(1) Applicants for licensure by examination in the state of Montana shall submit a completed application with the proper fee and supporting documents to the board office. Every year, applicants for the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE) wishing to sit as a Montana candidate shall submit the Montana state licensure application to the board no later than August 1 for the fall NAVLE administration or January 3 for the spring NAVLE administration. Montana NAVLE candidates shall submit the NAVLE application and fee directly to the National Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners. Supporting documents for the Montana state licensure application must include:

(a) a certified transcript from a school of veterinary medicine accredited or approved by the American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education showing evidence of graduation in and receiving a degree;

(i) senior veterinary students who have not yet graduated, when submitting the application, shall submit a letter from the dean of the school of veterinary medicine attended, stating that the applicant is a senior student and the expected date to receive the degree of doctor of veterinary medicine or its equivalent. No license shall be issued, however, until such time as the board office receives a certified copy of the transcript.

(b) photograph approximately 2" x 2" taken within one year of the date of application;

(c) if applicable, official written verification of licensure from any state of licensure past or present; and

(d) the candidate's work history of all employment concurrent as well as consecutive starting at the date of application and working back to graduation.

(2) All applicants must:

(a) pass the NAVLE at or above the designated passing standard established by the national examination entity as approved by the board within 62 months; or

(b) have passed the National Board Examination and the Clinical Competency Test within 62 months with a converted score of 70 or greater and have their scores reported to the board office through the official score reporting agency; and

(c) pass the board's jurisprudence exam with a score of 70 percent or greater. If the candidate fails the jurisprudence exam twice, the candidate must appear before the board prior to taking it a third time.

(3) Foreign veterinary school graduates shall either have completed the requirements of the American Veterinary Medical Association's Education Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates (ECFVG) as evidenced by a copy of the ECFVG certificate, or must have completed the requirements of the Program for the Assessment of Veterinary Education Equivalence (PAVE) as evidenced by a copy of the PAVE certificate before an application will be accepted.

(a) For specific information on the requirements of the ECFVG, contact the American Veterinary Medical Association, ECFVG, 1931 North Meacham Road, Suite 100, Schaumburg, IL 60173. For specific information on the requirements of the PAVE, contact the American Association of Veterinary State Boards at 4106 Central, Kansas City, MO 64111.

(4) An application for examination shall expire 18 months from the date of the application. An applicant who, for any reason, fails or neglects to complete the licensing process within 18 months shall be required to file another application and submit another application fee.