This NPTE cheat sheet distills the FSBPT National Physical Therapy Examination into a printable rundown of the clinical facts examiners test most, from musculoskeletal special tests to neuro signs and exercise prescription. It's a premium cheat sheet built by Capital Prep — the one premium prep we trust — and it's yours free. Reinforce it with the rest of your free NPTE toolkit: the practice test, study guide, and flashcards.
NPTE exam at a glance
- Administered by: Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT)
- Questions: 225 multiple-choice (180 scored + 45 unscored pretest)
- Structure & time: 5 sections of 45 questions; 5 hours total, at a Prometric center
- Passing score: Scaled score of 600 (200–800 scale) — not a fixed percentage
- Cost: $485 FSBPT registration + ~$112 Prometric seat fee (dated anchors — verify on fsbpt.org)
What’s on the NPTE cheat sheet
- Musculoskeletal (~27%) — special tests (Lachman, McMurray, empty can), MMT and ROM grading, orthopedic conditions, and joint mobilization — the largest system.
- Neuromuscular & Nervous (~24%) — UMN vs LMN signs, dermatome/myotome maps, stroke and spinal cord injury, and gait deviations.
- Cardiovascular & Pulmonary (~14%) — normal vitals, FITT, Borg RPE and METs, stop-exercise signs, and airway clearance.
- Integumentary & Lymphatic (~8% combined) — pressure-injury staging, arterial vs venous ulcers, burn depth, and complete decongestive therapy.
- Other systems + non-system areas — metabolic/endocrine, GI, GU, system interactions, equipment and modalities, safety, professional responsibilities, and research/EBP.
How to use it in your final week
- Front-load Musculoskeletal (~27%) and Neuromuscular & Nervous (~24%) — together roughly half the scored items. If you master two areas from the sheet, make them these.
- Drill the pattern-match facts until they're automatic: Lachman = ACL, McMurray = meniscus, MMT grade 3 = full ROM against gravity with no resistance, UMN = spasticity/hyperreflexia/+Babinski.
- Read the sheet the morning of the exam for a final pass on the memory hooks — scaled score of 600 passes, 180 of 225 items scored, autonomic dysreflexia at/above T6, ABI < 0.9 = arterial disease.
- Pair each review pass with a short timed practice set (45 questions in ~55 minutes ≈ 75 seconds each) so your pacing holds across the five-hour, five-section exam.
The cheat sheet is your review layer — your NPTE practice test drives the exam-readiness ring at the top of this page. Download it, review, then take a full practice exam (or drill with the study guide and flashcards) to see where you stand.
NPTE cheat sheet FAQ
Yes — the NPTE cheat sheet is 100% free to download as a PDF, with no sign-up required. It sits alongside Career Employer's free NPTE toolkit: the practice test, study guide, and flashcards.
It condenses the highest-yield facts the FSBPT tests into a fast reference: musculoskeletal special tests and MMT grades, UMN vs LMN and dermatome/myotome maps, cardiopulmonary vitals and exercise intensity, wound and pressure-injury staging, modalities, and safety — organized by the body systems the NPTE-PT weights most.
It's built from the current FSBPT NPTE-PT Test Content Outline and Candidate Handbook, and we review it against the FSBPT's published blueprint regularly. Always confirm fees and attempt limits on fsbpt.org, since those change.
No — the sheet is a review and last-week cram layer, not a substitute for working scenario questions across all nine body systems. The NPTE-PT is pass/fail at a scaled score of 600 (on a 200–800 scale), so use the sheet to lock in facts and the practice test to build clinical reasoning and timing.
Click the download button (or the preview card) at the top of this page to open the PDF instantly. Bookmark this page so you can find it again during your final week before the FSBPT exam.
References
- 1.Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy. “NPTE Content (PT Test Content Outline).” FSBPT.org, 2026. ↑
- 2.Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy. “NPTE Candidate Handbook.” FSBPT.org, 2026. ↑
- 3.Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy. “Examination Results and Scoring.” FSBPT.org, 2026. ↑
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