The Veterinary Technician National Examination (VTNE) is owned and administered by the American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB).  The VTNE is used to evaluate entry-level veterinary technicians' competency to practice and to be credentialed.  The computer-based exam is given in three testing windows (winter, summer, fall) a year and is constantly updated, reviewed and reevaluated by highly-qualified item writers so that it remains a valid tool.  Most states and provinces require a passing score on the VTNE as one criterion for receiving credentials.  AAVSB contracts with the administering agencies to provide the exam for their use and partners with Professional Examination Service (PES) for examination development and administration services regarding the VTNE.  The exam is administered at Prometric Testing Centers throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Testing Window of VTNE	Deadline for Registration
March 15 to April 15	February 15
July 15 to August 15	June 15
November to December 15	October 15

 

*Currently, there are four locations available in Ontario:  Hamilton, London, Ottawa and Toronto

To qualify for the VTNE you must be:

• a graduate from an OAVT accredited college
• a member of OAVT in good standing

 

How to Sign Up For the VTNE

• Candidates log onto https://www.aavsb.org/Application/?service=23 to register and pay for the exam directly with AAVSB
• Next download the OAVT Membership Application Form, fill it out and send it in to the OAVT office.
• Candidates with special accommodations, please contact the OAVT office.
• Once you have completed both of these steps we will confirm with your college your eligibility (you are a graduate of an approved program) and then authorize you to write the exam.
• An Authorization-to-Test (ATT) letter from the Professional Examination Service (PES) will be emailed to you with instructions explaining how to make an appointment for the examination (arrange your location and time).
• As soon as the exam is completed, you will receive a provisional, unofficial on-screen Pass/Fail score which cannot be printed.
• You will receive your official exam score usually about 3-4 weeks after the session is completed.  These are available to the candidates electronically.  These reports are thus printable.
• The province/state indicated as the candidate's jurisdiction (that is the provincial or state association) will also receive an official report at about the same time.
• OAVT compiles the results and provides a summary report to all the colleges.

 

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VTNE Study Guide
Please see the AAVSB website to access information on:

• Sample questions
• Online practice tests
• How scores are calculated and reported
• A list of abbreviations used in the VTNE
• Test specifications used in the VTNE

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There are two more steps involved in becoming an RVT the Professionalism & Ethics Workshop, and a Police Record Check. The following are the steps that need to be completed in chart form.