West Virginia licenses physical therapists and PT assistants through the West Virginia Board of Physical Therapy. You apply for licensure first; the board then makes you eligible to test. 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.
West Virginia 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
Paid in the application portal; see the board's initial licensing fee waivers
Same
Law exam
None listed on the exam applications page
None listed
Background check
Fingerprint-based state and federal check (W. Va. Code 30-20-8a), after you apply and pay
Same
Temporary permit
Choose the exam application with temporary permit
Same
PT Compact
Member, issuing and accepting privileges. A PT or PTA licensed in another member state can buy a West Virginia compact privilege instead of a full license, and a West Virginia license held where you live lets you buy privileges in the other member states. (PT Compact, checked October 18, 2026)
West Virginia, step by step
West Virginia Board of Physical Therapy
Apply in the board's Application Portal: pick the PT/PTA Exam Application, or the version with a temporary permit if you want to work before your results. You must apply for licensure before you can be made eligible to test.
Background check: all applicants complete a fingerprint-based state and federal criminal history check (W. Va. Code 30-20-8a and 30-20A-4.6). Do not start it until your application is submitted and paid; instructions are on the board's Criminal History Background Check page.
The NPTE: register with FSBPT once the board makes you eligible (or have FSBPT transfer a score you earned through another state).
Fee waivers: the board posts initial licensing fee waivers; check whether you qualify before you pay.
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.