California licenses physical therapists and PT assistants through the Physical Therapy Board of California (PTBC). New graduates take two exams through FSBPT, the NPTE and the CAL-JAM on California law, and apply to the board online in BreEZe. Everything below comes from the board's own pages and rules, checked October 18, 2026. Fees and rules change, so confirm on the linked pages before you pay.
Check with your board. PT Ticket is a study aid, not clinical or legal guidance. Not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT), CAPTE, the PT Compact Commission or any state board; NPTE and FSBPT are their marks, used here only to name the exam.
CAL-JAM: 50 questions, 1 hour, online, $50 to FSBPT
Same CAL-JAM
Background check
DOJ and FBI fingerprints: Live Scan in California, or board hard cards ($49) from out of state
Same
PT Compact
Not a member. You need a full California license; compact privileges from other states do not cover California. (PT Compact, checked October 18, 2026)
California, step by step
Physical Therapy Board of California (PTBC)
Federation account and graduation check: your school starts your FSBPT account, and it validates your graduation (up to 90 days before you graduate). You must be within 90 days of graduation to be made eligible for the NPTE and the CAL-JAM.
Register for both exams with FSBPT: the NPTE ($485 to FSBPT) and the CAL-JAM ($50 to FSBPT), a 50-question, one-hour online exam on California physical therapy law that is the same for PTs and PTAs. You take it on your own computer within 96 hours of your Authorization to Test, before or after the NPTE, and can register again 15 days after a failed attempt. No exam fees go to PTBC.
Apply to PTBC in BreEZe: pay the $300 application processing fee plus the $150 initial license fee for a PT, or $300 total for a PTA, by credit card. Your school emails a Certification of Completion to PTBC. PTBC acknowledges the application within 30 days.
Fingerprints: required even if you have been fingerprinted for another agency. In California, use Live Scan (DOJ and FBI processing, $32 and $17, plus the site's rolling fee). From out of state, ask for the board's hard-card packet ($49 added to your fees) and have both cards rolled by an authorized roller.
License applicant status: if PTBC grants it (an open application, no criminal history, and registration for the first available NPTE), you may work under supervision as a PT or PTA license applicant until you pass and are licensed. Failing the NPTE ends it, and the ATT letter alone does not let you work.
License: CAL-JAM scores reach PTBC the next day and NPTE results about five days after the exam; PTBC issues the license within about 45 days of your last open item.
Every state licenses physical therapists and PT assistants on the NPTE, with the same passing score everywhere (600 on a 200-800 scale): a CAPTE-accredited degree, your state board's application, then NPTE registration with FSBPT ($485 plus Prometric's sitting fee), which your board approves before FSBPT sends your Authorization to Test. The PT exam is 225 questions in 5 hours and the PTA exam 180 questions in 4 hours, both on fixed dates four times a year; you may test 3 times in 12 months and 6 times in a lifetime (FSBPT NPTE Candidate Handbook). The full walk-through: How to get your PT license.