ACVPM PRACTICE TEST ACTUAL EXAM 2026/2027
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS (VERIFIED
ANSWERS) PLUS RATIONALES | INSTANT
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Core Domains
• Epidemiology and Biostatistics
• Infectious and Zoonotic Diseases
• Food Safety and Protection
• Environmental Health and Toxicology
• Public Health Administration and Emergency Preparedness
Introduction
This examination assesses the candidate's knowledge of veterinary
preventive medicine required for American College of Veterinary
Preventive Medicine board certification. It evaluates competency in
epidemiology, disease surveillance, zoonotic disease control, food
safety, environmental health, and public health policy. Questions include
multiple-choice and scenario-based formats designed to test practical
application and decision-making. Candidates must demonstrate mastery
of preventive medicine principles, regulatory compliance, and
population health management. The exam emphasizes real-world
problem-solving and critical thinking across diverse veterinary public
health settings.
,Section One: Questions 1–100
1. A study follows 500 exposed and 500 unexposed dairy cows over
12 months to compare the incidence of clinical mastitis. The
exposed group develops 80 cases, and the unexposed group
develops 20 cases. What is the relative risk of mastitis among
exposed cows?
A. 1.0
B. 2.0
C. 4.0
D. 8.0
C. 4.0
RATIONALE: Relative risk is calculated as (80/500) / (20/500) =
0..04 = 4.0, indicating exposed cows have four times the risk of
mastitis compared to unexposed cows .
2. In a case-control study investigating the association between a new
commercial feed and Salmonella in dogs, 50 cases were exposed to
the feed, and 25 controls were exposed. What is the Odds Ratio
(OR)?
A. 2.0
B. 3.0
C. 4.0
D. 6.0
B. 3.0
RATIONALE: The odds ratio is calculated as (50 × 75) / (50 × 25)
= 3.0, meaning cases are 3 times more likely to have been exposed than
controls .
3. A diagnostic test for Bovine Viral Diarrhea (BVD) has a sensitivity
of 90% and a specificity of 95%. If the true prevalence of BVD in
a herd is 10%, what is the Positive Predictive Value (PPV)?
,A. 33%
B. 50%
C. 67%
D. 95%
C. 67%
RATIONALE: PPV is calculated as True Positives / (True Positives
+ False Positives). Using a population of 1000: TP=90 and FP=45 (5%
of 900 negatives), resulting in = 66.7% .
4. Researchers want to determine if a new vaccine reduces the
incidence of respiratory disease in feedlot cattle. They randomly
assign pens of cattle to receive either the new vaccine or a placebo.
Which study design is this?
A. Case-control study
B. Cross-sectional study
C. Randomized controlled trial
D. Cohort study
C. Randomized controlled trial
RATIONALE: A randomized controlled trial involves random
assignment of subjects to intervention or control groups to compare
outcomes. This is the gold standard for establishing causality .
5. A researcher enrolls 50 pigs with respiratory signs and 50 healthy
pigs from the same barn, then looks back at their feed records to
compare exposure to a new batch of feed supplement. This is an
example of:
A. Prospective cohort study
B. Retrospective case-control study
C. Cross-sectional study
D. Randomized controlled trial
, B. Retrospective case-control study
RATIONALE: This is a retrospective case-control study because
subjects are selected based on outcome status (diseased vs. healthy), and
the investigator looks back in time to assess previous exposures .
6. In a population of 1,000 dairy cattle, a diagnostic test with a
Sensitivity of 95% and a Specificity of 90% is used to screen for
Johne's disease. With 10% prevalence, how many false positives
will occur?
A. 5
B. 45
C. 90
D. 95
C. 90
RATIONALE: With 10% prevalence, 100 animals are truly diseased
and 900 are healthy. Specificity of 90% means 10% of healthy animals
test positive: 900 × 0.10 = 90 false positives .
7. Which of the following best describes the "Herd Immunity
Threshold"?
A. The total number of animals vaccinated in a herd
B. The point at which a disease is eradicated from a geographic region
C. The proportion of a population that must be immune to stop disease
spread
D. The level of maternal antibodies in newborn calves
C. The proportion of a population that must be immune to stop
disease spread
RATIONALE: The herd immunity threshold (HIT) is the critical
proportion of immune individuals below which a disease cannot persist.
When sufficient proportion is immune, the effective reproduction
number drops below 1 .
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS (VERIFIED
ANSWERS) PLUS RATIONALES | INSTANT
DOWNLOAD PDF
Core Domains
• Epidemiology and Biostatistics
• Infectious and Zoonotic Diseases
• Food Safety and Protection
• Environmental Health and Toxicology
• Public Health Administration and Emergency Preparedness
Introduction
This examination assesses the candidate's knowledge of veterinary
preventive medicine required for American College of Veterinary
Preventive Medicine board certification. It evaluates competency in
epidemiology, disease surveillance, zoonotic disease control, food
safety, environmental health, and public health policy. Questions include
multiple-choice and scenario-based formats designed to test practical
application and decision-making. Candidates must demonstrate mastery
of preventive medicine principles, regulatory compliance, and
population health management. The exam emphasizes real-world
problem-solving and critical thinking across diverse veterinary public
health settings.
,Section One: Questions 1–100
1. A study follows 500 exposed and 500 unexposed dairy cows over
12 months to compare the incidence of clinical mastitis. The
exposed group develops 80 cases, and the unexposed group
develops 20 cases. What is the relative risk of mastitis among
exposed cows?
A. 1.0
B. 2.0
C. 4.0
D. 8.0
C. 4.0
RATIONALE: Relative risk is calculated as (80/500) / (20/500) =
0..04 = 4.0, indicating exposed cows have four times the risk of
mastitis compared to unexposed cows .
2. In a case-control study investigating the association between a new
commercial feed and Salmonella in dogs, 50 cases were exposed to
the feed, and 25 controls were exposed. What is the Odds Ratio
(OR)?
A. 2.0
B. 3.0
C. 4.0
D. 6.0
B. 3.0
RATIONALE: The odds ratio is calculated as (50 × 75) / (50 × 25)
= 3.0, meaning cases are 3 times more likely to have been exposed than
controls .
3. A diagnostic test for Bovine Viral Diarrhea (BVD) has a sensitivity
of 90% and a specificity of 95%. If the true prevalence of BVD in
a herd is 10%, what is the Positive Predictive Value (PPV)?
,A. 33%
B. 50%
C. 67%
D. 95%
C. 67%
RATIONALE: PPV is calculated as True Positives / (True Positives
+ False Positives). Using a population of 1000: TP=90 and FP=45 (5%
of 900 negatives), resulting in = 66.7% .
4. Researchers want to determine if a new vaccine reduces the
incidence of respiratory disease in feedlot cattle. They randomly
assign pens of cattle to receive either the new vaccine or a placebo.
Which study design is this?
A. Case-control study
B. Cross-sectional study
C. Randomized controlled trial
D. Cohort study
C. Randomized controlled trial
RATIONALE: A randomized controlled trial involves random
assignment of subjects to intervention or control groups to compare
outcomes. This is the gold standard for establishing causality .
5. A researcher enrolls 50 pigs with respiratory signs and 50 healthy
pigs from the same barn, then looks back at their feed records to
compare exposure to a new batch of feed supplement. This is an
example of:
A. Prospective cohort study
B. Retrospective case-control study
C. Cross-sectional study
D. Randomized controlled trial
, B. Retrospective case-control study
RATIONALE: This is a retrospective case-control study because
subjects are selected based on outcome status (diseased vs. healthy), and
the investigator looks back in time to assess previous exposures .
6. In a population of 1,000 dairy cattle, a diagnostic test with a
Sensitivity of 95% and a Specificity of 90% is used to screen for
Johne's disease. With 10% prevalence, how many false positives
will occur?
A. 5
B. 45
C. 90
D. 95
C. 90
RATIONALE: With 10% prevalence, 100 animals are truly diseased
and 900 are healthy. Specificity of 90% means 10% of healthy animals
test positive: 900 × 0.10 = 90 false positives .
7. Which of the following best describes the "Herd Immunity
Threshold"?
A. The total number of animals vaccinated in a herd
B. The point at which a disease is eradicated from a geographic region
C. The proportion of a population that must be immune to stop disease
spread
D. The level of maternal antibodies in newborn calves
C. The proportion of a population that must be immune to stop
disease spread
RATIONALE: The herd immunity threshold (HIT) is the critical
proportion of immune individuals below which a disease cannot persist.
When sufficient proportion is immune, the effective reproduction
number drops below 1 .
