National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE)
The NPTE-PT is 225 multiple-choice questions in five sections over five hours, of which 180 are scored and the rest are pretest items. The NPTE-PTA is 180 questions in four sections over four hours, with 140 scored. The passing standard is a scaled score of 600 on both, so the number of correct answers needed varies between forms rather than being a fixed percentage.
Content outline and weights
Passing: The passing standard is a scaled score of 600. Any score of 600 or higher passes; the raw number of correct answers needed varies by form. (Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT))
Format
| NPTE-PT | NPTE-PTA | |
|---|---|---|
| Questions | 225 | 180 |
| Scored items | 180 | 140 |
| Sections | 5 | 4 |
| Total testing time | 5 hours | 4 hours |
| Passing standard | scaled score 600 | scaled score 600 |
Each section holds 45 multiple-choice questions. Pretest items are mixed in and cannot be identified, so they consume the same 80 seconds per question as scored items — which is why pacing matters more here than on a shorter exam.
Testing limits
FSBPT allows three consecutive attempts in a 12-month period, six attempts in a lifetime at each exam level, and bars further testing after two scores below 400. Sit when your practice data says you are ready, not when the registration window opens.
What the scaled score means
FSBPT reports a scaled score, not a percentage. A scaled score of 600 or higher passes. Because forms differ slightly in difficulty, the raw number of correct answers that produces 600 is not fixed and is not published — so "I need 70%" is a guess, not a target.
Where the content sits
The 2024 outline crosses each body system with three columns — Physical Therapy Examination, Foundations for Evaluation/Differential Diagnosis/Prognosis, and Interventions — and adds five non-system categories. Musculoskeletal (44–54 items) and Neuromuscular (39–48) together are about half of the scored exam.
Practice material
FSBPT's PEAT is the only practice product built from a retired NPTE form; it costs $99 for ninety days and reports by content area, body system and section. This site's questions are originally authored against the outline — we do not reproduce NPTE items.
Exam guides
- NPTE cost: the $485 exam fee is not the whole bill
FSBPT charges $485 to register for the NPTE, and Prometric charges a separate seat fee of $112 for the PT exam or $92 for the PTA exam, plus $32.50 for a jurisprudence exam where one is required. Withdrawing costs $50 thirty or more days out and $120 inside thirty days, rescheduling with Prometric costs $60 within 5-29 days, and each score transfer to a jurisdiction is $90.
- How to prepare for the NPTE in the order the outline actually weights
Half the scored NPTE-PT exam is musculoskeletal and neuromuscular content, so a study plan that gives equal time to eight systems wastes weeks. Work down the item ranges — musculoskeletal 44-54 items, neuromuscular 39-48, cardiovascular and pulmonary 22-27 — then cover the non-system categories, which together are 21-29 items and are the cheapest points on the exam.
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Primary references
- NPTE Candidate Handbook — Understanding the NPTE — Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT) · primary · retrieved 2026-09-22, verified 2026-09-22
- NPTE Candidate Handbook (version 2025.02, PDF) — Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT) · primary · retrieved 2026-09-22, verified 2026-09-22
- NPTE-PT Test Content Outline, effective January 2024 (v1.1) — Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT) · primary · retrieved 2026-09-22, verified 2026-09-22
- NPTE-PTA Test Content Outline, effective January 2024 (v1.2) — Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT) · primary · retrieved 2026-09-22, verified 2026-09-22