How An “Average Joe” Passed The NPTE – 12 Tips to Pass The NPTE

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I wrote this in 2015 but I figured some may still find this helpful.

Let me start by saying that none of this would be possible without God. He has blessed me with a passing score and I am unbelievably grateful. This entire process has drawn me closer to Him and for that I am eternally thankful. I had an amazing group of people supporting me and picking me up when I didn’t think I could pass.
 
I kept this verse close to my heart throughout this entire journey.
James 1:2-6
“2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.”
 
The reason I call myself an “Average Joe” is because academics has never played a large role in my life. I coasted through grade school and college, doing just enough to get by with somewhat decent grades. I graduated undergrad with an Economics degree which made the transition to PT school even more difficult. I was at the bottom of my class throughout PT school and struggled to pass classes. At times, I seriously questioned whether I would make it and thought about dropping out. The entire PT school process has been a grind for me and has pushed me to challenge myself in ways I never thought possible.
 
A big reason why I wrote this blogpost was because I never passed a single practice exam. My averages scores were around 65%. I have no confidence going into my first take and its no coincidence I didn’t pass. On my second try on the boards, I scored an 88% which was easily the highest score I had ever received. I wanted to share some tips I learned for those struggling.
 
I took the boards twice and the difference in my preparation between the two tries were night and day. I am not the type of person to say I absolutely passed but I walked out the exam the second time feeling 80% confident I passed. With that said, here are some things I learned between the first and second try.
  1. I took a prep course the second time around as well. I took PT Final Exam with Will Crane. The class itself was extremely helpful in keeping me organized and the live lectures helped to review content in a different way than books. Additionally, there was a comprehensive study guide which helped TREMENDOUSLY. The course promotes critical thinking and thoroughly prepares you for the exam. As mentioned above, my practice exam scores were very low. After the PT Final Exam prep course and taking the boards a second time, I scored an 88% which was easily the highest score I had ever received. The instructors really want you to succeed and are there to help you. I have an exclusive affiliate discount code below.
  2. If you are a NPTE re-taker, reevaluate your study strategies, I would pay for the official score sheet to figure out which areas you need to work on.
  3. Take as many practice exams as you can. Make sure you review ALL questions. Make sure you take the PEAT, it costs $90, but it is well worth it as is it replicates the actual exam. Take ones from scorebuilders and O’sullivan. O’Sullivan is much more difficult. Something I also found very helpful was, O’Sullivan allows you to specifically choose to take all MSK or all cardiopulm, etc. After I finished studying that content area I would take them all at once and then review it. Something that was very helpful was having a word document dedicated to each section (MSK, Neuro, cardio, etc). I organized it into sections as they are on the boards; examination, DDX, intervention, and had a miscellaneous section as well. For each exam, I continued to add to the list and it served as a great review.
  4. Do NOT stress about the scores of your practice exams, I legitimately averaged 65% on my practice exams and managed to pass the boards. Keep an excel spreadsheet of your averages broken down by specific content areas so you know where you need to focus on the most.
  5. This one is one of the most important changes I made. Make DDX charts for the areas you’re weakest in. I had examination, prognosis, treatment and DDX on each diagnosis which really helped to keep things organized. I highlighted specific aspects about each diagnosis that was unique and would potentially be asked on the boards. Also, as I took practice exams and found new information, I would hand continuously add them to the chart. I found this extremely helpful as it helped me to constantly review them.
  6. Stick to a schedule and do NOT burn yourself out. I studied 7 days a week my first time around and was completely burnt out with two weeks to go before my first attempt. The second time around I studied Monday-Friday, roughly 4-6 hours a day and did some light reviewing on Saturday. I took Sundays completely off. During the final two weeks, make sure you review the on going documents from the practice exams. I also broke up my studying, I studied 3 hours in the morning, took a break for lunch, the gym, tv, etc, and then did the second half in the mid-late afternoon.
  7. If you don’t study well at home, get out of the house, treat studying like it’s a job. I went to the library regularly for 4-6 hours to get in the zone of studying.
  8. I used flashcards for straight forward material such as tracts, berg balance scale numbers, special tests, ROM, wheelchair dimensions, and anything else you come across while studying. This is extremely time consuming, but I found it very helpful. I reviewed flash cards before I went to sleep every night.
  9. Make sure you read over the question breakdown on the NPTE. Realize that the big 3 (MSK, Neuro, Cardiopulm) make up 75% of the exam. I spent WAY to much time stressing about gastrointestinal or genitourinary when they only make up 3-4 questions each on the exam.
  10. I used only Scorebuilders the first time and used O’Sullivan the second time and referred to Scorebuilders if I needed to review specific topics. I found attempting to study both simultaneously was too time consuming and do be honest, a daunting task.
  11. Try and stay as positive! Do not make the exam bigger than it is. Try to do things you enjoy regularly, whether it be spending time with a significant other and friends, sports, going to the gym, find time for yourself. If I can pass I know you all can to. Stay focused and keep your eyes on the prize, trust me that once you pass, it is all worth it.
  12. Lastly, stay in a routine, every morning I woke up, made my coffee and read the bible before studying. Have an agenda for the day, whether it be focusing/reviewing a specific topic or going over a specific number of pages in the review book to stay on schedule.
  13. If interested, I have a PT instagram where I post exercises focused on sports rehabilitation, @WesleyWang.DPT, https://instagram.com/wesleywang.dpt
  14. Don’t give up and do not let this exam define you.
If you are interested in taking Will’s PT Final Exam NPTE prep course, please use my affiliate links:

2 thoughts on “How An “Average Joe” Passed The NPTE – 12 Tips to Pass The NPTE”

  1. Anne Johnson

    Concentration and motivation is always a key to success. Yes you are right, we need to focus and motivation makes us complete our desires. Love to read here, subscribed your blog.

    Reply

  2. Pingback: how to pass the npte athletedocrehab – dataala

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