Assessment and Accreditation

Overview

The International School of Veterinary Postgraduate Studies (ISVPS) is a not-for-profit organisation (formerly known as ESVPS), which was established in 2003 with the remit of accrediting veterinary CPD and providing attainable, balanced qualifications for veterinary practitioners working in full-time practice. ISVPS has over 15 years’ experience of running examinations and accrediting courses in the veterinary industry. The OCQ(AHP) - ATT,  OCQ(AHP) - CSO and OCQ(CO) - FCCO courses are all accredited by ISVPS.

Online exam

The assessment for each full course will be an online exam comprising of 20 multiple choice questions to be completed in one hour. Each multiple choice question will have three distractors and only one correct answer. Marks will not be deducted for incorrect answers. 

You can complete the online exam as soon as you have completed the online training.

Conditions

You are required to take the online exam in the presence of an invigilator:

• For the ATT exam your invigilator must be a vet, a doctor or a lawyer.
• For the CSO exam your invigilator must be a vet, a doctor, a lawyer or a Food Competent Certifying Officer (FCCO).
• For the FCCO exam, your invigilator must be an FCCO, a vet, a doctor or a lawyer.

Both you and your invigilator will be required to read the ISVPS examination rules and will be required to sign to confirm you will abide by them.

Please click here for information on remote invigilation via screenshare.

On passing the online exam you will be issued with a certificate of competence, which you can download as a PDF file. If you are an OCQ(AHP) - ATT candidate you will be issued with a conditional certificate of competence until you have completed and passed the Practical Assessment component of the OCQ(AHP) (please refer to the OCQ(AHP) - ATT section below).

Failure of the exam

If you fail the online examination, you will have up to two opportunities to retake it. After a failure, you must wait at least two weeks before retaking the online exam. Each retake incurs a fee of £49 plus VAT. You may request feedback from ISVPS before you retake the exam.

OCQ(AHP) - ATT Practical Assessment

If you are completing the OCQ(AHP) - ATT you will be required to complete both the online exam and a Practical Assessment to achieve a certificate of competence.

You will be required to pass a Practical Assessment within six months of being granted conditional authorisation by APHA. You will be required to keep a log of your TB testing. This must provide evidence that you have tested at least 500 animals on at least ten farms and seen a minimum of 80 reactions. This evidence must be provided in the form of a case log, which must be completed and uploaded to your Personal Training Dashboard before the Practical Assessment can take place. 

On passing the OCQ(AHP) - ATT Practical Assessment you will be issued with a certificate of competence, which can be downloaded as a PDF file.

See the Practical Training for ATTs page for more information.

ISVPS candidate appeals procedure

You have the right to appeal any component of the examination.

Appeals must:

• be made in writing to the ISVPS Examination Secretary
• arrive within 30 days of being informed of the adverse result
• outline the grounds for appeal in detail

Appeals will be conducted by the ISVPS Examination Committee Chairman. Appeals will be restricted to a review of exam procedures. Outcomes of appeals will be decided and you will be notified within 30 days of the appeal being lodged.

Please email ISVPS for the full appeals procedure.