Therapy NPTE Exam (National Physical Therapy Examination) Detailed Information
National Exam (
NPTE)
All about
NPTE, all in one place
Taking the national physical therapy exam (
NPTE) is an important step toward receiving your physical therapist (PT) or physical therapist assistant (PTA) license. Here you'll find everything you need to know about the
NPTE from start to finish, including:
Journey Map
How to prepare for the exam
What to expect the day of the exam
How to get your results
What to do if you don't pass
Learn about the requirements for non-U.S. educated candidates
Information for if you're seeking ADA testing accommodations
Purpose of the
NPTE
The PT and PTA exams are designed to assess your basic entry-level competence after graduation from an accredited program or from an equivalent non-accredited program.
The FSPBT develops, maintains and administers the
NPTE for two reasons:
To help ensure that only those individuals who have the requisite knowledge of physical therapy are licensed in the physical therapy field.
To help regulatory authorities evaluate candidates and provide standards that are comparable from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.
Additional requirements.
The
NPTE is only one part of the evaluation process used by licensing authorities to assess your competence. Contact your jurisdiction to find out what additional requirements there are, such as taking the jurisprudence exam.
Eligibility Requirements
Current Eligibility Requirements:
In order to gain access to the
NPTE candidates must meet certain eligibility requirements from both 1) the state in which they seek licensure and 2) the FSBPT.
FSBPT Requirements
You must be at least 18 years of age.
Submit an online registration and pay the registration fee.
Have a degree appropriate for the exam level from a CAPTE accredited institution, or
Be within 90 days of graduation from a CAPTE accredited institution.; or
Have an education that is deemed substantially equivalent.
Have only tested 3 times out of the last 4 test dates (Maximum attempts in any 12-month period per exam level is 3) .
Have complied with any test security requests made by FSBPT staff.
Have completed any sanctions related to a disciplinary action taken by FSBPT or a jurisdiction licensing authority.
Be approved by the licensing authority (board) in the state or jurisdiction where they intend to be licensed.
Jurisdiction Requirements
To approve a candidate to sit for the
NPTE, at a minimum, jurisdictions will require:
The candidate is a graduate of or graduating from a PT or PTA program that meets the accreditation standards of the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) or is deemed substantially equivalent.
For a complete list of jurisdiction requirements visit the website for the state in which you are seeking licensure
2016 Eligibility Requirements:
The requirements below will be in addition to the current FSBPT requirements.
FSBPT’s eligibility requirements are not the same as a jurisdiction’s requirements for licensure.
LIFETIME LIMIT
Candidates will be able to take the exam a maximum of 6 times. An individual can take the
NPTE for PTs 6 times and also take the
NPTE for PTAs 6 times if he or she is otherwise qualified to do so. Candidates will still be allowed up to 3 attempts per year but now will have a 6 time total limit. As of January 1, 2016, any candidate who has already tested 6 times will no longer be allowed to test unless a jurisdiction chooses to appeal this policy on a specific candidate’s behalf (see “appeals process” below).
Candidates who have not yet passed the exam received a notice from FSBPT in 2014 explaining the new requirement and implementation date. The notice period allows candidates to take up to 3 attempts in 2015. There will be no “grandfathering” for candidates who registered prior to this requirement going into effect. All candidates who do not have a passing score and have tested in the last 3 years will be notified of the changes and have until January 1, 2016 to pass the exam prior to the new requirements going into effect.
LOW SCORE LIMIT
Candidates who receive two very low scores on the exam, currently defined as performing at or close to chance level (scale scores 400 and below), will not be allowed to test again. Candidates who receive a very low score on the exam are notified that their performance is so far away from the minimal competence level that they need to engage in serious remediation, like enrolling in another PT educational program, before attempting the
NPTE again and that another score that is very low (400 or below) may result in further action by FSBPT. As January 1, 2016, candidates who receive a score of 400 or less will be notified that a second score of 400 or less will result in a lifetime ban. No scores prior to January 1, 2016 will be considered, which means all candidates will have a “clean slate” with regard to this eligibility requirement.
2018 Eligibility Requirements:
ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY
Most foreign-educated physical therapists/assistants will need to pass the TOEFL and meet FSBPT’s current score requirements. There are some exemptions to the TOEFL requirement for individuals who are exempt under the USCIS regulations. TOEFL scores must be reported directly to FSBPT for purposes of determining eligibility for the
NPTE. States may have different requirements for licensure and submitting TOEFL scores to the FSBPT does not mean that a candidate has met state licensure requirements. For information on each state’s TOEFL requirements visit the state’s website. The current FSBPT TOEFL score requirement is in the table below.
TOEFL Section Minimum Score
Reading
Listening 18
Writing 24
Speaking 26
SUBSTANTIAL EQUIVALENCE
Graduates from non-CAPTE accredited programs will need to demonstrate their education is equivalent to a CAPTE accredited education by having an authorized agency complete an evaluation using the current version of FSBPT’s Coursework Tool (CWT). Click here for contact information for agencies authorized to use the CWT.
Appeals Process
Candidates who are ineligible to register for the
NPTE because they do not meet eligibility requirements are able to request that a jurisdiction appeal on their behalf to FSBPT. The only eligibility requirements that can be appealed through this process are 1) 6-time lifetime limit and 2) the 2 very low scores policy. The 2018 eligibility requirements are not yet in effect. The process is as follows:
Download the APPEALS FORM.
Complete the appeals form.
Submit the completed form to the jurisdiction where you have been seeking licensure. Jurisdiction contact information.
The state licensing board will review the appeal request and determine whether they will submit to FSBPT.
Appeals that are submitted to the FSBPT by a jurisdiction on behalf of a candidate will be reviewed and a decision made within 30 days.
Candidates will be notified by FSBPT if an appeal has been granted.
When an appeal is granted, the individual has ONE YEAR to register for ONE ADDITIONAL exam attempt.
Candidates who appeal will need to be able to demonstrate that they are qualified to take the
NPTE and are a bona fide candidate for licensure in a state.
IMPORTANT NOTE: FSBPT will NOT review appeals requests directly from candidates. The appeal must come from a jurisdiction.
FAQs
If I didn’t get an email about the new eligibility requirements, do they still apply to me?
All individuals applying for exams in 2016 will be subject to the new eligibility requirements even if they did not receive a letter.
Why is FSBPT implementing new eligibility requirements?
FSBPT’s mission is one of public protection and one of our primary ways of protecting the public is by ensuring that the
NPTE is a valid, reliable measure of entry-level competence. Our members, the licensing authorities for 53 states and jurisdictions, have discussed enhancing exam security through additional eligibility requirements for several years. It was a topic of discussion at the
NPTE Summit in 2011 and at the Leadership Issues Forums in 2012 and 2013. Additional eligibility requirements also communicate to candidates that there are minimum competencies, in addition to graduation from a PT/PTA program, that they must have to attempt the
NPTE.
I received an email that said the new eligibility requirements go into effect in 2015. Is that correct?
The changes to the eligibility requirements go into effect when a candidate registers for an exam that will be administered in 2016. This means that the eligibility requirements are based on the exam date you are choosing to take, not the date you are completing the exam registration. Some people will register for 2016 exams as soon as the registration opens which happens in 2015. Anybody registering for exams that will be given in 2016 or later will be subject to the 6-time lifetime limit and the two very low
About the National Physical Therapy Examination
The Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT) administers the National Physical Therapy Examination (
NPTE), the examination that every graduate of a physical therapy or physical therapist assistant education program must pass to become a licensed physical therapist or licensed/certified physical therapist assistant (or to regain licensure/certification if lapsed) in the United States (US). Foreign-educated candidates who wish to become licensed in the US must also take and pass this examination.
The
NPTE is a computer-administered examination. The physical therapist licensure examination has five sections each with 50 questions. Of the 250 multiple choice questions, only 200 are scored. The other 50 questions are being pretested to see if they meet the standards to be included in future exams. The physical therapist assistant licensure examination has four sections with a total of 200 multiple choice questions. As in the physical therapist examination, 50 of these questions are being pre-tested and are not scored.
There is one scheduled 15 minute break during the examination. A candidate may take up to three unscheduled breaks between sections, but these breaks use time that is allotted for test-taking. Additional information about the examinations can be found via FSBPT's
NPTE Exam Candidate's webpage.
Scoring
The scoring ranges from 200-800. The minimum passing score is 600 for both the PT and PTA exam.
Location
Testing is administered at Prometric Testing Centers. Candidates are not required to test in the jurisdiction for which they are applying for licensure.
Fees
View Exam Fees for the current examination cycle
Dates
The
NPTE has fixed-date testing for both the PT and PTA examination. View information on testing dates.
Guidelines and Tips
General information on registration and eligibility is available on the FSBPT website. Registration information and requirements vary by state. It is important to realize that a candidate must first meet eligibility requirements of the jurisdiction to which he or she is applying for licensure before scheduling the exam. Information by state can be located on the FSBPT Licensing Authorities web page.
Tip: There is no penalty for answering a question incorrectly—answer all questions even if unsure of the answer.
The FSBPT offers access to two 200-question practice examinations through Practice Examination and Assessment Tool (PEAT) for both the PT and the PTA exam.
Learn About Physical Therapy Certification, the
NPTE and Licensing
If you want to be a practicing physical therapist you’ll need to get licensed—all 50 states require it.
All 50 states require you to go through a physical therapy licensing process in order to practice. All but five states also require licensure or registration for physical therapy assistants.
After graduating from a physical therapy program that is approved by the American Physical Therapy Association’s Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education, you must then pass the National Physical Therapist Examination (
NPTE) which is developed by the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy.
Attending Accredited Physical Therapy Schools
Choosing accredited physical therapy schools is important for many reasons. Not only does it give you and future employers peace of mind, but it’s also integral for certification and licensing. Accreditation, in practical terms, is a “stamp of approval,” a sign that an institution ascribes to, believes in, and has met an external set of basic criteria for its programs. In all cases, it indicates that threshold standards are adhered to in a fashion that provides a base of academic strength and operational integrity.
Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE)
CAPTE accredits entry-level programs in the U.S. for the physical therapist at the master’s and doctoral degree levels and programs for the physical therapist assistant at the associate degree level. There are currently more than 400 PT and PTA programs accredited by CAPTE.
American Physical Therapy Association
1111 North Fairfax Street
Alexandria, VA 22314-1488
(800) 999-2782
http://www.apta.org
National Physical Therapy Examination (
NPTE)
The
NPTE, for both physical therapists and physical therapy assistants, is computer-based. You may sit for the examination at any of the approximately 300 testing centers in the United States, U.S. territories and Canada. Upon passing the exam you will need to meet any additional requirements your state licensing board may have before they will allow you to practice.
About the
NPTE:
PT Exam: 250 questions in 5 sections; 5 hours to take the exam
PTA Exam: 200 questions in 4 sections; 4 hours to take the exam
According to the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy, the PT exam is organized into separate content areas:
Physical Therapy Examination
Foundations for Evaluation, Differential Diagnosis and Prognosis
Interventions
Equipment and Devices; Therapeutic Modalities
Safety & Protection; Professional Responsibilities; Research
Domains of Practice
The test for PTAs includes the following content areas:
Physical Therapy Data Collection
Diseases/Conditions the Impact Effective Treatment
Interventions
Equipment and Devices; Therapeutic Modalities
Safety and Protection; Professional Responsibilities; Research
Domains of Practice
You’ll need to score 600 or higher on the exam, but don’t worry if it doesn’t happen the first time. The FSBPT offers the opportunity to retake the exam.
