Examination Procedure

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The application deadline for the 2019 examination has passed.  The examination will be given only to those who have satisfied all the requirements of the Prerequisites for Examination.


A comprehensive examination will be administered in an effort to assure that those who successfully pass it will be a credit to the profession and fully capable of functioning as toxicologists in any area with dignity, respect, and wisdom.  Please review the 2019 ABVT Exam Preparation Specifics for Candidates and this year's Reading List for the 2019 ABVT Exam for additional information.

The qualifying examation consists of 4 sections, each section has 100 multiple chioce questions. The exam is given annually at the AVMA convention. The exam begins at 8:00 am and ends at 6:00 pm of the same day. A comprehensive examination will be given to demonstrate the fitness and ability of the candidate to practice the specialty of veterinary toxicology. Candidates will be informed prior to the examination of the passing point, or, if this is not determined in advance, the method of setting the passing point. The passing point for each section of the examination may be adjusted lower, but not higher, by the Examining Committee and the Officers after the examination is administered. If the candidate passes one or more of the examination sections, the candidate may be reexamined in the following year(s) in the remaining sections not passed as long as it is within the time frame established by the ABVT.

Candidates will be examined for knowledge within the broad discipline of veterinary toxicology including but not necessarily limited to the following:

a) the concept of toxicology, its usefulness, definitions, and philosophies;

b) dosage-response relationships;

c) metabolism and detoxication;

d) toxicology of inorganic compounds;

e) toxicology of synthetic organic compounds;

f) toxicology of plant poisons and biotoxins;

g) toxicology of radiation and radiomimetic compounds;

h) residues and residual effects of chemicals and radiation in foods;

i) testing for safety, including experimental design and interpretation;

j) antidotal procedures and;

k) environmental toxicology - industrial, water, and air contamination.

The examinaton is arranged into the following categories in four (4) test section:

Section I.

  1. Toxic Plants
  2. Biotoxins
  3. Drugs and Feed Additive
Section II.
  1. Concepts
  2. Definitions
  3. Dose Response
  4. Metabolism
  5. Safety Testing
Section III.
  1. Inorganic Compounds
  2. Organic Compunds
  3. Radiation
  4. Environmental Residues
Section IV.
  1. Clinical and Diagnostic Toxicology
  2. Antidotal Procedures