Kentucky licenses physical therapists and PT assistants through the Kentucky Board of Physical Therapy. New graduates apply as examination candidates and test through Kentucky. 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.
Kentucky at a glance
Physical therapist (PT)
PT assistant (PTA)
Exam
NPTE-PT (225 questions, 5 hours), $485 to FSBPT
NPTE-PTA (180 questions, 4 hours), $485 to FSBPT
Board fees
$225 application (201 KAR 22:135), non-refundable
$225
Law exam
Kentucky Jurisprudence Exam (JE) on the board's site
Same
Background check
Kentucky State Police and FBI fingerprints through IdentoGO, $57; valid 6 months
Same
Temporary permit
With a Supervisory Agreement for a Temporary Permit
Same
PT Compact
Member, issuing and accepting privileges. A PT or PTA licensed in another member state can buy a Kentucky compact privilege instead of a full license, and a Kentucky license held where you live lets you buy privileges in the other member states. (PT Compact, checked October 18, 2026)
Kentucky, step by step
Kentucky Board of Physical Therapy
Graduate from a CAPTE program and ask your program director to certify completion.
Register for the NPTE with FSBPT, choosing Kentucky.
Apply on Kentucky's application form with the $225 fee (online, or by money order, cashier's or certified check).
Fingerprints: every new applicant submits fingerprints to the Kentucky State Police for a state and federal check, $57, at an IdentoGO site (out-of-state applicants can mail an FBI card with the pre-enrollment page). Results are valid for six months from receipt, so time them with your NPTE.
Jurisprudence Exam: complete Kentucky's JE on the board's website.
Temporary permit (optional): send the Supervisory Agreement for a Temporary Permit. Kentucky is in the PT Compact.
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.