Wisconsin licenses physical therapists and PT assistants through the Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS), with the Physical Therapy Affiliated Credentialing Board. You apply on DSPS's LicensE portal. 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.
Wisconsin 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
$68 initial credential fee
$68
Law exam
Open-book Wisconsin Statutes and Administrative Code exam
Same (DSPS lists 85% to pass for PTAs)
Background check
Conviction and pending charge questions (Form 2252 if any); no fingerprint step listed
Same
Temporary license
While awaiting NPTE results, first-time licensees only
Check with DSPS
PT Compact
Member, issuing and accepting privileges. A PT or PTA licensed in another member state can buy a Wisconsin compact privilege instead of a full license, and a Wisconsin license held where you live lets you buy privileges in the other member states. (PT Compact, checked October 18, 2026)
Wisconsin, step by step
Wisconsin Physical Therapy Affiliated Credentialing Board (Department of Safety and Professional Services)
Apply on LicensE (license.wi.gov) and pay the $68 credential fee (PT or PTA). A fee reduction (Form 3217) or veterans waiver may apply.
The NPTE: register with FSBPT and pass.
Statutes and rules exam: pass the open-book exam on the Wisconsin statutes and administrative code that govern physical therapy; the exam office sends your score to DSPS. The board may also require an oral exam in certain situations.
Temporary license (optional, PTs): if every requirement except the NPTE is complete, you are registered for the NPTE and awaiting results, you graduated from (or are enrolled in) a CAPTE program, and you have never been licensed as a PT anywhere, you can apply for a temporary license.
Keep it: PT and PTA licenses renew by February 28 of odd-numbered years ($68). Wisconsin 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.