NPTE Opportunities

 

 Exam Committee Members and Item Writers

Contribute Your Skills

Item writers and exam committee members share their expertise to contribute to the creation of the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE^®), which helps ensure that only competent individuals are licensed as PTs and PTAs.

Item Writers

Serving as an NPTE item writer is a great way to share your expertise, network with colleagues, and contribute to the process of item development. Item writers who have shown an understanding of the item development process and have met productivity requirements are considered for exam committee appointments.

Commitment: Each item writer workshop generally lasts two-and-a-half days. Subsequently, item writers who attend the Alexandria workshops serve a term of four months. Item writers who attend a regional workshop serve a term of two months. Item writers are asked to write entry-level items in a variety of content areas. Having an area of expertise does not guarantee an item writer will be asked to write items in that content area.

Qualifications: You do NOT need previous item writing experience. You must be licensed with a minimum of two years of experience and in good standing with your state board. If you are a PTA actively enrolled in a DPT bridge program, we ask that you apply to volunteer after taking the NPTE toward licensure as a physical therapist. Consideration is given to selecting item writers from diverse ethnic backgrounds, geographical locations, and practice settings to ensure a broad representation of the professional community.

Questions: Email us at volunteer@fsbpt.org

Ready to apply? You must be logged into the FSBPT Portal to complete the application. You can create an account or find out if you already have an account by following these steps. The system will automatically direct you to the application. 

Item Writer Coordinators

Item Writer Coordinators oversee and guide item writers.

Commitment: 3 years

Position Requirements:

• Experience on exam subcommittees and/or item writing.
• Ability to write and analyze items for the National Physical Therapy Examination item bank consistent with the NPTE item development standards.
• Commitment to furthering FSBPT’s mission.

 

Item Writing Task Force

The task force’s purpose is to formalize the importance and leadership role of item writers who have made significant contributions to the NPTE item bank and to the item development process. The creation of the task force allows FSBPT to concentrate resources and training on a core group of item writers who have demonstrated the ability to write high-quality NPTE items. Creation of the task force should allow the FSBPT to react quickly to changes/needs in the item bank as a result of security threats or changes in test content outline.

Commitment: 3 years

Position Requirements:

• Ability to relate well with peers.
• Ability to work independently.
• Open to new ideas.
• Commitment to furthering the mission of FSBPT.
• Minimum of two years of experience in the practice setting that the particular committee member represents.
• Overall geographic representation over the entire committee.
• Previous experience writing items with recommendation from an item writing coordinator preferred.

 

Exam Committees

One of the best mechanisms for understanding and providing input into the NPTE development process is to volunteer on the exam committees.

• Exam Development Committee – PT
• Exam Development Committee – PTA

Commitment: 3 years

Appointments: The Board of Directors makes appointments each December for terms starting in January.

Qualifications: Previous item writing experience is generally needed to qualify for an NPTE exam committee. Additional qualifications include the ability to work well with a team and understanding and support of the mission of FSBPT.

 

More Information

Position Descriptions

Read the detailed position descriptions for each role.»

 

FSBPT Webinars

• Exploring Unconsious Bias
• The Impact of Covid on the NPTE
• A Collective Approach to Increasing Fairness and Bias on the NPTE

 

Faculty Newsletter

The Faculty Newsletter serves as one way for FSBPT to communicate with faculty in physical therapist (PT) and physical therapist assistant (PTA) programs on a regular basis. The publication provides current information and updates on the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) as well as information on other regulatory issues that may impact or be of interest to program faculty.