Pennsylvania licenses physical therapists and certifies physical therapist assistants through the State Board of Physical Therapy in the Department of State. Applications are online in PALS, and every new licensee needs 3 hours of board-approved child abuse recognition and reporting training. 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.
Pennsylvania 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
$30 application for licensure by examination (49 Pa. Code 40.5)
$30 application for certification by examination
Required training
3 hours of board-approved child abuse recognition and reporting
Same
Law exam
None listed on the board's licensure snapshot
None listed
Background check
No fingerprinting step on the licensure snapshot; check with your board
Same
PT Compact
Member, issuing and accepting privileges. A PT or PTA licensed in another member state can buy a Pennsylvania compact privilege instead of a full license, and a Pennsylvania license held where you live lets you buy privileges in the other member states. (PT Compact, checked October 18, 2026)
Pennsylvania, step by step
Pennsylvania State Board of Physical Therapy
Education: a PT program accredited by CAPTE (or another national accreditor the board recognizes); PTAs need a CAPTE-approved PTA program.
Apply in PALS: all applications are electronic at pals.pa.gov. The fee is $30 for a PT license or PTA certification by examination.
Testing before graduation: to sit for the NPTE up to 90 days before you graduate, your school completes the board's Verification of Physical Therapy Education form and returns it directly to the board, along with your completed application. You also register with FSBPT.
Child abuse training: complete 3 hours of board-approved child abuse recognition and reporting education for initial licensure (2 hours of it again every renewal).
Keep it: PTs renew every two years ($90) with 30 hours of continuing education; PTAs renew certification ($45) with 30 hours, including 4 on emergency conditions and 2 on law or ethics.
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.