Veterinary Technician National Examination (VTNE)
The VTNE is a three-hour examination of 170 questions: 150 scored operational items plus 20 pilot items that are embedded and not marked differently, so they cannot be skipped. Scores are reported as scaled scores from 200 to 800, with 425 required to pass, and AAVSB does not report number correct or percentage correct. The content outline approved in March 2023 divides the exam into ten domains.
Content outline and weights
Passing: Scores are scaled from 200 to 800 with 425 required to pass. AAVSB does not report number correct or percentage correct, and scaled scores are equivalent across administrations. (American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB))
Format
- 170 questions in 180 minutes: 150 scored operational items and 20 pilot items.
- Pilot items are not marked differently, so there is no way to identify or skip them; they consume the same clock.
- Delivered at PSI test centres.
Scoring
Scaled scores run 200 to 800, and 425 passes. Scaled scores are equated across administrations so a given score means the same thing in any window. AAVSB does not publish number-correct or percentage-correct equivalents, and every jurisdiction accepts the scaled score.
Scores are posted to your MyAAVSB portal within three days — they are no longer emailed.
The ten domains (content outline, March 2023)
| Domain | Items | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Animal Care and Nursing | 30 | 20% |
| Pharmacy and Pharmacology | 20 | 13% |
| Surgical Nursing | 20 | 13% |
| Anesthesia | 20 | 13% |
| Laboratory Procedures | 14 | 9% |
| Dentistry | 10 | 7% |
| Emergency Medicine / Critical Care | 10 | 7% |
| Pain Management / Analgesia | 10 | 7% |
| Diagnostic Imaging | 9 | 6% |
| Communication and Veterinary Professional Support Services | 7 | 5% |
| Total | 150 | 100% |
Four domains — animal care, pharmacy, surgical nursing and anaesthesia — are 90 of the 150 scored items between them. That is where a limited study schedule belongs.
Exam guides
- VTNE cost: $375 to apply and $90 to move your window once
The VTNE application fee is $375, payable by card or a pre-paid voucher code when you complete the application. You may transfer to the next examination window once for a $90 administrative fee per application; after that single transfer you must reapply and pay the full fee again. Retaking the exam also means reapplying and paying the full fee.
- VTNE eligibility and the application route
Before applying for the VTNE you check your eligibility pathway with AAVSB, apply and pay the $375 fee, then schedule within the examination window at a PSI test centre. AAVSB owns and administers the exam and reports your score to the jurisdiction, but credentialing is granted by the state or province where you will practise, not by AAVSB.
20 original questions, weighted like the real blueprint. No signup. Results in minutes.
Primary references
- VTNE Candidate Information Handbook — American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB) · primary · retrieved 2026-09-22, verified 2026-09-22