Missouri licenses physical therapists and PT assistants through the State Board of Registration for the Healing Arts, advised by the Advisory Commission for Physical Therapists, in the Division of Professional Registration. 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.
Missouri 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
$25 licensure by examination (20 CSR 2150-3.080)
$25 (20 CSR 2150-3.170)
Law exam
Board test on Missouri PT laws and rules, 75% to pass
Same
Background check
Fingerprinting (fees set by the Missouri Highway Patrol)
Same
Temporary license
$10; first-time exam applicants, with a supervising Missouri PT
$10
PT Compact
Member, issuing and accepting privileges. A PT or PTA licensed in another member state can buy a Missouri compact privilege instead of a full license, and a Missouri license held where you live lets you buy privileges in the other member states. (PT Compact, checked October 18, 2026)
Missouri, step by step
Missouri State Board of Registration for the Healing Arts (Advisory Commission for Physical Therapists)
Apply on the board's application forms with the $25 licensure fee (free for active military, military spouses and veterans). You must be at least 21 for a PT license (19 for a PTA) and show good moral character, with official sealed transcripts from every college you attended, verifications from every state that licensed you, and an activities statement covering the last ten years.
The NPTE: register with FSBPT and pass.
Laws and rules test: pass the board's test on Missouri physical therapy law and rules with at least 75%.
Fingerprints: part of the application; the fingerprinting fee is set by the Missouri Highway Patrol.
Temporary license (optional): for first-time exam applicants, $10, with an agreement to supervise signed by your supervising PT and the PT's notarized statement that they are not an immediate family member and have practiced in Missouri at least one year. Not issued after a failed exam anywhere.
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.