Changes to AMTRA Exams in 2024 and 2025
Changes
This page updated 27 March 2024
We are making important changes to AMTRA/Harper Adams exams during 2024 and early 2025, demonstrating our commitment to keeping standards high while making systems practical and fit for purpose for the varied needs of candidates and employers.
AMTRA thanks the many trainers who have participated in shaping these changes and fed back thus far, as well the VMD, HAU and a number of employers.
We will regularly update this page with more information as more detail is known, and in response to queries we receive.
For more details on the current approach, read the sections on Assessments generally, more specific information on Written Assessments, on the Viva (oral exam), and full details on Managing Your Online Viva.
Why?
These changes will:
- ensure the exams continue to be robust and demanding
- enable the retirement of the AMTRA viva, removing what many find (in advance, anyway) to be a stressful experience
- reduces time and costs for candidates and employers
- facilitate faster results
- avoid some of the IT issues a small minority of candidates face (because the keyboard won’t be used during the exam)
- potentially more frequent exams in the future
- keep the content up to date and meeting the needs of RAMAs/SQPs, employers, VMD and the wider sector
- refresh the presentation of the training manual to make it more accessible, and differentiate between examinable and supportive material
Phase 1 - Changes to format of Level 4 exams
AMTRA/Harper Adams exams are at Higher Education Level 4 for Base, Veterinary Nurse, Avian and Companion. The Equine and Farm exams are at level 5 - there are no changes to the level 5 exams during 2024.
- From September 2024, Base, Veterinary Nurse, Avian and Companion written exams will be multiple-choice only, with no short or longer answer questions.
- The pass mark will increase to 60%.
- The Base exam will require a candidate to gain a pass mark in both the Legislation and the Body Systems parts of the exam, and the Veterinary Nurse exam will require passes in both the Legislation and Companion Animal sections. Anyone not gaining the pass mark in both sections will fail overall, and a re-sit will be for the entire paper, not just the section in question.
- Anyone passing the new format Base or Veterinary Nurse paper will not be required to pass an AMTRA viva
- After September 2024, there will be one final opportunity for people needing to re-sit to take the old format exam that they will have already experienced - this opportunity will be limited to people doing re-sits (who may, however, sit the new format if they wish on any of the standard exam dates). This final opportunity is shown in the exam dates on our website - it's week commencing 28 October. (Anyone passing the old format Base or Veterinary Nurse paper on this final attempt will still be required to pass the AMTRA viva.)
- There are no changes to the Equine or Farm papers in 2024.
Phase 2 - Changes to the syllabus, training manual, and content of exams
A periodic update of the AMTRA training manual is well advanced. This updated content, the result of much discussion with a wide range of partners, keeps the content fresh and relevant to the RAMA/SQP role. New exams from the start of 2025 will be based on this updated training manual and thus syllabus.
- All the written exams (Base, Veterinary Nurse, Avian, Companion, Equine and Farm) will change to reflect the updated training manual.
- The first exams based on the new training manual will be the first exams of 2025 (dates to be confirmed by the end of April 2024)
- There will be one final opportunity in early 2025 (date to be confirmed by the end of April 2024) to sit exams based on the legacy training manual. This will be open to anyone (not just re-sits) but will obviously suit those who have studied from the legacy training manual.
- Once the new training manual is available in the summer of 2024, new students (and those enrolling for additional modules) will be required to select whether they wish to have the legacy or the new version sent to them based on when they chose to do their exams.
- Candidates already enrolled will be able to request a copy of the updated training manual if they are taking their written exams in 2025.
- Anyone not taking advantage of the final opportunity to sit the exams based on the legacy content (or sitting such an exam but not passing) will have to sit exams based on the new training manual content.
- The new content is not more difficult, but is updated, and will require fresh study.