How far in advance do you recommend preparing for navle??

[petey12]

Does anyone have any recommendations on a time frame for preparing for NAVLE? I'm planning on taking it this october. Thanks!

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[CookieBear]

Many folks use one of the online prep courses, such as Zuku or VetPrep. Depending on how much you tend to procrastinate, or not, some study anywhere between 1-4 months prior... it's variable.

www.nbvme.org has NAVLE info.

 

[frozen_canadian]

I took it in late November and started studying in July. I think that was way too early. I'd forgotten everything from the summer by NAVLE time. If I were to do it again, i'd go hard the 2 months before the test (3 hrs/night depending on rotations). A lot of the NAVLE is common sense.
BTW vetprep is awesome, zuku sucks...IMHO.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

I started about 3 months. Nothing hardcore - I just did half an hour here, half an hour there, of Vet Prep. Some days I wouldn't do anything. About a month prior, I upped it to a ~1-2 hours per day (when I had the time, that is), and referencing anything I was unsure of with Merck. What you learn during your fourth year also (since you are applying concepts) is essentially a study supplement anyway.

Some people may take more or less, it is all about your style. I am a crammer (and not as in I forget it afterwards - there is something about pressure that makes information stick in my head better), so that worked for me.

 

[CookieBear]

I took it in late November and started studying in July. I think that was way too early. I'd forgotten everything from the summer by NAVLE time. If I were to do it again, i'd go hard the 2 months before the test (3 hrs/night depending on rotations). A lot of the NAVLE is common sense.
BTW vetprep is awesome, zuku sucks...IMHO.

Most everyone I know did VetPrep and liked it, and passed NAVLE. I did Zuku, because I found I liked their daily questions format, and I liked the links to Merck. Everyone has a style that they prefer. I liked the light-hearted approach that Zuku took.. there's sprinklings of humor in some of their questions and explanations.

Ultimately, I think if you study hard-core with either one of the courses, you should do fine. VIN also has a NAVLE online prep-course offered before the exam, too.

 

[Angelo84]

I used vetprep and bought it when they had the double time for same price deal. I used it on random and found that worked well as that is how NAVLE is presented. I did the $50 VIN NAVLE course as well and found it helpful as it was organized by species.

 

[laurafinn]

2-3 months. Make sure you take one or two of the practice tests on the NBVME web site too.

 

[Nexx]

I planned on studying for Navle for 4-6 months, ended up studying for 4 days. Just got my pass/fail on the portal this morning and I passed

I made it through roughly 55% of vetprep and other than 'format' it was a waste of $. There was incorrect questions (seriously a cow with hardware disease, the next step of treatment is NOT to put in a magnet -- among others) and poorly worded questions enough to make me really annoyed that I spent $200 on the program. Not to mention that the practice exams on vetprep were a repeat of all the study questions shown already.

Zuku at least has links to relevent merck pages and information. Check them both out and see what you like.

 

[sumstorm]

I'm taking zuku now, between 2nd and 3rd year, but that is because I have an extreme level of test anxiety about standardized tests (which is worse with vet school) and I'm the opposit of WTF...I really need things to percolate over time...literally weeks for my brain to really process information and connect everything well enough for recall. A lot of folks here do a bit of review during third year (casual stuff like the flash cards) and review books/sites during the 3-6mo prior to sitting the exam n fourth year.

 

[alliecat44]

I signed up for VetPrep in June, did a few questions here and there until September, then did about 1 hour a week until October, then probably 6-8 hours a week for the four or five weeks leading up to the test. I did 50% of the VetPrep questions.

Highly highly recommend VIN's NAVLE review course--I wouldn't ever be online during the actual discussion but reading the transcripts later and reviewing the notes they provide was EXTREMELY helpful in re-organizing the vast amounts of info for me. Fourth year clinics also really help drive home stuff--if you have a bovine patient with an LDA, you can't help but know the basic stuff (like what is on the NAVLE) like the back of your hand when it comes to taking the test!

 

[Ben and Me]

Just wanted to chime in and say that this is one of the most helpful threads on this forum!

Thanks guys (gals)!

 

[dyachei]

I signed up for vet prep in June and finished the stand-alone questions by the beginning of October. Then I proceeded to do the mini-tests. I also had the flash cards on my iPod, so I used those when I wanted something quick. I personally liked VetPrep - mostly for their power pages and their format. There were definitely a couple questions that were not correct, but I felt like their explanations were better than the Zuku ones I had (I also got the question of the day each day).

 

[philomycus]

I just bought Mosby's board review books off a senior so I can start thinking about glancing at stuff. We are about to enter clinics as 3rd years, and I hear depending on the rotation, there is some down time. Figured it couldn't hurt to start as soon as possible. But I am not smart, and not a crammer...so I'm starting VERY early.

 

[laurafinn]

I just bought Mosby's board review books off a senior so I can start thinking about glancing at stuff. We are about to enter clinics as 3rd years, and I hear depending on the rotation, there is some down time. Figured it couldn't hurt to start as soon as possible. But I am not smart, and not a crammer...so I'm starting VERY early.

The Mosby books are WAY overkill. I did the large animal one because I didn't have access to a computer during one of my away rotations. You just don't need to know that much info to pass.

One thing that really helped me was something Zuku recommended -- make up a table for each major species with its top 25 diseases, with signalment/predispositions, etiology, clinical signs, diagnosis, treatment. By the end of going through the Zuku questions, I actually ended up with 40-50 diseases for dogs, but the act of putting together the tables was really helpful.

 

[philomycus]

laurafinn- good to know....thanks! I got a good deal on them so I figured why not start on them now. But nice to know I don't need to stress as much if I struggle with those texts!

 

[CookieBear]

The Mosby books are WAY overkill. I did the large animal one because I didn't have access to a computer during one of my away rotations. You just don't need to know that much info to pass.

One thing that really helped me was something Zuku recommended -- make up a table for each major species with its top 25 diseases, with signalment/predispositions, etiology, clinical signs, diagnosis, treatment. By the end of going through the Zuku questions, I actually ended up with 40-50 diseases for dogs, but the act of putting together the tables was really helpful.

Yes, I did the Zuku-recommended study-guide that I made for myself for equine diseases. I also drew pictures (like an opossum for EPM). By making the cartoons really goofy, and then reviewing my own goofy notes, it helped stick in my mind.

Zuku also sometimes includes links to YouTube videos, such as horses with ruptured peroneus tertius (sp) muscle, or Sweeney, etc. Seeing those videos helped me actually diagnose a case I had come in during equine.

 

[mochavet]

My only advice would be to study for the EXAM not for the content. I know several people who studied for months and went back through everything and failed. I did all of the NBVME practice exams (self-paced totals 600 questions) and started a week before my scheduled exam. I looked up everything I didn't know. I passed.

I'm not saying that that works for everyone just that some people got caught up buying Vetprep, Zuku and others but never actually did any questions that were written by the examining board. Big mistake!

Good luck!

 

[MIIDH]

Hello Buddies,

I am preparing for BCSE and NAVLE. I graduated in 2007 in other country, but now I live in Alberta, Canada.

Thus, I am at a very preliminary stage to take the exams and seeking for more information. In the first place, I do no know how much both exams differs in depth. Second, I wonder if the same reference materials are used for both exams preparation.

Also, I appreciate if anyone can help me by giving me a used reference books/question book. Really, it will hep me a lot.

Thanks in advance, Midekssa Email: [email protected]