VTNE Exam Dates 2027: Testing Windows and Deadlines
Every 2027 VTNE testing window and completed-application cutoff in one table, with the rules that decide which window you can actually get.
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The VTNE is offered in four two-month testing windows every year, and the date that matters most is not the window itself but the completed application cutoff a month before it closes. Here are all the VTNE exam dates for 2027, the window that is open right now, and the rules that decide which window you can get.
The AAVSB publishes the windows as fixed yearly dates (February 15 to April 15, May 15 to July 15, August 15 to October 15, November 15 to January 15) with cutoffs on March 15, June 15, September 15 and December 15. The table applies that schedule to 2027. The "send documents by" column is two weeks before each cutoff, because eligibility review can take up to two weeks once all your documents are received. The last column counts 8 weeks back from the day the window opens.
The window open right now: Nov 15, 2026 to Jan 15, 2027
If you want to test this winter, your application has to be complete by December 15, 2026. A few things make this window tighter than it looks:
Eligibility comes first. You cannot pick a window until the AAVSB has reviewed your eligibility, and that review can take up to two weeks after your documents arrive. Documents that land on December 10 may not clear in time.
Transcripts come from your school, not from you. If you graduated before 2025, the AAVSB must receive your transcript directly from your school at vettech@aavsb.org. Schools slow down over the holidays.
Seats depend on availability. Rescheduling within a window is "based on seat availability" in the handbook's own words, and this window spans Thanksgiving, winter break and New Year. Book your appointment as soon as your scheduling email arrives.
If December 15 is too close, aim for the February 15 to April 15, 2027 window instead. Its cutoff is March 15, 2027, and an 8-week study plan that starts on December 21 lands you at the opening of the window.
What "completed application" actually means
The cutoff is for a completed application, which is more than clicking submit. In order, the process looks like this:
Check your pathway. Graduates of AVMA-CVTEA or CVMA accredited programs are accepted in every jurisdiction. On-the-job trained and alternate pathways are accepted only in some jurisdictions, and need extra forms or transcripts uploaded to your AAVSB portal.
Get your eligibility documents to the AAVSB. If you graduate after 2025, your program director uploads a roster that confirms you, and you cannot take the exam until you are on it. If you graduated before 2025, the AAVSB needs a transcript sent directly by your school.
Wait for eligibility review (up to two weeks once everything is received).
Complete the application and pay the $375 fee (card or a prepaid voucher code). Use your legal first and last name exactly as it appears on your government photo ID.
Pick your window and schedule with PSI. After review, you can choose from the next two exam windows, then set up a PSI account and choose a test center or live remote proctoring, a date and a time.
If you need testing accommodations, the accommodations application has the same cutoff as the exam application, and its review can also take up to two weeks. Start it at the same time as everything else.
Which window should you choose?
Pick the window that gives you about 8 weeks of steady study after your coursework ends, not the earliest one you can get. Some common situations:
You graduate in May. The May 15 to July 15 window (cutoff June 15) works if you studied during your last semester. If not, the August 15 to October 15 window gives you a full summer to prepare.
You graduate in December. The February 15 to April 15 window (cutoff March 15) follows naturally. Testing in the November to January window is only realistic if your program takes part in pre-graduation testing.
Your school offers pre-graduation testing. Some accredited programs let students test in their last semester. Ask your program director, because the roster upload is what makes you eligible.
You work full time. Choose a window that does not overlap your busiest months, and plan 10 to 12 hours of study a week rather than cramming.
Test early in your window
Booking a date in the first two weeks of a window has a practical upside. You see your pass or fail result on screen as soon as you finish, and the handbook allows a retake 31 days after your previous attempt, "including testing in the same window" if you complete a new application before that window's cutoff. Test on February 16, 2027, and you could apply again before March 15 and retake from March 19, still inside the window that closes April 15. Each attempt is a new application and a new $375 fee, and you can take the exam no more than three times in a calendar year.
Changing your date or window
Plans change. Here is what the handbook allows:
You want to
Rule
Cost
Move to another day, time or location in the same window
Reschedule in your PSI portal at least 48 hours before your appointment
Free
Move to the very next window
Once per application, at least 48 hours before your appointment or before the window ends if you have not scheduled
$90 administrative fee
Move again after a window transfer
Not allowed: you must reapply
Full $375 fee
Miss your appointment or let the window close
Unexcused absence, unless it is a documented emergency
Full fee forfeited
Excused absences are limited to serious illness or death of an immediate family member and a disabling traffic accident on exam day, with documentation, and you must email the AAVSB within 48 hours of your scheduled exam time. Arriving more than 15 minutes late, or a name on your ID that does not match your application, counts as unexcused.
After the exam: when results arrive
Pass or fail: on screen right after you finish.
Score report: in your AAVSB portal within 3 business days. This copy is for you only and is not valid for licensure.
Official score: sent to the jurisdiction you chose on your application within 72 hours.
Scoring: scaled scores from 200 to 800, and 425 is a pass. Only 150 of the 170 questions count; the other 20 are unmarked pilot questions.
Passing the VTNE does not license you. The AAVSB only runs the exam, so once your score is in, apply for your credential with the board or agency in your state or province. If you need your score sent to a different jurisdiction later, that goes through the AAVSB's VAULT transfer service.
Turn your window into a study plan
Once you know your window, put a date on it. Our study plan turns your exam date into a daily target, and the domain-by-domain VTNE study guide has an 8-week schedule weighted like the exam. To see what the questions feel like first, try our 10 free VTNE practice questions, one from each domain.
Frequently asked questions
When is the next VTNE testing window?
The current window runs from November 15, 2026 to January 15, 2027, with a completed application cutoff of December 15, 2026. The next one is February 15 to April 15, 2027, with a cutoff of March 15, 2027.
How many times a year is the VTNE offered?
Four times a year, in two-month windows: February 15 to April 15, May 15 to July 15, August 15 to October 15 and November 15 to January 15. Older pages that say three windows a year are out of date.
What is the VTNE application deadline?
Your application must be complete by the cutoff for the window you want: March 15, June 15, September 15 or December 15. Eligibility review can take up to two weeks after all your documents arrive, so send them earlier than the cutoff.
Can I take the VTNE before I graduate?
Only if your program takes part in pre-graduation testing. Some AVMA-CVTEA and CVMA accredited programs let students test in their last semester. Your program director confirms your eligibility by uploading a roster to the AAVSB, so ask your school.
Can I change my VTNE testing window?
Once per application. You can move to the very next window for a $90 administrative fee, at least 48 hours before your appointment or before the window ends if you have not scheduled yet. After that, you must reapply and pay the full $375 fee.
How soon do I get my VTNE results?
You see pass or fail on screen as soon as you finish. Your score report appears in your AAVSB portal within 3 business days, and your official score reaches the jurisdiction you chose within 72 hours.
Can I take the VTNE at home?
Yes. You can choose a PSI test center or live remote proctoring when you schedule. Remote testing needs a supported device, a 360-degree room scan and a non-military government photo ID.
Sources
AAVSB, VTNE Candidate Information Handbook: testing windows, completed application cutoffs, eligibility pathways and review time, fees, window transfers, rescheduling, absences, retakes, accommodations, score reporting.
AAVSB, Applying to Take the VTNE: current window, exam window and application cutoff chart, $90 window change, fees.
AAVSB, Rescheduling the VTNE: same-window and next-window changes, excused and unexcused absences.
