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Registration Procedure
An applicant who is required to sit the CPE and who has successfully completed the BCSE (or the old Parts A and B of the NEB Examination) will be able to register for the CPE in the NEB Candidate Portal. To register candidates must complete the following:
- Registration in the NEB Candidate Portal. Please see the following: Full CPE Waiting List
- Payment of the appropriate Examination Fee in the NEB Candidate Portal;
- Submit Surgical Experience Documentation (for candidates who registered with the NEB after January 1st, 2015 only)
To register for the full CPE through the NEB, eligible candidates will need to join the full CPE Waiting List from the NEB Candidate Portal. The full CPE waiting list will continue to be opened until maximum capacity is reached. Once maximum capacity has been reached, it will be closed. Candidates are required to pay 50% of the full CPE exam fees when registering for the full CPE waiting list. The remaining 50% of the CPE fee is due 45 days prior to the scheduled exam. You can access the Schedule of Fees here.
Candidates registering for the Full CPE Waiting List should note that seats are assigned, not offered. Waitlisted candidates will be informed if they have been assigned to a session at least eight (8) weeks before the scheduled exam. If you join the waiting list, you may be assigned a seat as early as eight (8) weeks from the date of registration. Candidates who do not wish to keep the assigned seat must refer to the Refund and Withdrawal Policies.
Surgical Experience Documentation
Candidates who enroll into the NEB program on or after January 1, 2015, must submit validated Surgical Experience Documentation to proceed with their CPE registration.
The validation can be provided by one or more veterinarians licensed to practice veterinary medicine in any international jurisdiction. At a minimum, candidates are expected to document their performance of at least one (1) ovariohysterectomy as a primary surgeon AND have participated in at least five (5) additional surgical procedures (a total of 6) as either a primary or assistant surgeon within the 5-year period prior to the candidate’s CPE application. The 5 additional procedures may be ovariohysterectomies or other surgical procedures. Each documented surgical procedure should involve all elements of an aseptic surgical procedure including gowning & gloving, draping of the patient, and use of sterile instrumentation. Please submit one (1) signed and validated form for each surgical procedure performed. Please write out the surgical procedure performed in full including species. Please note no abbreviations. For example, write out “ovariohysterectomy” – not OVH or OHE – as they can have different meanings in different countries.
Candidates must confirm with the appropriate regulatory authorities in the jurisdiction where they are obtaining surgical experience from to ascertain whether licensure in that jurisdiction is required before performing surgery. The NEB reserves the right to verify the documents received. Candidates are reminded that falsification of documents would be a violation of the Code of Conduct and can resolve in disciplinary actions up to and including dismissal from the program.
Please submit surgical experience documentation via email to neb-bne@cvma-acmv.org or through the messaging function on the NEB Candidate portal.
Access the form here: Surgical Experience Documentation.
About the CPE
The Clinical Proficiency Examination (CPE) consists of seven (7) sections. Each section requires between 45 minutes to four hours to complete, with the entire exam administered over a period of several days, depending on the exam administration site.
In each of the major topic areas, the candidate will be evaluated on the clinical skills and behaviour appropriate to that subject/discipline. Throughout the CPE there are frequent requirements of the candidate to communicate with a client (a role played by the Examiner), to demonstrate the ability to take a history by asking relevant questions and to communicate a clinical message. The major topic areas are: Anaesthesia, Equine Practice, Food Animal Practice, Necropsy, Radiographic Positioning, Small Animal Medicine and Surgery.
The rationale for the Anaesthesia and Surgery sections is that surgery is a major therapeutic measure in veterinary medicine. At entry level a veterinarian should have basic surgical and anaesthesia skills and the ability to perform routine procedures. The species involved is usually canine. The estimated total time for the Anaesthesia section is approximately 4 hours, whereas the total time for the Surgery section is 2.5 hours.
The Equine Practice section rationale is that veterinarians providing health care must be able to utilize a variety of knowledge and skills to define and correct medical problems. The estimated time for this section is 2.25 hours.
The Food Animal Practice section rationale is that veterinarians providing animal health care must be able to utilize a variety of knowledge and skills to define and correct medical problems. Veterinarians practicing economic animal medicine are expected to have clinical and management knowledge to detect and prevent diseases in populations of animals and to enhance the efficiency of food animal production units. The species involved may be bovine, caprine, ovine and/or porcine. The estimated duration of this section is 3 hours.
The Necropsy is a single station section. The rationale is that practicing veterinarians are expected to perform and interpret routine tests and procedures in order to provide comprehensive health care. The candidate will be expected to perform a complete necropsy using an acceptable procedure and collect tissue samples for histopathology. Species involved may be bovine, canine, equine, feline, ovine, porcine and/or caprine. The estimated time for the Necropsy section is 1 hour and 30 minutes.
The Radiographic Positioning section also comprises a single station. Candidates will be required to determine anatomical structures and views, and produce diagnostic quality radiographic images of thereof. The estimated total time for this station is 45 minutes.
The Small Animal Medicine section rationale is that veterinarians providing animal health care must be able to utilize a variety of knowledge and skills to define and correct medical problems. Veterinarians are also expected to provide medical care to animals in life-threatening and emergency situations. They must be able to recognize the need to take appropriate action in dealing with zoonotic diseases, including those that must be reported to public health and disease control officials. Species involved may be canine and/or feline. This section lasts 2.25 hours.
CPE Manual of Administration (MOA) 2026
The updated CPE MOA on this website is used for exams administered between July 27-December 31, 2026.
It is your responsibility to read the entire Manual of Administration to ensure that you understand what will be expected of you during the 2026 CPE.
Should you have any questions regarding the new CPE Manual of Administration, please contact the NEB office via e-mail at neb-bne@cvma-acmv.org.
The updated French version of the CPE MOA will be available soon.