How to Study for the Veterinary Tech Exam

Becoming a veterinary technician can lead to a rewarding and fast-paced career. States differ on the requirements needed to be a licensed vet tech, but most require an exam that is approved by a licensing agency. You will need to take and pass the exam before you can begin your new career.

Instructions

1. Take a practice test. Find a practice test of the exam that you will need to take. Many of the licensing agencies now offer these online. Once your practice test is scored, look at the areas where you have weaknesses. Those will be the areas that you need to focus on most.

2. Memorize the abbreviations used by the agency that will be administering your test. There are hundreds of abbreviations for things that you will need to know how to do or what they are when you become a vet tech.

3. Observe a vet tech in action if possible. There are many surgical procedures as well as day-to-day procedures that you will better understand if you have seen them performed. Book knowledge is valuable, but seeing procedures firsthand will ensure that you have a firm grasp on what the requirements are. This includes lab procedures, daily operations, surgical procedures and animal care.

4. Read all the resources that you can. The Association of Veterinary Technician Educators has a list of resources that should be reviewed before taking the test. The books include clinical textbooks as well as comprehensive reviews of what should have been learned in a vet tech degree program.

5. Schedule your studying. Make sure that you treat this exam seriously and schedule time to study. The vet tech exam cannot be crammed for overnight. Divide the hours that you need to study into the days you have available before the test. Make it a priority to do the studying during the hours you have set for it.

References

• Association of Veterinary Technician Educators