time candidates passed, or 56.66%. It's a real number. It just counts a broader, differently timed group than the 67.4% national average published on current accredited-program pages.

Why the program-page averages run higher. The national averages printed on the Purdue and Iowa Lakes program pages cover 14,465 and 19,752 first-time candidates over three years. AAVSB's "all first-time candidates" report covers 26,492 over a different three-year span. The public program pages do not fully define the underlying national comparator population. CVTEA's current reporting rule asks programs to report first-time test takers within one year of graduation (CVTEA Accreditation Policies and Procedures, March 2026 edition). That narrower reporting framework may explain part of the gap, but the public sources do not establish one definitive cause. The AAVSB school report also says its data are for the named program's internal use and are not an accreditation benchmark.

Where "70%" comes from. You'll see it two ways. It's the reported 2025 first-attempt rate for accredited-program graduates. It's also an older figure: in 2018, AVMA reported a three-year national mean of 70.31% from AAVSB, with individual testing periods since late 2013 ranging from 64% to 74%. If a page says "about 70%" with no date or group, you can't tell which one it means.

Year-to-year swings happen. Central New Mexico Community College's table shows one-year national averages of 71% (2023), 65% (2024), and 68% (2025). CVTEA's current program-reporting rule uses a three-year rolling first-time pass percentage rather than a single-year figure.

How to compare two VTNE pass rates

Before you decide that one number is better than another, check that both answer the same question.

Worked example. School A advertises a 90% pass rate. A current program page lists a 67.4% national comparator. Before concluding School A beats that benchmark, check the fine print:

• Is 90% a first-time rate, or does it include retakes?
• Does it cover January 2023–December 2025, like the 67.4% figure?
• How many candidates is it based on?
• Does it use the same candidate definition?

That sample-size check matters more than people expect. With 4 candidates, a single pass or fail moves the rate 25 percentage points. With 100 candidates, it moves the rate 1 point. A 100% rate on a handful of graduates tells you less about a program's recent pattern than a rate based on a much larger cohort.

How hard is the VTNE?

The pass-rate data show that a substantial share of candidates do not pass on the first attempt, but a pass rate by itself is not a standardized measure of exam difficulty. The passing line is a fixed scaled-score standard, not a quota.

• There's no curve against other test takers. You pass with a scaled score of 425 on a 200–800 scale. AAVSB says scaled scores are equivalent across administrations so the same standard is maintained each time (Candidate Handbook, scoring section).
• There's no published percent-correct passing score. AAVSB reports scaled scores rather than "number correct" or "percent correct."
• It's long and broad. You get 170 multiple-choice questions in 3 hours. 150 are scored and 20 are unscored pilot questions (Candidate Handbook). The scored questions span 10 domains, from animal care and nursing and pharmacology to dentistry and diagnostic imaging. Our VTNE exam prep guide breaks down the domains.

Does the pass rate predict your own chance?

No. A pass rate describes a group, not you. It knows nothing about your training, how much you've studied, how long you've been out of school, or which domains trip you up.

A useful recent source on preparation is the Association of Veterinary Technician Educators' 2025 survey, which included 526 recent graduates from 37 accredited programs and 108 faculty/program-director responses representing institutions (AVTE, Exploring Success, 2025). Graduates who passed on their first attempt were more likely to:

• use school-provided study guides, review sessions, or study groups
• study consistently; AVMA's summary describes first-attempt passers as averaging 10 to 20 hours a week
• rely on a small number of highly effective resources
• take the VTNE while still enrolled in their program

Study groups show the pattern clearly. 34% of first-attempt passers used one, compared with 21% of graduates who passed after multiple attempts and 14% of candidates who had tested but not yet passed (AVTE report, collaborative-learning section).

Test anxiety also differed sharply. The report says 31% of first-attempt passers reported severe anxiety affecting performance, compared with nearly 9 in 10 candidates who had tested but not yet passed.

One finding cuts the other way. Graduates who tested while still enrolled reported feeling more prepared, but the AVTE report says an AAVSB analysis found no relationship between pass rates and time since graduation. So testing timing should not be treated as a proven cause of passing.

These are associations from self-reported survey data, not proof that any one habit causes a pass. They can still point you toward practical preparation:

• Practice with original exam-style questions: Free VTNE practice test
• Plan your weeks: VTNE exam prep guide
• Pick your window: VTNE exam dates and application cutoffs

If you didn't pass

Under the current AAVSB Candidate Handbook, you may retake the VTNE at least 31 days after your prior attempt. A retake requires a new application and the full application fee. The handbook also limits candidates to three attempts in a calendar year.

• AAVSB attempt limit: AAVSB permits up to five attempts, counted from exams taken on or after January 1, 2006. A sixth attempt or beyond requires AAVSB Board of Directors review and additional documentation (AAVSB retake page).
• Stricter jurisdictions: All Canadian provinces, Indiana, Tennessee, and Missouri require their regulatory board's approval for attempts after the third. Missouri will not accept scores from attempts over four (Candidate Handbook, retake section).
• Your board's rules: Retake requirements and jurisdiction fees can vary. Check them through the AAVSB board lookup.

Retakers passed less often in the national reports above—35% to 41% in the periods we found. That is a reason to review what changed between attempts rather than assuming another sitting will produce the same outcome. Our VTNE exam prep guide includes a retake study plan.

Handbook source update — October 19, 2026: The older handbook URLs no longer resolve. Citations here open the current handbook now linked from AAVSB’s VTNE overview. In addition to the 31-day minimum, its “Retaking the VTNE” section limits testing to no more than three times in a calendar year. Jurisdiction-specific approval rules still apply.

Checking a specific school's pass rate

Under the current CVTEA rules, accredited programs publish a three-year rolling first-time VTNE pass percentage for candidates who test within one year of graduation, along with the number of first-time candidates. The public reporting year is January through December, and the current manual requires website information to be updated no later than April 15 each year. Standard 11d says the program's rate should meet or exceed the national average (CVTEA Accreditation Policies and Procedures, March 2026).

Program results vary widely. In our audit of 81 official 2023–2025 school disclosures, 55 had numbers we could reproduce mathematically. Across those 55, the median first-time pass rate was 74.0%, covering 2,404 candidates. That median isn't the national pass rate. It's the middle value of the program disclosures we could verify, and small programs count the same as large ones in that median.

For the full table, the disclosures that didn't add up, and how to read them, see VTNE pass rates by school: 2023–2025 data audit.

Common questions about the VTNE pass rate

Is the VTNE pass rate 70%?
For accredited-program graduates on their first attempt in 2025, AVMA reported an AAVSB figure of about 70%. As a general national figure, "70%" can also trace back to older AAVSB data reported in 2018. The current 2023–2025 national comparator published by Purdue is 67.4%.

How many people take the VTNE each year?
One AAVSB school report for July 2023 through June 2024 counted 9,650 candidates: 9,286 first-time candidates and 364 repeat candidates. Other reports use different populations and time windows, so treat that as one report's total, not a universal annual count.

Has the VTNE pass rate gone down?
Older published figures include a 70.31% three-year mean reported in 2018. Recent sources show figures from the high 50s to high 60s depending on the candidate population and reporting window. Because those groups and windows are not identical, the public figures do not form a clean apples-to-apples trend line.

Does AAVSB publish official VTNE pass rates?
We did not find a current public AAVSB webpage that lists a single national pass rate. Current figures are available through AAVSB-prepared reports that programs publish, program disclosures carrying national comparators, and AAVSB figures reported by AVMA.

Is the pass rate different in my state?
It can be. California's Veterinary Medical Board publishes its own statistics, and they look very different. For example, 49%, 34%, and 38% of California applicants passed in three testing windows from July 2023 to April 2024 (California VMB). Those figures describe California's applicant pool and do not identify the results as first-attempt-only. Don't read them as the national rate.

Is a school with a 100% pass rate automatically better?
No. Check how many candidates that 100% represents, which years it covers, and whether it counts only first attempts. In our school audit, the four reporting units showing 100% for 2023–2025 had 57 candidates combined, and one had just four.

Sources and how we checked

We checked the figures against program disclosure pages, AAVSB-prepared school reports, the AAVSB Candidate Information Handbook and retake page, the current CVTEA accreditation rules, AVMA reporting, and the AVTE survey report. We recomputed every pass rate in the comparison table that published both a numerator and denominator and kept each source's own population label and date window. AI tools assisted with research, drafting, and source checking. Source checking is not professional review. Last verified: October 19, 2026.

National and pathway figures

• Purdue University, VTNE Scores / Veterinary Technology
• Kent State Tuscarawas, VTNE Pass Rates
• Iowa Lakes Community College, VTNE Test Results
• Central New Mexico Community College, Veterinary Technician program
• AAVSB Official CVTEA School Reports, published by Mt. San Antonio College
• AVMA News, "Veterinarians, veterinary technicians prioritizing greater collaboration to tackle challenges," Feb. 3, 2026
• JAVMA News, "Assessing veterinary technician education," April 2018
• California Veterinary Medical Board, Examination Statistics

Exam rules

• AAVSB VTNE Candidate Information Handbook
• AAVSB, Retake the VTNE
• AAVSB, Veterinary Technician National Examination

Program reporting and study habits

• AVMA CVTEA Accreditation Policies and Procedures, March 2026 edition
• AVTE, Exploring Success: An Evaluation of VTNE Performance Drivers, 2025
• Castleport Test Prep, VTNE Pass Rates by School: 2023–2025 Data Audit

By Castleport Test Prep Editorial Team

Castleport Test Prep is an independent exam prep publisher. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or approved by the American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB), PSI, or the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). Exam and credential names identify their subjects, and trademarks belong to their respective owners. Pass rates describe groups of candidates and do not predict any individual result. Your state or provincial board sets the requirements for your credential.

Keep going: Free VTNE practice test · VTNE exam prep guide · VTNE exam dates · How vet tech certification works by state