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United States · Licensing exams

AAVSB: what the American Association of Veterinary State Boards does

AAVSB stands for the American Association of Veterinary State Boards, a nonprofit based in Overland Park, Kansas. Its members are veterinary licensing boards in 62 jurisdictions across the US and Canada. It owns the Veterinary Technician National Exam (VTNE) and keeps the official archive of national exam scores. It doesn’t issue or renew licenses, for veterinarians or for vet techs. This page explains the AAVSB and isn’t its website.

  • 62Licensing jurisdictions in its membership
  • VTNEThe exam the AAVSB owns
  • No licensesYour state or province issues those
Go to the AAVSB’s website

Updated November 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

What the AAVSB runs

  • VTNE: the national exam for veterinary technicians, delivered by PSI
  • VAULT, the Veterinary Application for Uniform Licensure Transfer: sends your exam score and records to licensing boards
  • PAVE, the Program for the Assessment of Veterinary Education Equivalence: for graduates of non-accredited international programs
  • SPA, the State and Provincial Assessment: law exams for some jurisdictions
  • RACE, the Registry of Approved Continuing Education: standards for continuing education courses
  • A license and regulatory board look-up

VIVA, the Veterinary Information Verifying Agency, is the AAVSB’s records service, and you’ll see a VIVA ID in VTNE paperwork.

AAVSB: PAVE ↗AAVSB: SPA exams ↗RACE and license renewal →How the look-up works →

AAVSB and ICVA: who does what?

The two are easy to mix up. The International Council for Veterinary Assessment (ICVA) develops and administers the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE). The AAVSB doesn’t. Its link to the NAVLE is the score: it holds the archive and sends transfers, and ICVA says it doesn’t process those itself.

How the NAVLE works →How AAVSB sign-ins work →

Sending scores with AAVSB’s VAULT

The board you chose on your exam application gets your score automatically, with no VAULT fee. You need VAULT for any other board, and for the NAVLE if you picked the “ICVA” option. Reports go straight to boards and are never given to you. VAULT doesn’t replace your license application.

ServiceVetTechDays
First License$50$505
Basic$105$9015
Premium$260$22025 to 35

Days are business days. First License is only for people who have never been licensed. Basic adds a preliminary public records check. Premium adds license verifications, transcripts and more, and it’s aimed at people licensed or applying in three or more jurisdictions. Its fees are starting prices, charged per destination. The AAVSB says there are no refunds on VAULT.

AAVSB: VAULT services ↗AAVSB: VAULT First License ↗AAVSB: VAULT Basic ↗AAVSB: VAULT Premium ↗

Moving to another state

The AAVSB explains that a license transfer really means getting licensed in the new place, and you can hold licenses in several jurisdictions at once. Each board decides what it accepts, so read its rules before you pay for a transfer. Someone who took the VTNE through on-the-job training or an alternate pathway may find some boards don’t recognize it.

AAVSB: Transferring your license ↗Find your licensing board →
Sources: AAVSB · ICVA and 8 more. Checked November 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

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