The Veterinary Technician National Examination (VTNE) is a test given by the American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB). Individuals who complete veterinary technician training programs in the United States take this exam to become veterinary technicians. To prepare for the VTNE, a person usually enrolls in and completes a veterinary technician education program. Such programs typically include a hands-on training component, which may also provide good test preparation. Additionally, a person may prepare for the exam by taking advantage of review books and study guides as well as the official VTNE practice test.
The first step a person usually takes to prepare for the VTNE is enrolling in an accredited veterinary technician education program. Often, completing such an educational program requires a person to spend two to four years in college. An individual may enroll in either an associate's or bachelor's degree program that prepares him for the exam and a career as a veterinary technician.
In preparing for the VTNE, a person may do well to use the notes he took during his veterinary technician education. He may also purchase and read books that cover the material that is likely to be on the exam. Some people may also form study groups to prepare for the exam or seek tutoring help if they feel they are particularly weak in a specific area.
An individual may also use the official VTNE practice exam to prepare for the real test. This test includes practice questions in each of the content areas that are on the VTNE. A person may use this test to discover where his strengths lie and to uncover any weaknesses that he needs to address before he takes the real exam. Though the questions on the real exam will differ from those on the practice exam, taking the practice test may give a person a better idea of which areas he needs to concentrate on the most. There is a fee for each use of the practice exam.
The VTNE consists of 200 multiple choice questions as well as 25 pilot items that are also multiple choice. The pilot questions are not part of the scoring for the exam, however. Instead, the AAVSB uses them in creating future exams. The topics a person should study when preparing for this test include pharmacy, pharmacology, surgical preparation and assisting, dentistry, and lab procedures. Other topics include animal care and nursing, diagnostic imaging, anesthesia, and analgesia.
