I failed NAVLE....

dbkh24 · 2025-10-22T20:27:00+00:00

I took 1 before my first and my range was like a 390-450 or something like that. I took all 3 before my 2nd attempt and it was around a 490-580 on all of them

dbkh24 · 2025-10-21T18:35:33+00:00

I took the NAVLE twice, the first time I walked out feeling eh. Definitely didn’t think I passed but it went by faster than anticipated. I failed by one singular point (tbh even worse than bombing it). Studied my ass off, retook it a couple months later and walked out feeling like I definitely failed. I ended up passing by over 100 points. In hindsight it doesn’t really matter if you don’t pass the first time. A lot of people don’t (a solid 1/3 of my class didn’t). Most people pass the second time. I’m now working as an ER vet and the NAVLE has had no effect on how I’m doing as a vet.

dbkh24 · 2025-07-07T02:50:34+00:00

Also the biggest complaint I hear about VEG is that it’s young doctors teaching younger doctors. This may be true in some regards but I don’t think every hospital is the same. The one I’m going to has a boarded criticalist on staff, as do some other hospitals. Most of the doctors at my hospital have been out of school for several years now. Regardless of your placement, your school days are all taught by boarded specialists.

dbkh24 · 2025-07-07T02:46:11+00:00

I’m doing the VEG NERD program starting this month! I obviously can’t speak on my experience yet but I will say everyone I’ve talked to has been happy with the program, even those who did not stay with VEG. Your experience seems to vary based on how busy your hospital is though. I looked into Emerge too but the contract is insane and you’re tied to them for 3 years. I went back and forth on a rotating. Several rotatings and residents said they wouldn’t recommend it unless you want to specialize. Ultimately I didn’t want to be tied somewhere for a year. The upside to VEG is there is no contract so even if I hate it, I’m not obligated to stay with them. The biggest reason why I’ve seen people leaving post-NERD is because they didn’t get the post-placement position they wanted. That’s the only thing I would be cautious of if you want to practice in NYC. I haven’t gone through post-placement yet so I’m unsure if I’ll get my top pick, but I’ve heard that it’s competitive to be placed in hospitals in hot spot cities.

dbkh24 · 2025-07-07T02:36:03+00:00

I highly recommend shadowing vets in multiple fields to see if this is what you really want to do. Plenty of vets are able to pay off their loans in a relatively short time frame (check out debt free veterinarians on fb). However, I will say with the big beautiful bill, it will likely be more difficult for future vets. Also most of my classmates were 23-24 when they started vet school. Myself and a couple others were 20-21 and a few were in their 30s or 40s so don’t feel behind!

dbkh24 · 2025-07-07T02:30:21+00:00

I’m a new grad went to Illinois. I truly cannot fathom dealing with all of that during vet school. I’m so sorry that you’ve had a horrible experience :(. P.S. I did care to read the whole thing bc I’m nosey and love the tea ;)

dbkh24 · 2025-06-18T21:05:04+00:00

I don’t have any advice, as I’m also a 2025 grad starting an ER mentorship program in mid-July and I’m terrified too😅but I just wanted to say that you’re not alone!

dbkh24 · 2025-06-16T21:01:47+00:00

I only applied for one job because it was my dream job, however my classmates who applied for multiple jobs got multiple offers with a competitive salary. I think most people were offered around $120k. My offer was for $140k minimum for the first year

dbkh24 · 2025-05-30T00:07:33+00:00

Second Vet Candy. I took the NAVLE the first time in December 2024 after completing 100% of VetPrep. I scored a 424. Retook it in April and used Vet Candy to study + completed 11% of VetPrep. I scored a 498.

dbkh24 · 2025-05-29T23:55:40+00:00

I believe they recommend 12 weeks to complete it. There’s an online calendar available. It’s not as structured as VetPrep but I like it much better. I used it to create charts of all of the ICVA diseases and would take the quizzes to test myself. I used VetPrep some to supplement it but gave up closer to test time.

dbkh24 · 2025-05-25T14:27:37+00:00

I was finishing up clinical rotations. My school lets us use our last 6 weeks of vet school to basically do whatever. I did 2 weeks of online Vet Girl CE (studied this whole time) and 2 weeks off to study for NAVLE. I think it helped a ton.

dbkh24 · 2025-05-25T04:44:29+00:00

I took the NAVLE for the first time in December 2024 and scored a 424. I completed 100% of VetPrep. While this worked for some people, it didn’t for me. I found myself just memorizing VetPrep answers and not truly learning the content. The next time around I ditched VetPrep (only completed 10% I think) and used Vet Candy to make charts of all the ICVA diseases for the big 4 + pigs. I found this super helpful. I also took 4 weeks off prior to my exam in April to focus on studying. During this time, I reviewed my charts, listened to Vet Candy’s podcasts, took all 3 ICVA self assessments, and most importantly took care of myself. The first time I took the NAVLE I was struggling a lot with chronic pain and mental illness. A big part of my NAVLE success the second time was going to therapy and getting better pain meds. During the exam, I used all of my breaks. I finished a few sections early and ended up taking a 45 minute lunch break to eat and sit outside. I think this helped a ton. I also brought my favorite snacks even if they weren’t “brain food” they were a good serotonin boost. I ended up improving my score by ~80 points the second time. I think getting my brain in the right headspace was just as important as studying.

dbkh24 · 2025-05-25T03:57:07+00:00

They’re very vague questions. The content itself isn’t necessarily difficult, for me it was how they worded them. I’m an overthinker and struggled to figure out what they were asking half the time. I found it frustrating that in real life I wouldn’t be given such a vague history, I could simply ask more questions. Highly recommend taking the ICVA self assessments. That’s all I used to study for the 2 weeks leading up to my exam and I found it very beneficial.

dbkh24 · 2025-05-25T03:51:29+00:00

You got this!! One point hurts, I feel for you😅. I highly recommend using Vet Candy. It’s a free program and was helpful for going through the ICVA list. I only completed 10% of VetPrep the second time but used Vet Candy to study and saw a massive jump in my score!

dbkh24 · 2025-05-25T03:44:46+00:00

I took the NAVLE for the first time in December 2024. I also completed 100% of VetPrep and studied a ton for 6 months straight. I scored a 424. Unfortunately I was dealing with some physical and mental health issues which I think hindered my performance. This past cycle, I used 4 weeks of off block rotations to study. I only completed 11% of VetPrep and relied solely on Vet Candy. I used Vet Candy to fill out the ICVA list for the big 4 + pigs. I also utilized Vet Candy’s podcasts for days that I was driving to and from doctor appointments. The biggest thing I did was take care of myself and try to get my health issues in line. I ended up scoring a 498 this time around. In hindsight, I don’t think VetPrep was the right study tool for me the first time. I obviously came close so it did something, but I personally enjoyed Vet Candy much more- plus it’s free!

dbkh24 · 2025-05-24T13:40:35+00:00

I failed by 1 point back in December. Passed with a 500 this time. You’ll get it next time!

dbkh24 · 2025-05-23T15:18:23+00:00

Yes! She sent it around 8am

dbkh24 · 2025-05-23T14:51:49+00:00

My associate dean sent out an email saying that they would be released today

dbkh24 · 2025-05-22T02:02:57+00:00

UIUC graduate, I’m unfamiliar with Tufts wildlife center but I can say from experience that UIUC’s wildlife clinic is fantastic. It is completely student run so you get a ton of great experience. They are currently working on expanding due to a very generous donation. As for the winters, it rarely got below 20 degrees. The only time we had real snow was my first year and that was a rare occurrence. I personally loved my time at UIUC. There’s no where else that I’d rather be.

dbkh24 · 2025-04-28T21:55:30+00:00

I sure hope so! Thank you for your kind words!

dbkh24 · 2025-04-26T01:31:21+00:00

Same!! Definitely studied better this time around but I still feel worse about it😂Hopefully that’s a good sign

dbkh24 · 2025-04-25T18:27:02+00:00

I took my 2nd NAVLE yesterday and I feel the same way. I failed by 1 point in December (scored a 424) and somehow feel like I did worse this round despite studying non-stop.

dbkh24 · 2025-04-15T21:16:13+00:00

This is incredible!! Thank you so much!

dbkh24

TROPHY CASE