ECFVG: Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates

Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates (ECFVG) board certification is required for all veterinary license holders all over the United States. For positions in federal institutes, a graduation from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Council of Education accredited veterinary school is required.

What is ECFVG?

Holders of ECFVG board certification increase diversity in the US veterinary profession. More than 168 students were awarded these certificates in 2022, they were from 41 different countries and were graduates of 100 different veterinary schools.

It is an educational equivalency assessment that is required to be completed by foreign graduates of non-accredited schools.

The ECFVG Board Certification was initiated in 1973 by American Board Certification for Veterinary Medicine and by December 2022 more than 7,089 certificates have been awarded to veterinary graduates.

The Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates has been assisting state veterinary boards and other institutes across the country for around 50 years in determining the level of education required by non-accredited veterinary school graduates to get a license to start their careers.

ECFVG Certification registration process

This board certification program requires students to go through 4 steps and none of them can be skipped. The first step confirms the identification of the veterinary graduate. The second step evaluates the English language capability of the candidate.

The third step evaluates the basic and clinical veterinary skills of graduates. The final and fourth step evaluates the practical clinical veterinary skills of the candidate.

• Step 1 — Registration and graduation proof
• Step 2 — English language ability
• Step 3 — Fundamental and clinical veterinary knowledge
• Step 4 — Clinical Skills Evaluation

First Step: Registration and Graduation Proof

Graduates planning to apply for this examination in 2023 must follow step 1 to register for the ECFVG board certification. A documentation checklist is available to prepare all the required documents for registration.

Candidates must have graduated from the AVMA’s ECFVG accredited veterinary schools to become eligible for this certification program and practice medicine without any limitations in their state.

Candidates need to register themselves online with a 1,400 USD fee (this includes 725 USD for the ECFVG Quality Assurance Program and 675 YSD for the ECFVG application fee). Candidates can pay using credit cards after they have filled out the online registration form.

Second Step: English Language Ability

In step 2, candidates need to provide the English language certificate to this certification. One of these English language proficiency tools is required: CAEL assessment, TOEFL or IELTS, or waiver policy. There is a clear policy for scores that cannot be combined from different reports.

All scores will be verified by the board. To complete step 2 for this board certification, candidates must complete the form submission in English.

English language examination will be waived for the candidates who have completed their education in English-speaking countries. To prove that candidates need to provide proof of three-year high-school attendance documents from the school in which they have completed their education.

Third Step: Fundamental and Clinical Veterinary Knowledge

To complete step 3 of the ECFVG board certification program, candidates must have attained passing scores in the Basic and Clinical Sciences Examination (BCSE). However, the candidates who enrolled themselves in the program before January 2014 and have completed the Clinical Competency Test (CCT) or National Board Examination (NBE) before 2000 or have completed the North America Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE) in April 2007 are eligible to use their score reports from these examinations to complete the step 3 for registration.

BCSE is owned and administered by AVMA. BCSE is a computer-based test of four hours. This test includes 225 questions to evaluate the basic and clinical veterinary science knowledge of the candidate.

Candidates can find the complete information regarding BCSE examination on BCSE candidate bulletin. Candidates must go through the instructions before applying for the test.

Fourth Step: Clinical Skills Evaluation

Candidates need to get passing scores on the Clinical Proficiency Examination (CPE) to complete step 4. Only the ECFVG-approved CPE will fulfill the evaluation requirement.

CPE examination is a 7-section, 3-day clinical skill examination conducted by veterinary medicine or other testing schools. The CPE requires the competence level equivalent to an entry-level graduate of an authorized veterinary school to pass the 7 sections of the examination. The CPE examination can only be passed if a candidate is fully prepared.

Candidates can find all the required information regarding CPE eligibility requirements, scoring, format, testing accommodation, approved sites, and locations, rules of conduct, fee structure, and application process on the candidate bulletin of the CPE website.

It is recommended to read all the information and documents available on the website to understand the process and apply.

Please keep in mind that the candidate can only take the CPE examination after they have completed the 3 steps of this certification program.

Information for BCSE

BCSE-the Basic and Clinical Sciences Examination was administered by the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates as the third of four steps in determining educational equivalence to get this board certification.

This examination is designed to evaluate the basic and clinical science knowledge of veterinary graduates. BCSE requires knowledge comparable to an entry-level veterinary graduate to pass the examination.

The BCSE is a demanding examination that mirrors the Canadian and American criteria for veterinary education. To better understand the material covered in the test, candidates are advised to study the reference list and blueprints of BCSE included in the candidate bulletin on the website.

It is recommended that candidates critically evaluate if the veterinary education they have received is adequate to provide them with the required information to pass the examination.

BCSE is a computer-based test with 225 questions that a candidate must complete in 3 hours and 40 minutes. BCSE examination includes multiple choice questions and other alternative formats including drag and drop, matching, and hot spot.

Candidates are encouraged to answer each question as their passing scores will be determined through the number of correct answers they have marked. Each correct answer gives one point. Wrong answers will be marked zero. Out of 225 test questions, 25 will be pretest items that do not contain any points.

The scored questions will be combined with these extra questions. There is no way to distinguish between the two.

This 3-hour and 40-minute test session will add extra minutes to give you a brief on the computer bases testing session about how to start an exit assessment at the end of the test.

Candidates are recommended to practice the test session on the BCSE website to learn about the general tutorial of the Prometric testing system before appearing in the test.

It is not anticipated that any applicant to receive a perfect score in BCSE. Nonetheless, the board believes that each candidate needs to be proficient in all the subjects covered in every question.  

A candidate must make the optimal decision and avoid being duped by the options. There is only one correct answer and the choice to mark one option.

Information for CPE

The fourth step in determining the educational equivalency for the purposes of NEB and ECFVG, respectively the CPE – Clinical Proficiency Examination has been administered by the Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduation, the National Examination Board (NEB), the AVMA, and the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA). Its goal is to evaluate the entry-level veterinarian’s practical clinical skills.

CPE is a performance-based, 7-section, 3-day test to evaluate clinical skills, initiated by the veterinary medicine college faculty and other authorized testing organizations.

A passing score on each part of CPE is equivalent to an entry-level veterinary graduate in Canada and the United States. 

The entry-level veterinary skills taught in AVMA, or veterinary schools are evaluated in the CPE board examination. It is recommended that the candidates taking the CPE critically evaluate the education they have obtained in veterinary schools if they are sufficient to pass the CPE examination.

For instance, to get passing scores in the anesthesia and surgery section of CPE, the graduates need to have experience in performing animal surgery and anesthesia along with the knowledge of anesthesia and surgery procedures in clinical and instructional settings before taking the test.

Veterinary graduates preparing for the CPE examination should also have experience in clinical and basic husbandry/animal handling skills with the animals or insects used in the test. It is recommended to have practice on cats, dogs, cows, goats, pigs, horses, and sheep.

Candidates are suggested to study more on these species. However, a candidate not having experience with these species should get some experience with them before appearing in the test.

How to get ECFVG board certification?

Supply:

• ECFVG Preparation Courses

Tools:

• ECFVG Study Material
• ECFVG Live Classes

Materials: ECFVG Study Material in pdf and ECFVG Video lectures

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)