"The 350 item Combined RVS Exam given in two parts on the same day. The exams are mostly to
exclusively multiple choice type. There is the possibility of fill in the blank, short answer, essay, or
matching for some exam items.
The AVMA best practices is that the examination items align with a Job Content Analysis (JCA) of
current RVS Diplomates. The 2018 JCA identified tasks, diseases, etc. that Diplomates either saw
frequently or expected a Specialist to have immediate knowledge of subject.
Additionally, it has been decided that some exam items can come from current journals and a small
percentage can be at your Exam Committee’s discretion.
Please note that items drawn from current journals (with a 5 year look back period) are 1) from a
journal on the RVS Reading List, 2) the question is drawn from the abstract only, and 3) the journal
abstract must be inexpensively obtained. The exception to this is Veterinary Clinics of North America (if
applicable), where the exam taker is responsible for the whole article."
Source: Equine RVS Exam Study Guide - 2021
Updated: 03/03/2022
"The most current edition of the text should be used. Pick one medicine, one lameness, one reproduction and one surgery book since you will not have time to cover all."
Other references that were found useful to support these primary references or to cover specific disciplines in which the candidate may feel deficient included:
Last 5 years ending Jan. 1 the year the exam is taken.