NPTE Test Day: What to Bring and What to Expect

Most NPTE test-day problems have nothing to do with physical therapy: a name that doesn't match an ID, a phone checked on a break, a section ended by accident. All of them are avoidable. Here's exactly what to expect, taken from FSBPT's NPTE Candidate Handbook.

What do you need to bring to the NPTE?

NPTE test-day checklist

• Primary ID: government-issued, with a photo, printed name and signature, unexpired, and not clipped, stamped "void" or otherwise marked invalid.
• Secondary ID: current (unexpired, if it has a date), with your printed name and signature.
• Both IDs must match your ATT letter exactly. Fix any mismatch in your FSBPT profile well before test day.
• Optional: soft earplugs (Prometric inspects them) and water in a clear container with all labels removed.
• Dress in layers. Temperatures vary between centers, and heavy jackets aren't allowed in the testing room.
• Leave your phone in the car if you're driving. Otherwise switch it off before locking it away. FSBPT suggests a plastic zip bag as a reminder not to touch it.

An erasable note board and markers are provided, and Prometric supplies headphones to dampen noise. Everything else stays in your locker.

Arrival and check-in

Arrive at least 30 minutes before your start time. Your belongings go in a locker, and you take only your IDs and the locker key to check-in, where the test center administrator will:

1. check your two IDs and scan your primary ID;
2. take a digital photograph;
3. ask you to sign the logbook and verify your signature;
4. take a digital fingerprint; and
5. scan you with a metal-detecting wand.

The whole NPTE-PT appointment is 5 hours 30 minutes (4 hours 30 minutes for the PTA exam), so plan to be at the center for longer than that once you add check-in.

The phone rule: zero tolerance

How the exam runs

• A timed tutorial comes first, and its time doesn't count against your exam time. Use it to practice the features; FSBPT's free NPTE Demonstration Examination is good practice beforehand.
• One block of time: five hours for the PT exam (four for PTA), not timed section by section.
• Within a section, you can move freely and mark questions to revisit. You can strike through text to eliminate options.
• Once you end a section, it's closed. Read the on-screen alerts carefully. If you accidentally skip a section and don't pass, FSBPT says that attempt won't count toward your lifetime limit, but you'll have to register and pay again.
• Notes are only allowed during the timed sections. The note board stays at your desk and is handed back at the end.

How NPTE breaks work

Build check-out and check-in time into your break. Use it to eat, drink water and reset, but leave your phone in the locker.

What if something goes wrong?

• A disruption at the center (power, computer problems): tell Prometric staff straight away. If it's resolved within an hour, you continue. If not, you can reschedule for another test date. If you think the environment affected your exam, notify FSBPT immediately.
• You're sick on test day: FSBPT makes no exceptions for illness. If you don't sit the exam, withdraw from FSBPT before your testing window ends to get a partial refund. No-shows don't count toward attempt limits, but you lose the Prometric fee.
• Feedback on a question: note it on your note board and add it to the post-exam survey. FSBPT reviews feedback, but it doesn't change individual scores.

The night before

1. Put both IDs with your keys, and check again that the names match your ATT letter.
2. Confirm the Prometric address, your route, parking and your start time.
3. Plan a normal meal and a normal amount of caffeine. FSBPT's feedback guidance warns that too much caffeine can cause a mid-exam "crash."
4. Do light review at most, and go to bed at your usual time.

Afterwards, read when NPTE scores come out for your release date.

Frequently asked questions