Montana licenses physical therapists and PT assistants through the Board of Physical, Rehabilitative, and Developmental Health Care Professionals in the Department of Labor and Industry, a combined board whose rules took effect July 25, 2026. 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.
Montana 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
Set in ARM 24.119.401 (new rule, effective July 25, 2026); confirm on the board's site
Same
Law exam
None listed on the board's license information page
None listed
Background check
Check with the board
Same
PT Compact
Member, issuing and accepting privileges. A PT or PTA licensed in another member state can buy a Montana compact privilege instead of a full license, and a Montana license held where you live lets you buy privileges in the other member states. (PT Compact, checked October 18, 2026)
Montana, step by step
Montana Board of Physical, Rehabilitative, and Developmental Health Care Professionals (Department of Labor and Industry)
Apply through the board's online licensing system and disclose every state where you are licensed.
Primary source verification: transcripts and NPTE scores must be sent directly from your school and FSBPT, not forwarded by you.
The NPTE: register with FSBPT and have the score sent to Montana.
Fees: the combined board's fees are in ARM 24.119.401, adopted in MAR Notice 2026-148 and effective July 25, 2026; confirm the current PT and PTA amounts on the board's License Information page before you pay.
Keep it: PT and PTA licenses renew by April 1. Montana 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.