Australasian Veterinary Examination (AVE), formerly the National Veterinary Examination (NVE) · Australia / New Zealand · Australasian Veterinary Boards Council (AVBC)
Original practice questions written to the published syllabus · not past papersAustralasian Veterinary Examination (AVE), formerly the National Veterinary Examination (NVE) is a licensing and registration exam run by Australasian Veterinary Boards Council (AVBC), for candidates in Australia / New Zealand. Step 2, preliminary MCQ exam: computer-adaptive, Rasch-scored, cut-score 500. Paper 1 (base knowledge) 80 Q in 120 min; Paper 2 (clinical reasoning) 80 Q in 150 min. Held once a year in April (next: 16 Apr 2027). Step 3, clinical exam: 5 days at the University of Queensland, usually November.
Source: avbc.asn.au.
Checked against the exam body's published information. Formats and fees change; confirm the current edition there before you book.
How drugs move through and act on the body, how species differ, and the drugs used on each organ system.
Our 22 Australasian Veterinary Examination, formerly the National Veterinary Examination questions in this subject: 0 easy, 14 medium, 8 hard, across 12 units.
Choose an answer, then open the working. Each explanation says why the right answer is right and why the others are not.
These 10 were written to Australasian Veterinary Examination, formerly the National Veterinary Examination and are not shown on any other exam's page.
Under Regulation (EU) 2019/6, when no product is authorised for a condition in a species, the veterinarian's first step down the cascade is to use:
D. A veterinary product authorised in that or another member state for another species or condition
The cascade (Articles 112-114) is ordered: first a veterinary product authorised in that or another member state for another species or condition, then an EU-authorised human product, then an extemporaneous preparation; food-producing species have extra limits (MRL-listed substances, minimum withdrawal periods). Choosing freely ignores the legal order, which is the tempting error.
Once-daily dosing of aminoglycosides is preferred because:
A. Their killing is concentration-dependent and renal cortical uptake is saturable, so high infrequent peaks improve efficacy and reduce nephrotoxicity
Aminoglycosides are concentration-dependent (Cmax/MIC), have a post-antibiotic effect, and accumulate in the renal cortex by a saturable process. Beta-lactams are the time-dependent class; aminoglycosides have short half-lives and are excreted by glomerular filtration.
In a horse with severe equine asthma, systemic atropine gives rapid bronchodilation but is not used for maintenance because it:
A. Reduces gut motility and can cause ileus and colic
Atropine blocks muscarinic tone throughout the body; in horses this commonly causes intestinal stasis and colic, and also tachycardia and mydriasis. Inhaled ipratropium avoids most systemic effects.
Which emetic is generally more reliable in cats than apomorphine?
A. An alpha-2 agonist such as dexmedetomidine
Apomorphine is less effective in cats; alpha-2 agonists (xylazine, dexmedetomidine) are commonly used. Hydrogen peroxide causes haemorrhagic gastritis in cats and salt risks hypernatraemia.
The first-choice drug class for treatment of equine gastric ulcer syndrome is:
C. Proton pump inhibitors such as omeprazole
Omeprazole irreversibly inhibits the H-K-ATPase and gives sustained acid suppression. Antacids act briefly; H1 blockers do not affect acid; misoprostol has a role in some glandular disease but is not first-line alone.
Liquid paraffin for a horse with large-colon impaction is given by nasogastric tube rather than by mouth because:
B. Oral dosing risks aspiration, and aspirated oil causes lipid pneumonia
Mineral oil is tasteless and does not trigger swallowing reflexes well; aspiration causes severe pneumonia. Horses cannot vomit, and mineral oil is not absorbed, which is how it lubricates the colon.
A male cat with functional urethral obstruction after relief of a urethral plug is given prazosin. The aim is to:
D. Relax urethral smooth muscle by blocking alpha-1 receptors
Prazosin relaxes the smooth-muscle part of the urethra; the striated distal urethra in cats needs skeletal muscle relaxants. Bethanechol would target the detrusor.
Trilostane is used to treat pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism in dogs. Its mechanism is:
A. Competitive inhibition of 3-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase
Trilostane reversibly inhibits steroid synthesis at 3-beta-HSD. Mitotane is the adrenocorticolytic drug that destroys the zona fasciculata and reticularis.
A 1,000 mL bag is to run over 8 hours through a giving set that delivers 20 drops/mL. The drip rate is about:
B. 42 drops/min
Drops/min = 1,000 mL x 20 drops/mL / 480 min = 41.7. 125 drops/min is mL/h (1,000/8); 6 drops/min divides the hourly rate by the drop factor (125/20) instead of multiplying; 21 drops/min assumes a 10 drops/mL set.
Hypertonic saline (7.2-7.5%) given to a hypovolaemic horse expands plasma volume mainly by:
A. Drawing water from the interstitial and intracellular spaces into the vessels
It is a small-volume fluid whose osmotic pull moves water into the plasma; the effect is short-lived unless followed by isotonic fluid or drinking water. Colloids, not crystalloids, rely on large molecules.
This plan follows where our questions actually fall, so the time goes where the marks are likely to be. It is our reading of the syllabus, not the exam body's weighting.
Read the manual chapters for these first and do every worked question you can find on them.
Aim for one sitting per unit, then mixed questions across them.
Learn the definitions, classifications and standard numbers; these units are more often recalled than worked.
Come back to these after a first pass, untimed, and read every explanation, including for the options you rejected.
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