Statutory Membership Exam

In order to work as a vet in the UK, you must be registered with the RCVS. The RCVS recognises veterinary degrees from the accredited universities of countries outlined on this map.

If the university that awarded your veterinary degrees is not listed, then you will need to pass the statutory membership examination before you can register.

First, you will need to submit a declaration of intention to sit. You can submit this at any point during the year and it is valid until the end of September. Please refer to the examination guidance for detailed information on what supporting evidence you need to provide at this stage.

Only once you have submitted a declaration of intention to sit, along with all the necessary documentation, can you apply to sit the examination.

The annual deadline for applications is 14 February.

Application forms will be provided to candidates who have submitted a declaration of intention to sit.

Unfortunately, we are unable to offer advice with regard to your visa status or work permit status.

For such advice, please contact the Home Office.

Yes, you must demonstrate that you can communicate in English at an appropriate level.

This can be demonstrated by taking either the International Language Testing System (IELTS) or the veterinary version of the Occupational English Test (OET).

Please see the examination guidance for more information about these requirements.

Yes, please refer to the guidance for how to apply for an exemption and what supporting evidence we accept.

The entry fee is £2,500.

This includes the £2,200 examination fee and a non-refundable £300 administration charge.

If you withdraw before the application closing date, you will be refunded the £2,200 examination fee.

Withdrawals made more than 28 days before the examination will receive half the examination fee: £1,100.

If you withdraw 28 days or fewer before the first examination date, then you will not be entitled to a refund.

You may be eligible for a discretionary refund of some or all of the entire exam fee.

You must submit your request in writing, along with documentary evidence to support the medical or compassionate grounds cited, no later than 28 days after the part of the examination that you missed.

If you fail the Code of Professional Conduct paper then you will have the opportunity to resit it within the same diet.

We do not offer re-sits for the clinical written papers or the OSCE.

The examination guidance includes an extensive reading list covering the main subject areas, links to websites that give information about current legislation of relevance to veterinary surgeons, as well as some recommended veterinary journals and publications.

Candidates are eligible for a special RCVS Knowledge library membership category. 

Once you submit a completed examination application, you will be given access to a formative quiz containing 110 questions in the same format and of the same standard you will be faced with in the written examination.

Once you submit a completed declaration of intention to sit you will be eligible to ‘see practice’ in accordance with the provisions laid out in the Veterinary Surgeons Act.

This affords you the opportunity to gain practical, clinical experience, as part of your preparation for the examination.

Further information about the regulations around ‘seeing practice’ can be found in the examination guidance.

The examination consists of two components: a written examination consisting of best-of-5 multiple-choice questions and an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE).

The written component will assess your clinical knowledge and will include an open-book paper assessing your familiarity with the RCVS Code of Professional Conduct.

The OSCE will assess a range of practical skills. For more information on the format, please refer to section 6 of the guidance document.

The written component is normally held in late April or early May, and the OSCE is held in July.

View the dates of the next examination diet.

The written component is run remotely, allowing candidates to take the examination securely using their own computer from a suitable location of their choosing.

The OSCE is held at the University of Glasgow School of Veterinary Medicine.

If you can demonstrate that you have been granted refugee status by the British Home Office then you may be entitled to financial support, including waiver of the examination fee. Please contact the examinations manager at rcvsexam@rcvs.org.uk if you would like to apply for this assistance.