NAVLE to undergo independent audit

Recently, the veterinary community has begun to raise questions about The North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE), which is administered by the International Council for Veterinary Assessment (ICVA), and how it is developed, administered, and scored. Because of this, the ICVA announced earlier this month that it has agreed to initiate an independent audit of the examination.¹

“Recently, members of the veterinary community have raised questions around how the NAVLE is developed, administered, and scored. To ensure the NAVLE continues to be a fair and impartial assessment of candidates’ entry-level knowledge, skills, and abilities, we have made the decision to initiate an audit of the examination performed by an independent third party,” ICVA stated in an organizational release.²

According to the ICVA’s Annual Report, the NAVLE saw record numbers this year with 9,301 examinations administered, marking a 51% increase in the last 5 years.³ Each exam is offered to future veterinary professionals at Prometric computer testing centers across North America, plus certain international locations. The tests are given during 3 annual testing windows each year, October-November, March, and then July-August.

ICVA stated in their release that they are still in early stages of the audit process and will continue to update the veterinary community as they learn more.

Other NAVLE news

Along with the news of the audit, ICVA also announced that starting December 1, 2025, there is an update to the retake policy. Starting with the March 2026 window, all candidates will be given 5 new opportunities to take the NAVLE, regardless of their testing history.⁴ The ICVA stated in their release that anyone who had tests attempts made prior to December 1, 2025 will not count toward the new 5 attempt limit. With this change the ICVA will also eliminate the waiver process to help ensure consistent and equitable policy for all candidates.

This update, according to the ICVA, comes after feedback from candidates as well as NAVLE data.

Reference

1. NAVLE will undergo independent audit. News release. American Veterinary Medical Association. December 12, 2025. Accessed December 16, 2025. https://www.avma.org/news/navle-will-undergo-independent-audit
2. ICVA Statement on NAVLE Independent Audit. News release. International Council for Veterinary Assessment. December 1, 2025. Accessed December 16, 2025. https://www.icva.net/news-and-updates/icva-statement-on-navle-audit/#
3. International Council for Veterinary Assessment. ICVA Annual Report 2024-2025. ICVA; 2025. Accessed December 16, 2024. https://icva.net/image/cache/ICVA_Annual_Report_2024-2025_FIN.pdf
4. NAVLE Retake Policy Changes Effective December 1, 2025. International Council for Veterinary Assessment. November 17, 2025. Accessed December 16, 2025. https://www.icva.net/news-and-updates/navle-retake-policy-changes-effective-december-1-2025/