Every foreign veterinarian who has a degree from a non-accredit veterinary school has to give ECFVG exam (Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates). In this ECFVG exam, a foreign veterinarian has to clear 4 steps-
1) Document verification and submission
2) English language assessment- Academic IELTS or TOEFL (Minimum band requirement is there)
3) BCSE- 5-hour long test including check-in process.
4) CPE- Clinical Proficiency Examination- 3-day process.
NAVLE- After ECFVG foreign vets need to clear NAVLE (North American Veterinary Licensing Examination)- a 7-hour long exam! After all these steps they get a license to practice in the United States Of America.
BCSE is also known as mini NAVLE and unfortunately, many people are unable to clear it in the first attempt. It was the grace of God, my efforts, and clinical analysis which made it possible for me to clear it in one go.
So let me share with you how I prepared for my exam.
A) How many hours did I study?
I made a target to clear my BCSE in the year 2021 and it was not very easy as I left my studies 10 years ago and the last I studied was for Public Service Commission(cracked the written exam) in 2016. I passed my IELTS exam in February 2021. After then my year was totally busy with pregnancy (doing this announcement just to motivate other test takers that if I can do it they can do it too) and house shifting, etc. I somehow got time at year-end but it was like I had very little time to prepare seriously. In pregnancy, you need to avoid stress and irregular sleep. But I took a chance and started studying 3 weeks before my exam date. Made my timetable to complete the preparation mode and test mode of the Zuku review app and I got success to do the same.
I studied almost 18 or more hours sometimes including breaks and cooking time( my husband helped me with dinner)
I will not suggest studying this tight. I had no choice but to study. I am grateful to my unborn baby who allowed me to sit this long for my studies.
B) Study apps and resources I used.
# Applications- I had both Zuku Review and Vet Prep but I hardly got the chance to read vet prep before my examination. So I entirely used Zuku questions, explanation, links for detailed study, and some notes only. I couldn’t get time to go through videos. I completed 90% preparation mode and 100% test mode of Zuku.
I personally liked Zuku for the tricks it provided to learn some of the most difficult and confusing things and also highlighted the points which are necessary to differentiate one case or disease from the other.
Subscribe to Zuku and Vet Prep 'question of the day' which helped me a lot.
# Social media groups- I also used my social media platform like Facebook and Instagram to follow and read veterinary-related articles.
I created the Watsapp and Telegram study group for ECFVG & NAVLE aspirants to help foreign vets exchange information and resources related to the examination. Many veterinarians got benefitted from the group.
# Notes- I also had some good notes but couldn’t get time to go through them. So my suggestion is to stick to only one thing instead of many apps, books, and notes. It will help you to be clear-minded and will avoid confusion.
#Cards- Used Radiology and Lab cards by Dr. Gerardo Poli.
C) Webinars- During COVID free webinars were the blessings for the students who were preparing for the exams. They helped me a lot to understand many topics and to get some good study resources with free CPD (Continuing professional development credits) as an extra bonus.
D) Clinical exposure- You must have some previous clinical exposure for better clinical analysis. Fortunately, I had a good clinical exposure of more than 4 years as a surgeon and physician which made it easy for me to pass this exam.
E) Lastly, study as hard as you can. Do a detailed study of each topic.
I hope this blog will help those who are preparing for this exam. All the very best.👍
