How to get a PT or PTA license in Virginia

Virginia licenses physical therapists and PT assistants through the Virginia Board of Physical Therapy in the Department of Health Professions. The regulations are 18VAC112-20. 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.

Virginia at a glance

Physical therapist (PT)PT assistant (PTA)
ExamNPTE-PT (225 questions, 5 hours), $485 to FSBPTNPTE-PTA (180 questions, 4 hours), $485 to FSBPT
Board fees$140 application (licensure by examination)$100
Law examNone in the regulationsNone
Background checkCriminal history background check (Code of Virginia 54.1-3484)Same
Before your scoreTraineeship under direct PT supervision, with board approvalSame
PT CompactMember, issuing and accepting privileges. A PT or PTA licensed in another member state can buy a Virginia compact privilege instead of a full license, and a Virginia license held where you live lets you buy privileges in the other member states. (PT Compact, checked October 18, 2026)

Virginia, step by step

Virginia Board of Physical Therapy (Department of Health Professions)

  1. Apply with the application, fee and credentials: $140 for a PT, $100 for a PTA (18VAC112-20-27), documentation of your education (a CAPTE-accredited program) and a criminal history background check under Code of Virginia 54.1-3484.
  2. The NPTE: register with FSBPT; the board needs documentation that you passed.
  3. Traineeship (optional): once you are registered with FSBPT for the exam, the board president (or designee) can approve you to work as a trainee under the direct supervision of a licensed PT until your results arrive. It ends five working days after you receive them. You can get a new one while waiting to retake, or between passing and licensure, but no more than three in the year after your first results (18VAC112-20-70).
  4. Keep it: licenses renew by December 31 of even-numbered years ($135 PT, $70 PTA). Virginia is in the PT Compact, and PTs can later apply for direct access certification to see patients without a referral.

Sources: Virginia Board of Physical Therapy, 18VAC112-20-27 (fees), 18VAC112-20-60 (licensure by examination), 18VAC112-20-70 (traineeship before results). Checked October 18, 2026.

Practice for the NPTE freeNPTE-PT questions on the 2024 outline, every answer cited, a score report by outline cell. Practice for the NPTE-PTA freeFor PT assistants: data collection, interventions within the plan of care, modalities and safety.

The national steps, briefly

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.

Official pages