Tennessee licenses physical therapists and PT assistants through the Tennessee Board of Physical Therapy in the Department of Health. You apply online (form PH-3124), and the board approves you 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.
None listed (ethics and jurisprudence are continuing education topics)
None listed
Background check
Fingerprint criminal background check through the board's vendor
Same
PT Compact
Member, issuing and accepting privileges. A PT or PTA licensed in another member state can buy a Tennessee compact privilege instead of a full license, and a Tennessee license held where you live lets you buy privileges in the other member states. (PT Compact, checked October 18, 2026)
Tennessee, step by step
Tennessee Board of Physical Therapy (Department of Health)
Apply early: the application and required documents must reach the board at least 15 business days before FSBPT's jurisdiction approval deadline for the NPTE date you want.
Fees (Rule 1150-01-.06): a non-refundable application fee of $100 (PT) or $90 (PTA), a $25 license fee paid before the license is issued, and a $10 state regulatory fee.
Transcript: mailed directly from your school to the board office, 665 Mainstream Drive, Nashville.
Background check: new applicants must complete a fingerprint criminal background check with the vendor named in the application materials. If you will be in Tennessee during the process, an electronic scan comes back faster than a card.
Keep it: licenses renew every two years ($55 PT, $45 PTA, plus the $10 state regulatory fee). Tennessee 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.