Factors Related to Physical Therapist License Examination Scores

Abstract

Background and Purpose. Successful completion of the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) is a requirement for entry into professional practice. Physical therapist education programs assess a variety of information about enrolled students, including demographic, academic, and clinical performance factors. The purpose of this study was to determine which factors are related to NPTE score. Subjects. Data were analyzed from 92 alumni of the professional (entry-level) Master of Physical Therapy program at The University of Scranton (graduating classes 2001, 2002, and 2003). Methods. Pearson correlation analyses were conducted for the following variables: age at graduation, professional grade point average (PGPA), comprehensive exam (CE) score, Physical Therapy Clinical Performance Instrument (CPI) score, and NPTE score. Multiple regression analysis was performed to develop an equation for prediction of NPTE score from comprehensive exam score and professional grade point average. Results. Of the variables studied, CE score (R = .617, P < .001) and PGPA (R = .604, P < .001) were most correlated with NPTE score. Age at graduation and CPI score showed insignificant correlations with NPTE score. Comprehensive exam score and PGPA could be used to estimate NPTE score. The equation explained 47% of the variance in NPTE scores. Discussion and Conclusion. Of the factors studied, CE score and PGPA were most closely related to NPTE score. It seems likely that these factors assess the same dimension(s) of professional physical therapist practice as the NPTE. Perhaps it is time for the physical therapist profession to consider the development of a standardized comprehensive examination.