New Hampshire licenses physical therapists and PT assistants through the Physical Therapy Governing Board, under the Allied Health Professionals Governing Board and the Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC). 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.
New Hampshire 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
$121 application
$121
Law exam
NH JAM through FSBPT: 80% to pass, $48 (again in years ending in 0 and 5)
Same
Background check
OPLC posts criminal background check instructions on the board's page; confirm whether your application needs one
Same
PT Compact
Member, issuing and accepting privileges. A PT or PTA licensed in another member state can buy a New Hampshire compact privilege instead of a full license, and a New Hampshire license held where you live lets you buy privileges in the other member states. (PT Compact, checked October 18, 2026)
New Hampshire, step by step
New Hampshire Physical Therapy Governing Board (Office of Professional Licensure and Certification)
Apply online through OPLC's application portal with the $121 fee (PT or PTA), using the board's application checklist. Endorsement applicants from qualifying states use the paper Universal Application.
NH JAM: everyone applying for a first New Hampshire PT or PTA license must pass FSBPT's New Hampshire JAM ($48, 80% to pass, unlimited attempts). Licensees retake it in years ending in 0 and 5.
The NPTE: register with FSBPT.
Temporary licenses: OPLC's 120-day temporary license is only for out-of-state health professionals with an active license in good standing, not for new graduates.
Keep it: renewal is $121. New Hampshire is in the PT Compact, and privilege buyers take the NH JAM too.
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.