BCSE (Basic & Clinical Sciences Examination) · USA / Canada · ICVA; administered through CVMA-NEB and AVMA-ECFVG
Original practice questions written to the published syllabus · not past papersSafe sedation and anaesthesia across species: premedication, local and regional blocks, injectable and inhalant anaesthesia, monitoring, emergencies and pain management.
In the exams: BCSE anaesthesia 20-23 items; ECFVG / NEB CPE anaesthesia section (about 4 h, pass/fail); AVE Anaesthesia OSCE; EAEVE Day One competences
BCSE, NAVLE and ECFVG/NEB CPE (North America)
Vignettes on protocol choice by ASA status and species, blood pressure and capnography interpretation, hypotension and hypoxaemia algorithms, RECOVER CPR, pain scoring and multimodal analgesia; the CPE anaesthesia section is a pass/fail practical of planning, induction, monitoring and recording.
How our questions for BCSE spread across the units of Veterinary Anaesthesiology & Analgesia. Difficulty: 5 easy, 23 medium, 4 hard.
| Pre-anaesthetic medication | 4 | |
| Inhalant anaesthesia | 4 | |
| Anaesthetic monitoring | 4 | |
| Species-specific anaesthetic protocols | 4 | |
| Injectable anaesthesia | 3 | |
| Anaesthetic emergencies | 3 | |
| Multimodal analgesia | 3 | |
| Paravertebral block | 2 | |
| Epidural anaesthesia | 2 | |
| Pain scoring | 2 | |
| Cornual nerve block | 1 |
Choose an answer, then open the working. Each explanation says why the right answer is right and why the others are not.
Which pair of signs indicates a successful proximal paravertebral block on the left side of a cow?
A. Warm skin over the left flank and scoliosis convex towards the left
Sympathetic blockade causes vasodilation and a warmer flank, and paralysis of the epaxial muscles on the blocked side makes the spine curve with its convexity towards that side. Muscle spasm, ear drooping and tail tone are not features of a paravertebral block.
What is a recognised disadvantage of the inverted L block compared with a paravertebral block for flank surgery in cattle?
C. It needs more drug and relaxes the deep abdominal muscles less completely
The inverted L is a field block: easy but volume-hungry, with less reliable deep muscle relaxation. Scoliosis and deep needle placement are features of the proximal paravertebral block, and pelvic-limb paralysis is not expected from either technique when done correctly.
During an anaesthetic the capnograph trace suddenly falls from 40 mmHg to zero. Which is the most likely explanation?
C. Disconnection or accidental extubation, or cardiac arrest
A sudden fall to zero means no CO2 is reaching the sensor: disconnection, extubation, oesophageal intubation, complete obstruction or cessation of circulation. Hypoventilation and malignant hyperthermia raise EtCO2; exhausted absorbent raises the baseline.
A 20 kg dog in cardiopulmonary arrest is to receive low-dose adrenaline at 0.01 mg/kg IV using a 1 mg/mL (1:1000) solution. What volume is given?
D. 0.2 mL
Dose = 0.01 mg/kg x 20 kg = 0.2 mg; at 1 mg/mL, volume = 0.2 mL. The 2 mL answer is the volume if a 1:10,000 (0.1 mg/mL) solution were used with the wrong label; 0.02 and 20 mL are tenfold and hundredfold slips. (Dose figures in the question are for calculation practice — confirm against the product label and your national formulary.)
During inhalant anaesthesia a dog's SpO2 falls to 84% and the reading is reliable. What should be checked first?
D. The oxygen supply, circuit connections and endotracheal tube position
Hypoxaemia is managed from machine to patient: confirm the oxygen supply and flow, look for disconnection, kinking, obstruction or endobronchial or oesophageal placement of the tube, then consider hypoventilation and lung causes. The other checks are not first-line for acute hypoxaemia.
Why is heart rate alone a poor indicator of pain in hospitalised animals?
D. Fear, stress, hypovolaemia and drugs also change it, so it lacks specificity
Physiological variables such as heart rate, respiratory rate and blood pressure do rise with pain but also with fear, stress, hypovolaemia, fever and drugs, so they are unreliable alone; validated behaviour-based scales perform better. The other statements are false.
Which property describes buprenorphine?
C. Partial mu agonist with slow onset, long duration and high receptor affinity
Buprenorphine is a partial mu agonist with slow onset, long action, a ceiling effect and high affinity, which makes it hard to displace with naloxone or full agonists. The first option describes fentanyl, the second butorphanol and the fourth naloxone.
What is the mechanism of action of grapiprant?
A. Antagonism of the prostaglandin EP4 receptor
Grapiprant belongs to the piprant class: it blocks the EP4 receptor that mediates much of prostaglandin E2's pain and inflammation, without inhibiting cyclo-oxygenase. It is not an opioid or NMDA antagonist.
A horse is anaesthetised in lateral recumbency. How is the lower (dependent) forelimb positioned to reduce the risk of radial nerve paralysis?
D. Pulled forward so the weight of the chest is not on the triceps and radial nerve
Drawing the lower forelimb cranially moves the triceps and radial nerve out from under the thorax, reducing compression neuropathy and myopathy; thick padding also helps. The other positions increase compression.
Why are precision vaporisers made agent-specific?
B. Each agent has a different saturated vapour pressure, so the calibration differs
Output depends on the saturated vapour pressure of the agent, which differs between agents; a vaporiser calibrated for one gives an unpredictable concentration if filled with another. Colour coding and keyed fillers are safety features that follow from this.
Ten here, 32 in the app. The Laisha app has every practice question we have written to BCSE in this subject, marked as you go, with timed papers, a jump-to-unanswered list and a certificate when you pass at 70 per cent.
Free for ten days, then one subscription of US$10 a month. We would rather say so here than have you find it later.
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