Use the contact form on the Contact page, which routes inquiries by topic. ICVA's mailing address is 1 E Erie St, Suite 525-2725, Chicago, IL 60611, USA. ICVA also maintains a LinkedIn company page (International Council for Veterinary Assessment) for organizational updates and a YouTube page (ICVA). For volunteering questions specifically, email volunteers@icva.net directly rather than using the general form.

This FAQ section is written for licensing boards, veterinary school staff, and ICVA volunteers. If you're applying for the NAVLE or another ICVA assessment yourself, see the companion ICVA Candidate FAQ, which covers eligibility, fees, accommodations, scheduling, scoring, retakes, and grievances in candidate-related detail.

ICVA administers an Assessment Grant Program offering up to three awards of $40,000 USD over a three-year period. Open calls are announced periodically on the News and Updates page — check there for the current application window and eligibility criteria or contact ICVA directly.

It depends on your jurisdiction. On ICVA's Licensing Boards page, green indicates jurisdictions where ICVA processes NAVLE State Application Approvals directly. Blue indicates jurisdictions that manage application approvals through their own board process. Check your jurisdiction's designation on the Licensing Boards page before sending approval information. If your board handles approvals independently, email candidate approval details directly to ICVA at eligibility@icva.net.

Candidates apply through exactly one licensing board per application. If a candidate lists your board on their application, then once the NAVLE scores are available, ICVA automatically provides your board with online access to the candidate's score. This access is available for one year following score release — no separate request is required for that initial window. Please be sure to access the scores using the NBME portal.

That's a score transfer, handled through the American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB) VAULT service rather than directly by ICVA or the candidate's original board. Direct the candidate to initiate the transfer through AAVSB; it typically takes 7–14 business days. Note that the $25 duplicate score report ICVA offers directly to candidates is for personal use only and is explicitly not accepted as an official submission to a licensing board — do not accept that document in place of an AAVSB transfer.

Canadian applications are processed through the National Examining Board (NEB) rather than through ICVA's standard U.S./territory approval process, including Canadian accommodation requests and consent collection.

Those are set by each individual licensing board, not by ICVA centrally — application deadlines, requirements, and fees vary by jurisdiction. Please note, however, that your application deadlines can be earlier than the ICVA’s deadlines, but not later. Additionally, your requirements for NAVLE approval may be greater than the ICVA’s requirements, but not less. ICVA's own application deadlines are strictly enforced with "no exceptions permitted," so boards should confirm their own jurisdiction's requirements directly with candidates well ahead of each NAVLE testing window. 

Two recent changes are generating candidate questions: (1) the retake policy update effective March 2026, under which every candidate — regardless of prior testing history — now receives five fresh attempts, with the previous waiver process discontinued; and (2) a NAVLE structure change beginning the October–November 2026 window moving to shorter testing blocks with more frequent breaks. Boards fielding candidate questions on either topic can point candidates to the Candidate FAQ or the News and Updates page on icva.net for full details.

If your board needs score verification or credential-check support beyond the automatic one-year online access described above, contact ICVA using the dedicated licensing board email to confirm the current process.

You can review the most recent documents on the ICVA Annual Reports page.

Candidates should continue to use the resources available to them, including the NAVLE Candidate Handbook and FAQs, as these will address most questions. If a candidate needs to contact the ICVA directly, they may do so through the contact form available at icva.net/contact. We appreciate your help in directing candidates to the appropriate resources and channels.

These exams (Companion Animal Medicine or Equine Medicine) are available only through state or territorial licensing boards — individual candidates cannot order one directly. If your board requires one as part of the licensure process, your board coordinates scheduling and access with ICVA. Boards may use these exams as part of a disciplinary proceeding, to evaluate the competency of a veterinarian already licensed elsewhere who is seeking licensure in a new jurisdiction, or for other licensure-related determinations at the board's discretion. The scope of the examination is narrower than the NAVLE, focusing specifically on companion animal or equine medicine.

Each exam is 100 multiple-choice questions (two forms available per exam type), delivered on a secure web-based platform and proctored either in person at your licensing agency's office or remotely via video software. The fee is $400 per exam form. Before your board schedules a date, check the blockout date calendar to confirm the preferred date isn't grayed out as unavailable.

After the candidate completes the exam, ICVA sends the score to the licensing board, which then shares it with the candidate.

Candidates should continue to use the resources available to them, including the ICVA website and FAQs, as these will address most questions. If a candidate needs to contact the ICVA directly, they may do so through the contact form available at icva.net/contact. We appreciate your help in directing candidates to the appropriate resources and channels.

It's required of all applicants for a Wisconsin veterinary license, per Wisconsin rule VE 1.14(2), covering state statutes and administrative code relevant to veterinary practice. The cost of the exam is $50. If a candidate is not yet licensed anywhere, they should contact ICVA directly at wisconsin@icva.net to get started. If they are already licensed in another state, the candidate’s must first get approval from the Wisconsin Veterinary Examining Board before ICVA will register them for the exam.

Candidate’s scores are available immediately upon completion and is automatically reported to the Wisconsin Board.

If a candidates has registered but hasn't received their access email, they should check their spam/junk folder first, then contact wisconsin@icva.net if they cannot locate the email.

Candidates should continue to use the resources available to them, including the ICVA website and FAQs, as these will address most questions. If a candidate needs to contact the ICVA directly, they may do so through the contact form available at icva.net/contact. We appreciate your help in directing candidates to the appropriate resources and channels.

The News and Updates page is ICVA's central hub for announcements affecting both candidates and partners — policy changes, application deadlines, committee and volunteer opportunities, and exam-structure changes are all posted there as they happen.

Veterinary Assessment In Focus is ICVA's quarterly newsletter, distributed specifically to ICVA's partners across the veterinary medical community — licensing boards, veterinary schools, and related organizations. Past editions are downloadable from the newsletter's archive page. A dedicated email opt-in/subscription mechanism isn't currently visible on the public page; if your organization isn't currently receiving it, contact ICVA to confirm how distribution is managed.

All three sit under ICVA's "Blog & News" section. News and Updates carries shorter, dated announcements (policy changes, nomination calls, deadlines); the Blog offers longer-form explainer content, filterable by category; and the quarterly In Focus newsletter is a partner-distributed digest. Check News and Updates for anything time-sensitive.

Yes — ICVA announced in December 2025 that a third-party independent audit of the NAVLE is underway to review exam fairness and integrity, with progress updates posted periodically on the News and Updates page.

Candidates should continue to use the resources available to them, including the NAVLE Candidate Handbook and FAQs, as these will address most questions. If a candidate needs to contact the ICVA directly, they may do so through the contact form available at icva.net/contact. We appreciate your help in directing candidates to the appropriate resources and channels.

To share eligibility verification documentation, please use the Veterinary Institution Portal to upload the appropriate student or graduate roster. For more information on how to navigate the portal, please use the resources provided in the platform. If you have questions about the portal or need assistance, please contact the ICVA at the dedicated email address for school faculty and contacts.

Senior students enrolled in an AVMA COE-accredited college may take the NAVLE up to two times before graduation, provided their expected graduation date is within 10 months of the last date of the applicable testing window. If they do not meet the graduation requirements or have already taken the NAVLE twice, the online application will not permit them to apply until after graduation. It is important that they carefully review the requirements to confirm eligibility so that they can avoid violating the Ethical Behavior Investigation and Appeal Policy.

Our exam partner (NBME) works closely with Prometric to ensure plenty of approved Test Centers and appointments are available for candidates, so candidates should be able to schedule an appointment without issue. If the preferred dates are already booked, candidates will need to pick another date within the testing window. If the candidate needs an exam with accommodations, they should follow the instructions on the Scheduling and Admission Permit to book their appointment via the designated Prometric accommodations scheduling phone line. Please note, scheduling through the online system may not be suitable in this situation.

You can review the most recent documents on the ICVA Annual Reports page.

Following the transition to three testing windows per year, NAVLE school reports are now issued after each administration, approximately four weeks after individual score reports are released to candidates and licensing boards. These reports include performance statistics for senior students at AVMA COE-accredited schools and replace the previous practice of issuing consolidated reports at the end of the testing cycle. This change provides schools with more timely information, better supports programs with nontraditional graduation dates, and eliminates reporting of the ultimate pass rate. Please note that consent reports for students who authorize the release of their individual score information to their school on their application are made available to schools at the same time individual score reports are released to candidates and licensing boards following each testing window.

ICVA welcomes volunteers from across the veterinary profession: subject matter experts in basic and clinical sciences, academic faculty, veterinarians in general clinical practice, and veterinarians working outside traditional practice settings — including but not limited to public health, food safety, herd management, and wildlife conservation — are all encouraged to apply.

Three main types: (1) Examination/Subject Matter Experts, who write and review test items and exam forms for the NAVLE, VEA, and Species Specific Exams; (2) Board and Committee members, serving on bodies such as the Assessment Development Committee (ADC) or the ICVA Board of Directors; and (3) Communications Skills Experts, a newer role supporting survey and blueprinting work toward possible future communication-skills assessments.

For Examination/Subject Matter Expert roles, complete the ICVA Volunteer Interest Form on the Volunteering page. For Board or Committee nominations, contact volunteers@icva.net directly for current openings and nomination information — ICVA periodically posts specific nomination calls (for example, the Assessment Development Committee, the Communication Skills Assessment Committee, or the International Activities Committee) on its News and Updates page. For the Communications Skills Experts survey initiative, use the general online contact form.

ICVA's volunteer project types and time commitments are listed on the ICVA Volunteer Opportunities page. Contact volunteers@icva.net to get role-specific expectations before you apply.

No. ICVA's policy is explicit: all communication with candidates is handled directly by ICVA staff, and volunteers and Board members are not authorized to have direct contact with candidates. Route any candidate-related question or concern to ICVA’s website rather than handling it personally.