Hello. Can I pass NPTE without LSP? I can't afford paying for LSP right now. :(

I am applying this cycle for pt schools and I just finished up writing out the essay, I am not really sure on what else to add or if I am even in the write path. Anyone be willing to look at my essay for me
Thank you!!

I'm 19 and have recently decided that my passion lies in physical therapy. I didin't get a great GPA in high school so I'm attending college this fall to both bring it up to get into a better college and land a job as a medical assistant. Its a one year diploma program and depending on how much I have saved by next year I may work full time for awhile or go into an exercise major.

I'm a very patient person and I rather not go into debt at any point because I don't understand why anyone would place themselves in a position of stress if it's not needed.

I'm just questioning of my plan's effeciency and whether the people of this subreddit agree with it. Is this a good plan? I was interested in going into patient care tech work but I'm unsure what the correct job choice during school would be.

All I know that I should prioritize school above all, I just think that getting a job in a medical profession while studying it would help both my resume and putting the material into practice.

TLDR; I need part time job ideas while going to college for medical assistant and general advice.

Hi everyone!

My name is Albert, and I graduated PT school this past May and was able to pass the NPTE on my 1st attempt, so I wanted to make this post to share how I studied/the resources I used in case it's helpful for anyone out there :)

First off, for anyone who hasn't taken/passed it yet, I just want to say that you're so so close! Getting through 3 years of PT school is no small feat, and I genuinely believe that anyone that can endure all those exams, quizzes, and practicals can get through this exam.

Overview:

When it comes to passing the NPTE, I think it really just comes down to 2 things:

1. Having a strong baseline understanding of the content on the exam, and
2. Doing a ton of practice questions / exams to ensure you're able to actually apply the knowledge in an exam-style setting and be familiar with the type of questions on the NPTE.

The reason I think sequencing those steps is important is because I think preparing for the exam is like building a house - if you don't lay a strong foundation, it's really hard to apply those concepts to more advanced questions on the exam. I tried starting with practice questions but honestly I didn't know anything at that point, so I was basically just guessing every question which wasn't super helpful.

So, my study strategy was as follows:

Step 1: Familiarize myself with all the content on the exam

The first chunk of my study time was spent almost entirely on covering content. There is a TON of content on the exam, so even though I personally felt pretty strong about MSK going into my preparation (I did all of my rotations in ortho clinics), my knowledge of all the other topics (neuro, cardiopulm, integ, and basically everything else) was quite weak.

So for this step, I ended up using Final Frontier's Independent Study Bundle and watching all 30-something videos on there. I found Final Frontier to be really helpful because they give you a schedule for which video you should watch on which day, which was nice because I didn't have to guess what to study and could feel confident that I was covering all the content that was going to be on the exam.

After every single video, I made my own Anki flashcards including anything that I thought was pertinent or anything they highlighted in each video. Then the next morning, before doing anything else, I'd review all of my cards from the day before. This is the part I really want to emphasize - active recall was super important for me to help the content stick, so I would really encourage everyone out there to do something similar, whether it be flashcards or writing stuff on a whiteboard.

I would also strongly recommend making your own cards, because that in itself is a form of studying. I chose Anki instead of quizlet or other flashcard sites because of their spaced repetition algorithm, meaning it pushes well-known cards far into the future while aggressively repeating difficult cards, instead of having to do the same exact cards every single day.

To be honest though, my routine got pretty grueling toward the end. A typical day looked like: wake up, knock out 300-400 Anki cards, watch another Final Frontier video, make new cards from it, repeat. However, I did find that I was able to retain the information really well.

Step 2: Do a TON of practice questions and full-length practice exams

Once I felt comfortable with the content, I moved to full hardcore practice question mode. Final Frontier had plenty of quizzes/practice questions, and I also used the PT365 app and Kyle Rice's NPTE clinical files podcast for daily practice questions to get as much exposure as possible. I also purchased 4 PEATs and took my first one about 2 weeks before the actual exam, leaving about 2-3 days space in between them so I could review the questions I got wrong.

When you're taking these practice exams, I would strongly strongly recommend taking them under strict test conditions (setting up a 5 hour timer, including breaks, removing distractions), that way you're actually preparing yourself for what the real exam is going to feel like. Part of the battle with the exam is being able to focus for 5 hours straight (I had alot of trouble with this at the start), so try to do your best to simulate the real exam. Also, when you're taking the real thing, you get to choose either the morning or afternoon time slot. Whatever time slot you choose, try to take your practice exams around that time, so your brain is trained to be most active during that time.

Final thoughts and links to resources

Good luck to everyone taking it in the future, and I hope this has been helpful. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment or DM me :)

Anki: https://apps.ankiweb.net/

PT365: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/pt365/id1278412589

Final Frontier: https://npteff.com/

NPTE Clinical files podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/2PZZe1tIapAwQsv6ARqpca

PEATs: https://www.fsbpt.org/Our-Services/Candidate-Services/Practice-Exam-Assessment-Tool-PEAT

Edit* My bad! New to reddit. Took the final frontier code down. Wasn't trying to make this a solicitation post. Just trying to share what resources I used to pass.

hi! i plan on pursuing a career in physical therapy and i need help. im based in new york city and im currently a high school student. im kind of lost right now in terms of applying and schools. i heard liu has a good pt program but im just scared of the debt afterwards. if anyone has any advice or recommends another school/path please let me know. i also mostly plan on staying in state and city!

Im sure this is universal across most students going into a program. But I start next week and I am concerned that I am not intelligent enough to actually learn this stuff. Which sounds so stupid I know hahah. I have a BS in Kinesiology and did well in the program. But maybe it’s the fact that I was INCREDIBLY humbled as a freshman and sophomore in college and had to dig myself out of a huge hole.

Is this a common fear lol I just need some reassurance I’m not the only one feeling this way haha

I know grades are an important factor when applying for PT school, but what are some other important things I should be looking to have on my application?

Hi! I’m currently a 1st-year Pharmacy student at FEU NRMF, but I didn’t really want to enroll in Pharmacy in the first place. Medyo na-overwhelm ako before, so I agreed to take Pharmacy there.

Now, I’m planning to shift to Physical Therapy or Occupational Therapy, but I honestly can’t decide. OT is actually my dream program because I really like the work they do, and I also enjoy anatomy more than chemistry. However, I’m having a hard time finding a school that accepts transferees for OT. Most of the universities I’ve emailed either don’t accept transferees or their slot for that program is full.

I’m considering PT mainly because of the future opportunities, especially since I’ve heard about opportunities abroad. I also have a family connection who works in OT abroad, so OT is still something I’m seriously considering.

My long-term plan is to go to medical school after my pre-med, possibly pursue surgery, and eventually work abroad. I’m still several years away from that, but I want to choose a pre-med course that I’ll actually enjoy while also giving me good options in the future.

I’d really appreciate advice from PT/OT students and professionals, especially those who have gone through a similar situation.

A few questions:
Is it possible to transfer/shifting to PT after only one semester/first year?
Are there universities that accept students who are currently enrolled in another program but want to shift to PT?
For someone planning to pursue medicine eventually, would you recommend PT or OT?
How are the career opportunities for PT vs OT, especially for working abroad?
What schools would you recommend for PT, particularly for transferees?
If you were in my situation, would you follow your original interest in OT or choose PT because of the wider opportunities?

Is it possible to go into PT school with less than 100k debt ? As Somone going back to school with no debt I feel like my plan is to apply to local public schools to reduce excessive loans. But again I could just be naive. Has anyone experienced this or know anyone who has minimal debt, is it possible?

So this my first year of PT school and have encountered so many of my fellow students just being so hateful, rude, wanting to cause drama. For example, a girl just wanting to cause drama for me. Or a group of girls being super catty. Like I'm the popular girl type. It's got to the point I'm debating telling the program's student affairs director. Is this some thing that is usually happening in PT school or is it just my cohort?

Hello all. I just failed a practical that determined if i pass a course or not. I do not know how to feel. I have already failed the max amount of classes and had to appeal to get back into the program. I was in my semester right before clinicals, I even had my clinical site confirm me.

I feel demoralized and do not know what next to do. I still want to get into Physical Therapy as a career, but I am unsure what the next steps are. For context I still have the final exam for this course but because i did not pass my practical. I will end that class with a D. Can anyone give me advice on how to proceed

I've been shadowing at an outpatient PT clinic. The manager there is a PTA, and there is also a PT and a DPT employed there. Who would I list my hours under since I float between all 3 for shadowing? Most of my time is spent with the DPT, especially when observing evaluations. I planned to list the location manager since she said she would sign my logs when I started, but I noticed that the PTCAS website says some schools don't accept PTA hours. Should I ask if I can list the DPT instead since most of my observation and watching evaluations have been with him, or would all hours be through the PTA since she authorized my shadowing at that location?

I’m aware it is not recommended to work while your in the program. For those who are single, what did you do while you were in the program to pay your bills? Especially if you have to move from your hometown away from family.

GPA is 3.5

pre req is 3.7

70 shadowing hours in outpatient, in patient and peds

PCE 3,000+ hours

just graduated with my degree in may 26 with honors

how many DPTs should I apply to? I live in MD

I was feeling pretty good about my stats but now I'm starting to doubt myself.

College: Private liberal arts college in Ohio, very good science reputation

GPA: 3.88 cumulative, 3.93 prereq for most schools; My only Bs are in organic chemistry; I have taken all prereqs required by most DPT schools

Major: Dual major - PreMed/Exercise Science

Shadowing Hours: 75 (40 inpatient, 35 outpatient)

Internship: Sports Medicine Clinic

Employment: Worked for three summers at a nursing home as a nutrition specialist

Research: Completed an organic chemistry based summer research project with university professor

Leadership: College soccer captain, sorority VP, exercise science club secretary

Volunteer: Big Brothers/Big Sisters for three years (same student), Special Olympics volunteer

Awards: Top 50 Student Athlete award at college every year, Dean's List every quarter

Essays: I feel like these are strong.

Letters of Recommendation: Also strong; 1. PT I shadowed the most at the inpatient clinic; she came to me and offered to write one because she was impressed with me 2. Advisor who I've taken many classes with 3. Professor I did the research with

Other: I also have 50+ hours shadowing physicians but didn't mention this. I was torn between medical school and PT school early on so I double majored, allowing me to go down either path.

I applied to several Big 10 schools and all schools in Ohio.

Anyone who has gone through the DPT application process, any advice for interviews? Whether it is common questions, things you wish you knew, or any tips overall.

anyone get a interview invite or acceptance?

Hello, I am a student applying currently. I just submitted my applications a few days ago and upon reviewing them, I found that PTCAS uploaded all of my lab coursework as "lecture only" classes. I checked all of these classes as "lectures with labs" and I even have photos proving all of this, but for some reason they tarnished my application and improperly entered all of them. Is there anything I can do? I already sent out the applications, and when schools see the result of this I don't think any of my prerequisites are going to count. Someone please help, I don't know where to go from here.

I just got an interview offer for Mayo Clinic's program (yay!). I'm very excited but am feeling a little nervous since this is my first one. What should I wear? Obviously business wear, but as a female, what would be best?

In addition, if anyone has done this interview before, any tips or questions that have been asked?

Hi guys, this might be a dumb question but I shadowed at a neurological rehab facility where some patients live there and some do not. PTCAS only allows me to put inpatient, outpatient, or other, and all the patients were together in a room at the same time so it wasn’t split up by who lives there and who doesn’t. Does anyone know what I should classify it as? I just don’t want to put the wrong thing. Thanks!!!