pta licensure exam review course

Back to the main topic, I attended a one-day boards review course by TherapyEd last saturday in Springfield, Virginia. I honestly think it was a total waste of time and money. The speaker spent about 4 hours talking about the process of exam questions selection, exam content outline, the scoring system, levels of difficulty, ...etc all of that info can be found in the introduction chapter of Scorebuilders or IER. She then spent the rest of the day giving us mini quizzes around 80 questions total. What a waste!!! Do they think we can't read the review guides? I can demand a full refund for my money, but who is gonna give me back the 8 hours I wasted on that course.

Can the comments on the spelling stop, I'm trying to find out about the exam or courses, can you all help?

To So Hopeful, I've been working for 10 yrs as a PTA and to tell you frankly, there are a lot of therapists who still don't know how to spell and they have DPT's, but it seems they don't really care. It's how you render care and maintain the quality of care for the patients. Right now, documentation are all computerized and it does spell check for you. I don't judge people by their spelling or how many times you fail the exam. The most important thing is you pass, you treat your patients and colleagues with respect and dignity. We are not perfect and no one else is! To all who haven't pass yet, never lose hope or faith! Remember, prayer works! Study everyday for an hour or two even on weekends. I was working full time and do my chores at home, and studying and reviewing at the same time.

I graduated from the PTA program in 2009 and am getting ready to take my licensure test this August. I took a prep course around the time I graduated, but I would like to take it again because now I'm getting nervous! I have checked through scorebuilders and the APTA, but I can't seem to find a class offered any time soon. Does anyone know of any other websites I can check? Thanks!

@ Sarah in Rochester
Check this www.therapyed.com/pta-courselocations.php

I am having troubles in the SCI part of Neuro, does anyone have ideas on how to file that in your brain?? Like some sort of activity--reading it just doesn't seem to cut it to make my brain file it.

So Hopeful in Racine, Wisconsin said: Yasira:...question???....do/did any of your supervisors mind all the spelling errors...pacients= patients, cuadroplegia = quadriplegia....I'm sorry , but my biggest peeve on the health care profession is an educated individual that can not spell the words of their trade....kind of an oxymoron. I am not perfect, but I fear a person judging a note or report of mine based on the level of spelling errors and deeming me incompetent. for what it worth.

you mean for what IT'S worth.

My advice is to purchase as many practice exams as you can afford. Take the first exam and see where you need to focus and study those areas thoroughly. Then take the next exam and do the same and so on. This was my approach and, though I still seemed to always be a few questions away from passing these practice exams, it forced me to study my weak areas. Another thing is to review all the answers on each exam and not just the ones you got wrong. Later take the exams again to see how your recall is too. I just took my licensure exam and passed it which is, of course, a huge relief ! Just keep working hard...you got this far and you know most of this stuff. You'll have to bear down one more time and you all will make it. Good Luck!

Ok seriously....the spelling corrections needs to stop--this forum is here for help on the exam as stated before from Ruby in Kentucky. I'm sure someone is going to get fed up with it and click the report abuse button--not saying it's going to be me but there's alot of people out there that don't have the tolerance to be harrassed just because they're not the best at spelling. So seriously...be more courteous on here. Thanks! :)

PTA2B in Sterling Heights, Michigan said: My advice is to purchase as many practice exams as you can afford. Take the first exam and see where you need to focus and study those areas thoroughly. Then take the next exam and do the same and so on. This was my approach and, though I still seemed to always be a few questions away from passing these practice exams, it forced me to study my weak areas. Another thing is to review all the answers on each exam and not just the ones you got wrong. Later take the exams again to see how your recall is too. I just took my licensure exam and passed it which is, of course, a huge relief ! Just keep working hard...you got this far and you know most of this stuff. You'll have to bear down one more time and you all will make it. Good Luck!

Thank you so much for this advice....I kinda got the same idea to do this from that learning express book/website.

Miss grammer perfect, try to understand this: I can understand the griff that i put u throw or the stress; but try to understand i was at work and didnt reprof what i have typed if thats ok with u. Now try to understand im not trying to be funny. All i need is some info.to get back on track. Now if u want ill spell it in spanish now that i can wright a little better for u.
Lo que quiero decir es que si alguien tienen algun informasion con respecto al NPTE que es vital. Tengo mucha experiencia pacientes con : CVA, todas las plegias y in-out patients. Trabaje in centroa de SNF. Trabaje con paciente de lessiones de espinal dorsal (CNS) entre otras.
So if you will. Can anyone help me with any material for NPTE, thanks to all.

manny in Orlando, Florida said: Miss grammer perfect, try to understand this: I can understand the griff that i put u throw or the stress; but try to understand i was at work and didnt reprof what i have typed if thats ok with u. Now try to understand im not trying to be funny. All i need is some info.to get back on track. Now if u want ill spell it in spanish now that i can wright a little better for u.
Lo que quiero decir es que si alguien tienen algun informasion con respecto al NPTE que es vital. Tengo mucha experiencia pacientes con : CVA, todas las plegias y in-out patients. Trabaje in centroa de SNF. Trabaje con paciente de lessiones de espinal dorsal (CNS) entre otras.
So if you will. Can anyone help me with any material for NPTE, thanks to all.

*If there was a 'I like this comment button' I would click it! :) What material do you need help with? I am currently doing what PTA2B in Sterling Heights, Michigan said to do in the reply above your last comment.

Thanks! For your understanding, now back on track. kinesiologia or kinesiology if thats how u spell it in english lol. I have passed the NPTE the first time, but i havent done this for almost 8 yrs. But I still have some of my original books. Any material or reference: books, websites anything will do/will help.

THANKS FOR NOT BASHING ME ON THE CORRECT SPELLING OF SOME WORDS...LOL KEEP IN TOUCH. REMEMBER ANYONE WHO WANT TO FORM A STUDY GRUOP LET ME KNOW. WE WILL PASS THIS ONE ONCE MORE.. SO LET STUDY!!!! ORLANDO!

manny in Orlando, Florida said: Thanks! For your understanding, now back on track. kinesiologia or kinesiology if thats how u spell it in english lol. I have passed the NPTE the first time, but i havent done this for almost 8 yrs. But I still have some of my original books. Any material or reference: books, websites anything will do/will help.

THANKS FOR NOT BASHING ME ON THE CORRECT SPELLING OF SOME WORDS...LOL KEEP IN TOUCH. REMEMBER ANYONE WHO WANT TO FORM A STUDY GRUOP LET ME KNOW. WE WILL PASS THIS ONE ONCE MORE.. SO LET STUDY!!!! ORLANDO!

Yeah--and they call themselves professional--I'd LOVE to see them go up to a DOCTOR with not so perfect English working with the same patient as they are and tell them that maybe they should be more 'professional' by speaking better English! hmm think about that before you judge someone! I'm ashamed that person is from Wisconsin...we're raised better than that in the Midwest!

again...back on track :) ...So you passed the exam the first time for Physical Therapist but you want to now want to practice Physical Therapist Assistant... OR you want to take the NPTE not the NPTAE because you haven't practiced in the field so you want to take the exam again? Just so we're on the same page.....

Do you want ideas on how to study those things?? I can certainly give you the ideas of what I've been doing

Hi I got 98-108 in scourebuilder, 94 and 91 in PEAT and 108 in ier. so anyone advice for me to take the final exam now. i have to more study? thanks.

Yes, Just relax, you have done great on your PEAT. "The TEST". Don't over think, dont doubt yourself and be confident that you know your stuff. You will do just fine. Good Luck!

hunter-girl in Eau Claire, Wisconsin said: Yeah--and they call themselves professional--I'd LOVE to see them go up to a DOCTOR with not so perfect English working with the same patient as they are and tell them that maybe they should be more 'professional' by speaking better English! hmm think about that before you judge someone! I'm ashamed that person is from Wisconsin...we're raised better than that in the Midwest!

again...back on track :) ...So you passed the exam the first time for Physical Therapist but you want to now want to practice Physical Therapist Assistant... OR you want to take the NPTE not the NPTAE because you haven't practiced in the field so you want to take the exam again? Just so we're on the same page.....

Do you want ideas on how to study those things?? I can certainly give you the ideas of what I've been doing

Yes, I have Past NPTA Examen. But not in this state of FL and it has been a little over 8 yrs thats I have not practice due to and I say this Proudly: I was serving my country for our FREEDOM.(ARMY)
Every state has its laws and yes you have to retake The NPTAE. SO with that said; with anything posible material: Kinesiology ,I dont know, anything that you can think of. I still have some of my anatomy book. Wich is a great part of the test.
Once again thank you for your attention!

DavidT in Berwyn, Illinois said: I got the Giles book as above, but to be honest.. i didnt really use it... Heck, i didnt really study and i passed easily. You just have to use common sense.. its especially easy if you've already worked in a field etc.

Before taking my exam i worked for 10 months at a hospital in Canada.. then i moved down to IL in feb, 2008. did nothing for about 8 months related to my field (waiting for authorization to work visa to go through) then at the beginning of Oct, 2008 i got a job as a Tech waiting to take my exam on Nov 19, 2008.. i passed it and now im a full fledged PTA once again..

Either you know the material or you dont. if you've failed twice.. take some review courses or go pay to audit some classes as a reminder...

Good job! You r right or you know it or u don't!

manny in Orlando, Florida said: Yes, I have Past NPTA Examen. But not in this state of FL and it has been a little over 8 yrs thats I have not practice due to and I say this Proudly: I was serving my country for our FREEDOM.(ARMY)
Every state has its laws and yes you have to retake The NPTAE. SO with that said; with anything posible material: Kinesiology ,I dont know, anything that you can think of. I still have some of my anatomy book. Wich is a great part of the test.
Once again thank you for your attention!

Ok so if you are like me, I am a visual learner. (I am actually in the process of my plan of study right now)....
(1) Go online, get a good picture of all the muscles in the body. Now take a piece of tag board and draw that same picture OR you can just use the one online--I'm making my own just so I get things down my own way. Then label each muscle the way you will remember it.
(2) When you are studying, look at the picture and DO the action of the muscle and you can see where the muscle is and why it's doing the action it is.
(3) Also, when studying the diseases and disorders, look at that muscle picture so you can get a bigger better picture in your head why that disease &/or disorder process is happening.
(4) Draw a similiar picture of the bones and label them properly to the way you know you will get these in your head. This will also help with the origins and insertions of the muscles :)
(5) for me, it's easier to draw draw draw and write write write repetitively, maybe try that technique instead of reading all the time...I thought I had ADHD because I couldn't just sit down and read the material.....so I went and got tested for it...results were negative. The psychologist told me that a person in their mid 20's (like me) had the attention span for studying for about 10 to 20 minutes, unless they're REALLY into something....

manny in Orlando, Florida said: Yes, I have Past NPTA Examen. But not in this state of FL and it has been a little over 8 yrs thats I have not practice due to and I say this Proudly: I was serving my country for our FREEDOM.(ARMY)
Every state has its laws and yes you have to retake The NPTAE. SO with that said; with anything posible material: Kinesiology ,I dont know, anything that you can think of. I still have some of my anatomy book. Wich is a great part of the test.
Once again thank you for your attention!

so my advice to you is to study for 10-20 minutes (if you're really into what you're studying and you're not losing interest, keep studying until you feel your mind is drifting)....if you're mind starts to drift....take a walk or clean or do something to get your mind refreshed...

This is my 4th time taking this exam, so I am also trying my best to get all this stuff down considering I took the last exam last year....

By the way...Thank you for serving our country!---I have a few relatives in the service and couldn't be more proud!

Thats about what I got on my practice exams. I took the same ones. I did have a tough time on the exam however. It was not a cake walk. I do believe the practice exams from Peat were the better representation of the real exam. I thought the real exam was just as difficult as PEAT, if not more. I would try to get my score a bit higher if I were you so the Boards are not such a daunting experience as mine was. I thought I failed. Passed in the 650s+. Ya know, my buddy from school thought his test was easy, and I was a lot more prepared and had better grades in school than he did. So keep in mind that not all tests are created equally, or graded the same. Study, if you can, decision making / safety scenario types of questions. They carry more weight I was told, but are difficult to study for. You really have to go into the test with good talking knowledge and common sense of morbidities and safety.

ben in Sedona, Arizona said: Thats about what I got on my practice exams. I took the same ones. I did have a tough time on the exam however. It was not a cake walk. I do believe the practice exams from Peat were the better representation of the real exam. I thought the real exam was just as difficult as PEAT, if not more. I would try to get my score a bit higher if I were you so the Boards are not such a daunting experience as mine was. I thought I failed. Passed in the 650s+. Ya know, my buddy from school thought his test was easy, and I was a lot more prepared and had better grades in school than he did. So keep in mind that not all tests are created equally, or graded the same. Study, if you can, decision making / safety scenario types of questions. They carry more weight I was told, but are difficult to study for. You really have to go into the test with good talking knowledge and common sense of morbidities and safety.

What do you mean by "go into the test with good talking knowledge and common sense of morbidities and safety."? What do you mean by "good talking knowledge"? Also, do you mean modalities when you say "morbidities"?

Hello
How long it takes to get PTA score? thanks.

The next AM in AZ!

Thanks but its almost 24H but still I don't receive my result i called fsbpt and they said wait for 24-48H to know the result I wish everything will be alright.

Hi Finaltime! If u can't wait for ur score to come out, pay $57 to find out. FSBPT will not tell u if u pass or not unless u pay them extra. It's all about the money. I found out my score less than 14 hrs. Goodluck!

Hello everyone
Finally i got result todady and it say I PASSED. wow i mad it yes ans specially thanks to manny in Orlando who give advice on my score to took exam.

CONGRATS!!!!!!!! What a feeling huh?

You should be able to carry on an intelligent discussion about any major topics about Physical Therapy. Know a little bit about everything. Morbidity refers to diseases processes. CHF, strokes, TBIs, cardio pulmonary problems. Things like that. There are a lot of general health and disease questions, and you'd better understand them. Not to try and scare you, but there was a fair amount of that material on the test.

I have failed the pta exam 3 times and i am worried now whether i will have to repeat the whole 2 year program. Or i can just pay for a new application and the test?

Most of the time you do not have to repeat the two years. What you do have to do is some continuing education before they allow you to take the exam again. Once the education requirments are done you have to pay the fees and then you will be able to take the test again at least that is the way it is done in the state of Texas. I would contact the board in your state to make sure what the requirements are for your state. Hope this helps and don't give up you can do this it just may take some time. Good Luck and hope this helps. I apologize if some of the words are misspelled I was typing pretty fast and please don't contact me if their are. :) lol

Thank you for the info. I will contact the board and see what they will say for california

Sarah in Rochester, Michigan said: I graduated from the PTA program in 2009 and am getting ready to take my licensure test this August. I took a prep course around the time I graduated, but I would like to take it again because now I'm getting nervous! I have checked through scorebuilders and the APTA, but I can't seem to find a class offered any time soon. Does anyone know of any other websites I can check? Thanks!

Hey sarah i graduated in '08 and am actually preparing to take my exam in august/sept. time frame...was wondering if you were interested in having study discussions in regards to the practice exam questions as i am from the metro detroit vicinity...i am using the recent edition of the scorebuilders book..if interested please shoot me an e-mail at wasim1602@yahoo.com...good luck!!

^Just out of curiosity, why have you guys both waited several years before taking the test?

wass1602 in Taylor, Michigan said: Hey sarah i graduated in '08 and am actually preparing to take my exam in august/sept. time frame...was wondering if you were interested in having study discussions in regards to the practice exam questions as i am from the metro detroit vicinity...i am using the recent edition of the scorebuilders book..if interested please shoot me an e-mail at wasim1602@yahoo.com...good luck!!

Yeah that sounds good. I'm using the scorebuilders book from 2009, but I'm sure they are pretty much the same thing.

Future PTA in Scottsdale, Arizona said: ^Just out of curiosity, why have you guys both waited several years before taking the test?

When we graduated, Michigan didn't require PTA's to be licensed. They just recently passed the law that says we now have to be because of the changes with medicare. It's tough trying to go back and study the things we haven't done in a few years...if you don't use it, you lose it!

I graduated in 1997 and Arizona didn't require ya to be licensed either and they won't grandfather ya in ....

Future PTA in Scottsdale, Arizona said: ^Just out of curiosity, why have you guys both waited several years before taking the test?

I graduated in 1997 and AZ didn't require license nor recognize PTAs .. Are you working as a tech or just out of school? I have taken the AZ LAW 5 times missing it by 1/100th of a point. Stinks ... I have taken the NPTA 5 times too, not passing yet. I am testing again in October for the national , and soon for the AZ LAW ...

you guys are not alone. Grandfathered it in Ny 2001. took test 3 times and missed by a margin. I am beside myself!

Sarah in Rochester, Michigan said: Yeah that sounds good. I'm using the scorebuilders book from 2009, but I'm sure they are pretty much the same thing.

ok cool. just send me an e-mail and we can set up some type of study schedule. the recent version of the book was given to me by a friend who just passed her exam so i'm using her book but i was using the 2009 version before..it is pretty similar just some additional material has been added to the new version and above all the practice exam questions are alittle bit tougher on the new one...i wish i graduated in '07, then i would have been "grandfathered" into this new law and would not have to take this exam!!

Agreed. These people need to leave, post haste.

suzy in Chicago, Illinois said: I am a PT from TUrkey. i wanna take the PTA and PT exam soon which ever is easy? Do u guys know the differences between rhe exams. can anyone give me some advise how to study and what to study? thank you very much

hi , i want to study together in il

pta is easier and i need studt partner

what course is only 39.00? I looked on that posted site and it was 1000.00 for the whole bundle.

HI Suzy i am in chicago need study partner in chicago,it will help

Hi, I'm going to be a pta student in the fall but I was wondering once you graduate how do you get your ceu's. And who pays for them, does the employer or is it out of your pocket. If so whats the average cost. Thanks

Congrad. Thanks for your comments, but that was all you! Hope to meet you some day in this profession!!!! Note: Learn from each case and from each pacient. It will help you grow as a professional and as a person.
Good Luck in this adventure of helping others,
Once again,
Congrad.

Congrad. Thanks for your comments, but that was all you! Hope to meet you some day in this profession!!!! Note: Learn from each case and from each pacient. It will help you grow as a professional and as a person.
Good Luck in this adventure of helping others,
Once again,
Congrad.

I just moved from Denver a year ago and am a PTA. Do I know you? Any clues?

does anyone know how I can become grandfathered in , in arizona or be able to work in arizona. I am having a tough time passing the exam and need to start work ... I graduated in 1997 .... Family emergencies kept me from getting licensed ... I had a death in the family and I am having a hard time getting back into the groove of studying.... Any help would be appreciated ..