NPTE-PTA Practice Test: Free Physical Therapist Assistant Exam Questions, 2024 Outline

533 practice questions for the NPTE-PTA, the national licensing exam for physical therapist assistants, split the way the January 2024 PTA content outline splits the real test: musculoskeletal and neuromuscular about half, cardiovascular and pulmonary next, then the other body systems, plus equipment and devices, modalities and safety, which carry more weight here than on the PT exam. The questions are written the way a PTA works: collect the data, carry out the PT's plan of care, and know when to stop and contact the supervising PT. Every question carries its outline code, so your score report shows the cells you miss. We wrote every question ourselves and each answer names its public source. A study aid, not clinical guidance.

The real test: 180 multiple-choice questions (140 scored, 40 unscored pretest) in 4 sections of 45, 4 hours, at a Prometric center on fixed dates four times a year. Scored 200 to 800; 600 passes. Our practice test is 70 scored questions plus 18 unscored, split by the PTA content outline, with a 70% practice mark.

Passing score: The NPTE passing score (600), and the retake limits

Here: 533 questions. Our own practice questions, with every fact cited to a public source (CDC, NIH, HHS, CMS, OSHA, FDA labeling, published clinical practice guidelines; anatomy checked against OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology 2e, CC BY 4.0). Topics are the body systems and nonsystem areas of the FSBPT NPTE-PTA content outline (January 2024). Not the exam's questions. Free.

What's on the test

"On the test" is the rough share of a 70-question test for each topic, following the exam's published weights.

10 sample questions

1. A patient rates a cycling bout as 13 on the 6-20 Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion scale. How should the therapist read this?

   • A.Very, very hard: close to maximal effort for this patient
   • B.Somewhat hard: moderate intensity
   • C.It means the heart rate is exactly 13 beats per minute above rest
   • D.Extremely light: barely any effort at all
   Show answer

   B. Somewhat hard: moderate intensity

   PTA-107 · Cardiovascular & Pulmonary

2. A 24-year-old soccer player planted and pivoted, felt a pop, and had a swollen knee within two hours. Which test is the most sensitive for the suspected ligament injury?

   • A.McMurray test with tibial rotation through flexion and extension
   • B.Posterior drawer test with the knee flexed to 90 degrees
   • C.Valgus stress test at 30 degrees of knee flexion
   • D.Lachman test with the knee in about 20 to 30 degrees of flexion
   Show answer

   D. Lachman test with the knee in about 20 to 30 degrees of flexion

   PTA-1 · Musculoskeletal

3. An 80-year-old scores 41 of 56 on the Berg Balance Scale. How should the therapist interpret this score?

   • A.The score cannot be read without a matching Timed Up and Go result too
   • B.Severe impairment that rules out walking, even with an assistive device
   • C.Increased risk of falls; a score under 45 is the commonly used cutoff
   • D.Normal balance for age; only a score under 20 means any fall risk at all
   Show answer

   C. Increased risk of falls; a score under 45 is the commonly used cutoff

   PTA-57 · Neuromuscular & Nervous

4. A sacral pressure injury is full thickness, with fat visible in the wound bed but no bone, tendon or muscle exposed, and the base is not obscured. How is it staged?

   • A.Stage 2
   • B.Unstageable, because the depth of a sacral wound can never be judged by looking at it
   • C.Stage 3
   • D.Stage 4
   Show answer

   C. Stage 3

   PTA-140 · Integumentary

5. During exercise, a patient with type 1 diabetes becomes shaky, sweaty and confused. Which condition is most likely?

   • A.Diabetic ketoacidosis
   • B.Hyperthyroidism, which causes sudden confusion during any exercise
   • C.Hyperglycemia
   • D.Hypoglycemia
   Show answer

   D. Hypoglycemia

   PTA-152 · Metabolic & Endocrine

6. While the examiner presses under the right rib cage, the patient takes a deep breath and stops suddenly because of pain. This positive Murphy sign suggests inflammation of the:

   • A.Pancreas
   • B.Spleen, which lies under the right rib cage close to the liver
   • C.Appendix
   • D.Gallbladder
   Show answer

   D. Gallbladder

   PTA-158 · Gastrointestinal

7. A patient with urinary leakage starts pelvic health care. Which tool records how often she voids, how much she drinks and when leaks happen over several days?

   • A.A six-minute walk test
   • B.A Braden Scale
   • C.A Modified Ashworth Scale scored at each void, over a full week at home
   • D.A bladder (voiding) diary
   Show answer

   D. A bladder (voiding) diary

   PTA-164 · Genitourinary

8. The therapist cannot pinch and lift a fold of skin at the base of the patient's second toe, though it lifts easily on the other foot. This positive finding suggests:

   • A.Normal skin for the lower leg
   • B.Arterial disease, since a fold that cannot be lifted shows poor blood flow
   • C.Venous insufficiency with ulcer
   • D.Lymphedema of that leg
   Show answer

   D. Lymphedema of that leg

   PTA-168 · Lymphatic

9. A 62-year-old with a history of prostate cancer has new low back pain that is worse at night and not eased by rest, with a 10-pound weight loss he did not try for. What should the therapist do?

   • A.Treat it as mechanical back pain with heat and stretching
   • B.Tell him weight loss is good for back pain and continue as planned
   • C.Refer to the physician promptly to rule out metastatic disease
   • D.Begin lumbar stabilization and recheck the pain in four weeks
   Show answer

   C. Refer to the physician promptly to rule out metastatic disease

   PTA-175 · System Interactions

10. A patient with painful osteoarthritis of the right knee is learning to use a single-point cane. How should it be used?

    • A.In the right hand, moving together with the right leg so the painful side is supported directly
    • B.In the left hand, moving with the right leg
    • C.In whichever hand feels most natural, since the side makes no difference to joint load
    • D.In the left hand, moving forward only after both feet have stepped past it
    Show answer

    B. In the left hand, moving with the right leg

    PTA-181 · Equipment, Devices & Technologies

What the study guide does

• Short study rounds and flip cards.
• A practice test built like the real one: 70 questions, 49 to pass.
• Pass Meter: your chance of passing if you sat the test today, worked out from your own answers.
• An explanation for every answer.