PAVE (Program for the Assessment of Veterinary Education Equivalence) and its QSE

USA · American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB) · licensing

233practice questions written to this syllabus
10subjects

Format

Four steps: application and English; Qualifying Science Examination (QSE); Evaluated Clinical Experience at an accredited school; certificate. QSE: 220 minutes seat time, run by PSI at a centre or remotely; windows in January, May and September.

Sections

Over the years

The pre-2027 item count (200 plus 25 pilot) comes from a search snippet only.

Official source: https://www.aavsb.org/licensure/international-pathway-for-veterinarians/

Subjects this exam draws on

General Veterinary Pathology30 questionsSystemic Veterinary Pathology15 questionsSpecial Pathology, Necropsy & Clinical Pathology29 questionsDiagnostic Imaging: Radiology and Ultrasonography10 questionsPreventive Veterinary Medicine II: Viral and Parasitic Diseases1 questionsVeterinary Clinical Biochemistry & Laboratory Diagnosis97 questionsEmergency & Critical Care, Fluid Therapy and Euthanasia18 questionsVeterinary Clinical Practice (Veterinary Clinical Complex)2 questionsCommunication, Professionalism, Practice Management & Wellbeing7 questionsOne Health, Antimicrobial Resistance & Global Health24 questions

Five practice questions, worked

Original questions written to this exam's published syllabus and pattern. Not past papers.

1. A pathologist writes 'Lung: bronchopneumonia, fibrinosuppurative, cranioventral, acute, severe'. This is best described as a:

  1. Aetiological diagnosis
  2. Disease diagnosis
  3. Differential diagnosis
  4. Morphological diagnosis
Answer and working

D. Morphological diagnosis

It names the organ, process, exudate type, distribution, duration and severity, which is the morphological diagnosis. An aetiological diagnosis would name the agent (for example Mannheimia haemolytica pneumonia) and a disease diagnosis the clinical entity (shipping fever).

General Veterinary Pathology · Aetiology of disease

2. A 9-year-old cat is found with sudden painful paralysis of both hind limbs, cold pads and absent femoral pulses. At necropsy the left atrium is dilated and contains a thrombus. What is the most likely underlying heart disease?

  1. Myxomatous mitral valve degeneration
  2. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
  3. Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA)
  4. Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy
Answer and working

B. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is the commonest feline heart disease; left atrial dilation and stasis produce a thrombus that embolises to the aortic bifurcation (saddle thrombus). Myxomatous mitral degeneration is the classic disease of old small-breed dogs, and ARVC is a disease of Boxers affecting the right ventricle.

Systemic Veterinary Pathology · Pathology of the cardiovascular system

3. At necropsy of a horse with colic, why should the position of the intestine be recorded before any organ is removed?

  1. Removal causes post-mortem rupture that mimics colic
  2. A displacement, volvulus or torsion cannot be confirmed once the bowel has been moved
  3. The bowel must be fixed in situ with formalin before histopathology samples can be taken
  4. Intestinal position shows the time since death
Answer and working

B. A displacement, volvulus or torsion cannot be confirmed once the bowel has been moved

Positional lesions exist only in situ; lifting the bowel undoes or creates twists. Post-mortem ruptures do occur, but they are recognised by clean edges without haemorrhage, not prevented by in-situ inspection.

Special Pathology, Necropsy & Clinical Pathology · Post-mortem technique

4. Which statement about computed radiography (CR) is correct?

  1. A flat-panel detector of amorphous selenium converts X-rays directly into an electric charge
  2. A photostimulable phosphor plate stores the exposure and is read by a laser, then erased for reuse
  3. A silver halide emulsion forms a latent image that is chemically developed in a processor
  4. A caesium iodide scintillator bonded to thin-film transistors reads the image without a cassette
Answer and working

B. A photostimulable phosphor plate stores the exposure and is read by a laser, then erased for reuse

CR uses a cassette containing a photostimulable phosphor plate read by a laser. Amorphous selenium flat panels are direct DR; caesium iodide with thin-film transistors is indirect DR; silver halide emulsion is film.

Diagnostic Imaging: Radiology and Ultrasonography · X-ray physics

5. Which test is the traditional serological test for equine infectious anaemia required for horse movement in many countries?

  1. Rose Bengal plate test
  2. Agar gel immunodiffusion (Coggins) test
  3. Microscopic agglutination test (MAT)
  4. Mallein intradermal test
Answer and working

B. Agar gel immunodiffusion (Coggins) test

The Coggins test is an AGID test for antibody to EIA virus, with ELISA also used and positives confirmed. Rose Bengal is for brucellosis; mallein is for glanders; MAT is for leptospirosis.

Preventive Veterinary Medicine II: Viral and Parasitic Diseases · Viral diseases of horses

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