Are there any English language requirements?

To work as a vet in the UK, you must be registered with the RCVS. To discover if your veterinary degree is recognised by the RCVS, please see the registration application page for veterinary surgeons.

If the university that awarded your primary veterinary degree 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 exam applications is 14 January.

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

We only grant exemption from English language testing if a candidate’s primary veterinary degree was taught and assessed entirely in English. Pease refer to the guidance for how to apply for an exemption and what supporting evidence we accept.

Initial exam entry fee, includes one attempt at the full written exams, held in March 2025 - Examination fee of £1,100 plus a £300 administration charge (Total £1400)
May re-sit written examinations fee (clinical domains), only available for candidates if they have taken and failed any clinical domain written exam paper held in March of that year - Examination fee of £450 plus a £50 administration charge (total £500) per clinical exam domain re-sit
May re-sit written examination fee (Code of Professional Conduct exam), only available for candidates if they have taken and failed the Code of Professional Conduct Exam held in March of that year - One free re-sit attempt
OSCE exam fee, only available for candidates to book once they have passed all components of the written exams in the same year/exam diet - Examination fee of £1,100.

If you withdraw before the application closing date of 14 January: The exam fee will be refunded but not the administration costs

Withdrawals made more than 28 days before the examination - Half the exam fee will be refunded but not the administration costs

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 exam fee (excluding administration costs).

You must submit your request in writing, along with documentary evidence to support the medical or compassionate grounds cited, no later than 6 days after the part of the examination that you missed.

Candidates have the option of taking written re-sit written exams in May, if they failed the written exam in March.

Please see section 6 of the SME guidance

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. 

Confirmed exam candidates 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, this will be provided in the run up to the final exam dates.

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 and is strongly recommended. Further information about the regulations around ‘seeing practice’ can be found in the examination guidance and on the website.