OAR 848-010-0015: Examinations

(1) Examinations for licensing of physical therapists and of physical therapist assistants shall be provided by an examination service approved by the Board. For purposes of this rule the Board’s approved examination shall be the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy’s (FSBPT) National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE). (a) The overall passing score shall be based on a formula using the criterion-referenced scoring system. (b) An applicant may sit for the NPTE a maximum of three times within any 12-month period. (c) An applicant may sit for the NPTE a maximum of six times in a lifetime, per exam level. (d) An applicant is no longer eligible to sit for the NPTE if they have two previous scores of 400 or less per exam level. (e) All applications are valid for a period of six months from the date first received by the Board. (2) All completed applications for examination, non-refundable application fees and required documents must be received and approved by the Board. (3) Unless qualified for licensure by endorsement under OAR 848-010-0022, an applicant whose first professional degree in physical therapy was awarded from a foreign physical therapy program that is/was not CAPTE accredited must submit: (a) A Credentials Evaluation Statement ("the Report") of professional education and training prepared by a Board-approved credentials evaluation agency. The Report must be sent directly from the credentialing agency to the Board. It is the applicant's responsibility to pay the expenses associated with the credentials evaluation. (A) The Report must provide evidence and documentation that the applicant's education outside a state or territory of the United States is substantially equivalent to the education of a physical therapist who graduated from an accredited physical therapy education program approved by the Board pursuant to ORS 688.050(2). (B) To determine substantial equivalency, the approved credentialing evaluation agency shall use the appropriate Course Work Tool ("CWT") adopted by the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy. The appropriate CWT means the CWT in place at the time the foreign educated physical therapist files the application with the Oregon Board. (b) English Language Proficiency (A) Verification that English is the native language of the country of origin, and the physical therapy program employs English as the language of training; or (B) Verification that the applicant has achieved the following minimum scores for each category of the internet based TOEFL (ibTOEFL) examination: writing, 22; speaking, 24; reading, 22; listening, 21. (c) If applicant has taken a Board-approved national licensing examination prior to application for licensure in Oregon, a report of applicant's examination scores must be submitted to the Board directly from the Board-approved examination service. (d) If applicant holds or has held a license in the country in which the applicant received their physical therapy education, the applicant must provide primary source verification of the license. (4) The Examination must be given in the English language. (5) A physical therapist student or physical therapist assistant student may take the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) up to 90 days prior to completion of the requirements for graduation from a CAPTE accredited program. (6) Any applicant who has graduated from an approved school of physical therapy and passed a Board-approved examination more than five years prior to application for licensure in the State of Oregon and who has not been actively licensed in any other state or territory of the United States for a five year period must demonstrate competence to practice physical therapy. If the applicant fails to demonstrate competence, the Board may require the applicant to serve an internship under a restricted license or satisfactorily complete a refresher course approved by the Board, or both, at the discretion of the Board. The Board may also require the applicant to pass an examination approved by the Physical Therapist Licensing Board as provided in OAR 848-010-0015.