South Carolina licenses physical therapists and PT assistants through the South Carolina Board of Physical Therapy Examiners in the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR). New graduates apply by examination; the board approves you to sit for the NPTE. 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.
South Carolina 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
$120 initial license application, paid online
$120
Law exam
None listed on the board's exam page
None listed
Background check
Not listed on the board's licensure pages; check with the board
Same
PT Compact
Member, issuing and accepting privileges. A PT or PTA licensed in another member state can buy a South Carolina compact privilege instead of a full license, and a South Carolina license held where you live lets you buy privileges in the other member states. (PT Compact, checked October 18, 2026)
South Carolina, step by step
South Carolina Board of Physical Therapy Examiners (Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation)
Apply by examination online and pay the $120 application fee (PT or PTA) at the time you submit; applications without the fee are not accepted.
Register for the NPTE with FSBPT and pay the exam fee there. Applicants not registered for the NPTE cannot be approved by the board to sit for it.
Retakes: after a failure you file the board's application to repeat the NPTE. After repeated failures the board requires approved coursework and a board appearance before another attempt, and no one may be licensed after failing the NPTE six or more times, wherever the exams were taken.
Keep it: licenses renew every two years ($90 PT, $80 PTA). South Carolina 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.