NAVLE season is upon us! Many of my classmates have already taken the NAVLE. Some have passed, while some have not. Many more are gearing up to take it soon. Some days, it seems to be all anyone can talk about. I have a few thoughts on etiquette I wanted to share as folx continue to take this notorious exam, and others receive their scores.
- Just don’t ask! If your friends or classmates don’t want to share whether or not they passed, respect that. If they want you to know, they will tell you.
- Don’t gossip. If you find out a classmate doesn’t pass, don’t spread that news around unless they tell you to. We don’t want our classmates to be thought less of because they didn’t pass the first time around, and we certainly don’t want them to feel bad about it. If you hear someone didn’t pass, it can stop with you. It goes both ways too. If someone is about to tell you that someone didn’t pass, stop them!
- Wish each other luck. Whether you have taken the test or not, let’s just wish each other luck. It’s a long, hard test, and I’ve never heard it’s fun! Support your classmates, and give them well wishes. We are in this together, and being there for one another is the best thing we can do.
As I study and prepare to take my own NAVLE at the end of this year, I have had many conversations with classmates. I can feel how nervous everyone is, and how it seems like failure is the worst possible outcome, but I disagree. No one has to know that you failed if you don’t want them to (refer to #’s 1 and 2). Sure, the test is expensive and long, but you thankfully have the option to take it again (which is more than any other test I’ve taken in vet school). Employers will never ask you how many times it took you to pass your NAVLE. Your clients will not ask you if you passed on your first try.
Overall, it doesn’t matter if you fail or not, because eventually you will pass, and you will become a doctor. Failing the NAVLE has no perspective on how good of a doctor you will be either! It’s true, it might sting a bit, but in the end, you will get through it. You will be a good doctor.
Read more on what to expect when taking the NAVLE.
