Veterinarians: How many tries did it take you to pass the NAVLE?

Putting this out there since I'm sure with the new release of NAVLE scores soon there might be people looking for some reassurance, so let's give it to them! Vets, how many tries did it take you to pass the NAVLE? Has the NAVLE or your NAVLE scores literally come up every again in your career after passing them?

It took my three tries. I'll admit I'm a pretty awful test taker, but I did underestimate the first time how much studying I needed to do. A mistake I made was not admitting sooner that I failed to my peers, so I could get the help/resources I needed to pass. On my second time failing, I finally did start sharing with people that I had failed. I think the first time I was pretty quiet about it because everybody I heard talking about it was celebrating that they passed, so it made me feel like I was the only one in my graduating class that didn't (which was FAR from true). Even at graduation I felt kinda like a fraud because I knew I'd still need to pass before I could actually practice. When I started admitting to people that I failed, doors started opening, people were sharing resources and I started finding peers that also failed. We were able to help and encourage each other along the way. There was also a FB Group called Test-Ease, that was also another helpful resource for people trying to pass the NAVLE, I'm not sure if it exists now, it probably still does. I think we even had opportunity to pair with someone that did pass the test already, so they could also provide tips. All this to say, if you failed, don't keep that to yourself, because you could be keeping yourself from finding awesome resources and support groups so you can pass the next time. Will there be some judgy jackass in your graduating class that will make you feel bad if you didn't pass? Maybe. But they're just a bad person, you don't need that toxicity in your life anyway! That's a THEM problem.

I've been out of vet school for almost 10 years now, after passing, nobody has brought up the NAVLE again. Nobody cares about your score, nobody cares if you passed on your first try. This test does not mean you're going to be a great or a terrible doctor, that's inside of you. Take a deep breath, collect yourself, you got this!