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Statutory Membership Exam

If your qualification is not recognised by the RCVS, you’ll need to sit the Statutory Membership Exam.

This page has information on how to register and prepare for this exam.

For information on the 2025 Statutory Membership Exam, please see the document '2025 Statutory Membership Exam (SME) Guidance' at the bottom of the page in related documents. Please note, this document still requires approval from government. 

On this page:

About the Statutory Membership Exam

The RCVS Statutory Examination for Membership (or Statutory Membership Exam) is for overseas vets who want to join the RCVS Register, but don’t have a recognised qualification.

Check if your veterinary qualification is accepted

To be eligible to take the exam you must:

  • be a qualified veterinary surgeon of good professional standing, and
  • be eligible to practise in the country where you qualified.

The Statutory Membership Exam is for overseas vets who want to practise in the United Kingdom. It’s not for those who wish to get an additional qualification. Veterinary surgeons who are already on the RCVS register are not eligible to take the exam.

The pathway to RCVS registration

  1. Declare your intention to sit
  2. Apply to sit the exam
  3. Take the written exam
  4. Take the Objective Structural Clinical Exam (OSCE)
  5. Registration

Timelines

Here is an example timeline for a vet who wishes to sit the statutory exam in 2025.

  • Submit intention to sit: By 31 December 2024
  • Submit application: 1 October 2024 to 14 January 2025
  • Take the written exam: Spring 2025
  • Take the OSCE: Autumn 2025

If the vet decides to take the exam in 2026 instead, they can renew their intention to sit in September 2025 and have longer to prepare.

Declaring your intention to sit

The first step in the examination process is to tell us that you intend to sit the exam. To do this, please send us:

This should be sent by email to [email protected] by 31 December.

Download an intention to sit form

Supporting evidence

Alongside your form, you should also send us the following:

About English language test exemption

To practise in the UK, 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).

You are exempt from taking the IELTS or OET to demonstrate your level of English if your veterinary degree was taught and assessed in English. Proof of this should be submitted no later than 1 December of the year before the exam.

More about English language testing

About reasonable adjustments

To make sure that candidates with disabilities or health conditions are not put at a disadvantage during the exam process, we can offer reasonable adjustments. Please send us your form as early as possible in the application process so we can make arrangements for you in time for the exam.

Renewing your intention to sit

We understand that you might want to spend a year or more preparing for the statutory exam. If you’d like to stay on our intention to sit list but delay your sitting of the exam, you can do so by renewing your intention by 31 September each year.

If you would like to renew your intention to sit, please complete the renewal of intention to sit form and email it to [email protected] between 14 August and 31 September.

Seeing practice

Once your intention to sit has been approved, you will be able to ‘see practice’ in the UK. This means getting practical clinical experience, which is invaluable preparation for the exam.

Find out more about seeing practice

Applying to sit the exam

Once we’ve received and accepted your intention to sit form, we’ll invite you to apply to sit the exam.

You’ll have from 1 October until 5pm on 14 January to apply.

The same applies to candidates who have renewed their intention to sit.

As part of the exam application process, you must provide evidence of your good professional standing.

Exam fees

The exam entry fee is £2,500. This includes the £2,200 exam fee and a non-refundable £300 administration charge.

Fees can be paid via our My Account portal. We’ll send you instructions once we’ve received your application.

If you withdraw from the exam

If you withdraw from the exam, you may be able to get a refund. How much you can claim back depends on when you withdraw.

  • If you withdraw before the application closing date of 14 January: £2,200
  • If you withdraw more than 28 days before the exam: £1,100 (half the fee)
  • If you withdraw 28 days or fewer before the first exam date: No refund

If you withdraw on medical or compassionate grounds

If you can’t sit the exam for medical or compassionate reasons, you may be able to get a full or partial refund on your fee.
Please email [email protected] with:

  • a written request explaining the situation, and
  • evidence to support the medical or compassionate grounds mentioned.

You should submit your request no later than six days after the part of the exam that you missed.

If you need financial support

If you can demonstrate that you have been granted humanitarian protection by the British Home Office, you may be entitled to financial support. This includes support with exam fees.

Please contact the examinations manager at [email protected] if you would like to apply for financial assistance.

The written exam

The written part of the exam consists of:

The written exam is held across a period of two weeks during the Spring (in April for 2024). It’s delivered remotely, using live in-person invigilation. This means that you may attempt it using your own computer, from a suitable location of your choosing.

The Objective Structural Clinical Exam (OSCE)

The OSCE is a practical exam, which usually takes place in the Autumn. In this exam, your skills will be assessed as you complete a multi-station circuit of clinical scenarios.

In 2024, the OSCE will be held at the Harper Adams University from 7 to 13 September.

Exam resits

If you fail the Code of Professional Conduct paper, you will be able to resit it within the same exam period.

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

Registration

Once you’ve passed the statutory membership exam, you’ll be able to join our Register. Our registration team will be in touch to guide you through registration.

Visa requirements

To enter the UK to see practice or take part in the practical exam, you may need to get entry clearance from the British Embassy or High Commission in the country where you are living or are a national. The RCVS is unable to offer advice on your visa status or work permit status. For advice and support, please contact the Home Office. As this can be a lengthy process, please allow enough time.

Further information and revision support

Guidance document

Our Statutory Membership Examination Guidance document contains detailed information on all aspects of the exam. It includes a detailed reading list covered the main subject areas, as well as recommended websites and publications.

RCVS Knowledge

Once you’ve declared your intention to sit, you can apply for an RCVS Knowledge library membership. The membership fee is £25 for six months, allowing you to borrow two books for four weeks.

Formative quiz

In the run up to the final exam, we’ll give you access to a formative quiz. This quiz contains 110 questions in the same format and of the same standard you will be faced in the written exam.

RCVS Academy

Our Academy course on working in the UK includes information on how to apply and prepare for the statutory exam.

Contact the team

If you have a question about the Statutory Examination for Membership, please email [email protected] stating where and when you qualified (university name, country and year).

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Frequently Asked Questions

Filter FAQs

Statutory Membership Examination

  • Do I have to take the statutory membership examination if I want to work as a veterinary surgeon in the UK?

    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.

  • How can I apply to sit the examination?

    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.

  • When is the application deadline?

    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.

  • Are there any English language requirements?

    Yes, you must demonstrate that you can communicate in English at an appropriate level. If your primary veterinary degree was taught and assessed in English then you may be granted exemption from language testing.

    Candidates whose primary veterinary degree was not taught in English can demonstrate their English skills by taking either the academic version of 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.

  • English is my first language. Can I apply for an exemption from the English language test?

    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.

  • How much is the examination fee?

    The entry fee is £2,500.

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

  • Will the fee be refunded if I withdraw from the exam?

    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.

  • Will I be refunded if I have to withdraw on medical or compassionate grounds?

    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.

  • Will I be able to re-sit any parts of the exam?

    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.

  • What revision support is available to me?

    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.

  • Can I gain practical experience in the UK as part of my preparation for the 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 and is strongly recommended. Further information about the regulations around ‘seeing practice’ can be found in the examination guidance and on the website.

     

  • What is the format of the exam?

    The examination consists of two components: a written examination and a practical examination (Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE).

    The written component consists of best-of-5 multiple-choice questions which 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.

  • Where and when does the exam take place?

    At present there is one exam per year. The written component is normally held in Spring and 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 Harper Adams University in Autumn.

     

    Specific dates are provided to candidates once they are available.

  • Would I be eligible for financial support?

    If you can demonstrate that you have been granted humanitarian protection by the British Home Office then you may be entitled to financial support, including support with examination fees. Please contact the examinations manager at [email protected] if you would like to apply for this assistance.

Working in the UK

Online course for veterinary surgeons trained outside of the UK

Course Details