Is the NAVLE Exam in Need of Updating? Recent Test-Takers Say Yes

For veterinary students, the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE) is the final hurdle before entering the professional world. It’s the key to obtaining a license to practice veterinary medicine in North America, and for many, passing this exam is a significant milestone in their career. However, recent feedback from test-takers suggests that the NAVLE may be overdue for an overhaul. A growing number of veterinary students and recent graduates have raised concerns about the exam’s format, content, and overall fairness.

In this article, we delve into the critiques shared by test-takers, highlighting the issues with the NAVLE and discussing why many believe the exam is in need of significant updates.

The Problems with the NAVLE: Feedback from Recent Test-Takers

Poorly Written Questions

One of the most common complaints about the NAVLE is that many of its questions are poorly written. Test-takers often describe the questions as confusing and ambiguous, making it hard to understand exactly what’s being asked.

In some cases, the phrasing of questions seems to be designed to trip students up, rather than assess their knowledge of veterinary medicine. One test-taker who asked to remain anonymous mentioned, "The questions were poorly constructed and difficult to understand. They were so convoluted that you’re not sure what they are testing. The wording often made it feel like the questions were written just to confuse you."

This sentiment echoes across many accounts, where students feel like the exam is testing their ability to navigate poorly phrased questions rather than their grasp of veterinary science.

Not Focused on Common Topics

Another significant issue is that the NAVLE doesn’t always focus on the most common and relevant topics in veterinary practice. Instead, the exam includes questions about rare conditions or obscure diseases that aren’t commonly encountered in real-life veterinary practice. As one recent test-taker put it, “I had to study for conditions I will never see in my career. It felt like I was studying for a test in theoretical veterinary medicine rather than practical, day-to-day situations.”

Veterinary medicine is vast, and while understanding rare conditions is important, most veterinarians will spend the majority of their time working with conditions that are more frequently encountered. Test-takers argue that the NAVLE should better reflect these realities and focus on the most common and critical topics that future veterinarians will face in their daily practice.

Tricky When It Doesn’t Need to Be

Many students have expressed frustration with the unnecessary trickiness of the exam. One of the most cited issues is that the NAVLE sometimes feels like it’s designed to be difficult for the sake of difficulty. “There’s a tendency for questions to be tricky when they don’t need to be,” said a recent test-taker. “It’s not about knowing the material—it’s about figuring out how to outsmart a poorly worded, tricky question.”

The feeling of frustration is common. Instead of clearly assessing a candidate’s knowledge, the exam’s tricky nature often feels like a game of wordplay, where students are forced to read between the lines of poorly constructed questions to decipher what’s being asked.

Strange Formatting

The formatting of the NAVLE has also been a point of criticism. One issue that stands out is the inconsistency in how the answer choices are presented. While most multiple-choice exams follow a standard “A, B, C, D” format, the NAVLE can include answer choices in formats that feel random and confusing, such as “A, B, C, D, E,” or even “A, B, C, D, E, F, G.”

This lack of uniformity is frustrating for test-takers who are accustomed to a more standardized format. "It's like the exam was designed to make you second-guess everything," one veterinary student commented. "The answers don’t follow a consistent pattern, and that throws you off. You’re not just worried about answering the question correctly, but also about the answer format. Add to that images are often out of focus, and it you try to expand the image, it makes it worse.”

Business and Ethics Questions Don’t Reflect Real-Life Situations

The NAVLE also includes a number of questions on business and ethics, but many students feel that these questions don’t reflect the realities of veterinary practice. The business and ethics scenarios often seem to be out of touch with how things actually work in real veterinary clinics. “The business and ethics questions were so abstract,” said one test-taker. “They didn’t feel like something I would ever actually encounter in a real clinic. It felt more like a philosophical debate rather than a practical question about how to handle a situation with a client or coworker.”

Many test-takers argue that the ethics and business questions should be more grounded in the day-to-day operations of veterinary practices, focusing on realistic situations veterinarians might actually face, such as handling client complaints, managing finances, or dealing with difficult cases.

Appears to Be Written by Someone with a Chip on Their Shoulder

Another recurring comment from test-takers is that some of the NAVLE questions often feels like it was written by someone with a "chip on their shoulder." Some candidates feel that the tone of the exam is unnecessarily harsh or confrontational, which creates an added layer of stress.

“It feels like the test is designed to challenge you just for the sake of it. It almost feels like the person who created the exam wants to make you feel bad or fail, even if you know the material,” said one student. This perception adds to the overall frustration and anxiety surrounding the exam.

Not Fair

Perhaps the most consistent feedback from students is that the NAVLE doesn’t feel fair. Test-takers argue that the exam’s confusing phrasing, obscure topics, and tricky formatting don’t accurately reflect their knowledge or abilities as future veterinarians. "It’s not fair to expect us to navigate such poorly written questions," one test-taker said. “I just want to prove I understand veterinary medicine, not that I can read between the lines of a tricky question.”

Time for an Update?

With mounting criticism about the NAVLE's format, question quality, and fairness, many believe it’s time for an update. Veterinarians entering the field deserve an exam that reflects the realities of the profession, focusing on the most common conditions and situations they will encounter. The feedback from recent test-takers paints a picture of an exam that’s overly complicated, confusing, and often unfair, leaving many to wonder if it’s time to overhaul the NAVLE to better serve the next generation of veterinarians.

Veterinary students and professionals alike agree: a more streamlined, practical, and fair exam would not only reduce stress but also give test-takers a better opportunity to demonstrate their true knowledge and readiness to practice veterinary medicine. The NAVLE is an essential part of the veterinary career path, and as such, it deserves a thoughtful reevaluation to ensure that it’s as effective and fair as possible.

Want to help make change? Contact your state board of veterinary medicine and ask them to request an update to the exam that is well written, uses clear images, and above all else fair.