Hey everyone,

I’ve been getting a few reports trickling in about how the NPTE went yesterday (As a reminder to those of you who haven’t taken the test, it is illegal to share specific items or questions from the exam).  This exam seems very similar to previous exams in that there were a number of students who thought the test was fair, while many others felt that it was “tricky” and incredibly difficult.

To be perfectly honest, it was probably a little bit of both.  The NPTE is designed to test your knowledge of clinical application and loves to integrate several topics into one question.  This can be incredibly frustrating, since most students tend to study one topic at a time rather than integrate like that.

For many, the stress of the test combined with a little bit of anger over the questions will be short-lived.  For US-trained students, the first time pass rate is around 90%.  While that may be good news to some, that also means that at least 10% of students will have to face the NPTE for another round.  Foreign-trained PT students can expect about a 33% first time pass rate.

Now that the July exam is behind us, the best thing you can do is rest and relax.  Try not to think about what you should have done on the test.  Try not to get angry about that one particular question.  Rather, spend your time resting and regrouping.

Your Score

For the next few days, you’ll be on pins and needles.  The scores will be reported to your state jurisdictions on July 30, and depending on your state, you’ll be notified of your score by August 6.  For me, these were some of the longest days of my life, just waiting and knowing there was nothing to be done but wait.

Looking Towards October

For those of you preparing for the next exam in October, now is the time to prepare.  Do not wait until October 1 to begin preparing.  At this stage of the game, you should be doing what I call “deep study.”  This is where you are carefully looking over the FSBPT content outline and my free Study Outline, reviewing and learning information that you haven’t thought about in a while.  September and October should be a time for your comprehensive review to go over every topic and simply remind yourself of what you’ve already learned.

If you don’t have an accountability partner yet, get one soon.  It is critical to have someone to report your progress to.

If you haven’t made a study schedule, get this done ASAP.  Having a plan will improve your score and decrease your test anxiety.

Get the right material.  Check out the Resources page and look at the PT Final Exam: Home Study Bundle and the Mastermind Study Group to assist you through your studies.  As always, please contact me if you have any questions.