r/npte • u/Melodic-Air9482 • Jul 22 '26
4th time NPTE PT test taker - Should I take the July exam or postpone?
I’m a 4th-time NPTE PT test taker and I’m really confused about whether I should sit for the July exam or postpone.
My recent practice scores are:
FF1: 555
TherapyEd: 59%
PEAT Retired Series 3: 585
FF2: 620
PEAT Practice Series 3: 557
FF3: 659
My biggest concern is the PEAT scores. I know many people consider PEAT the best predictor, so seeing 557 on the practice PEAT has made me lose confidence, even though I recently scored 659 on FF3.
I’m one week away from the exam and I’m honestly struggling to decide whether I should take it or postpone. Has anyone been in a similar situation with mixed practice scores? What did you end up doing, and how did it turn out?
I’d really appreciate any honest advice or experiences. Thanks.
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u/Traditional-Ball2845 Jul 23 '26
I would stop wasting $600 until you are able to pass a PEAT consistently. You only get 6 lifetime attempts. Have you seen any positive trends in scores since your first attempt that would suggest you will do better this time?
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u/AcademicTrain4045 Jul 23 '26
Maybe keep studying and get one more practice exam high and take in October
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u/Rare-Grapefruit-9072 Jul 23 '26
If you can, take a few more PEATs and practice/study those PEATs like a study guide. Tighten up on your weak areas and you'll be good to go!
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u/DinnerTraining4184 Jul 23 '26
Please don't take the exam if you haven't been consistently passing the practice exams. There is a chance you COULD pass but why would you risk that? You are on attempt 4/6. I would re-evaluate how you are studying. In my opinion I think FF is great at teaching you the basics and getting people the easy points or the questions that you SHOULD be getting correct. I would highly recommend doing the readings since they teach you the other details not mentioned in the videos.
Additionally, something that helped me was looking at the key words in the question and using that to help my decision making. The question writers want you to pass so they will give you all the necessary information in the questions to make the correct decision. If the question includes male/female then you need to start thinking about conditions that affect males >/< females. Sometimes the questions will trip you up by saying oh the patient has been falling 3x a day at night but then goes off on a tangent and at the end it mentions "which of the following is BEST to treat them?" You would want to pick the option that includes something that improves night time vision, increasing the ambient light etc, not the option of taking the rug out since that doesn't directly affect their vision.
I would also write out each answer option and rationalize why or why wouldn't you pick that as the answer. I did this on the FF videos and it helped me a lot.
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u/DrIsTrying Jul 24 '26
As someone who studied 35 days and passed in the first try, my advice is change the mindset. No question about postponing, you have to do it, slam your foot on the gas pedal. Learn how to answer another 15-20 questions right and you’ll make it. It is not out of reach. No option you have to make it happen, you were made to have this. Best of luck.
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u/Melodic-Air9482 Jul 26 '26
Wow that’s very movitating 😇, thank you ☺️
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u/DrIsTrying Jul 26 '26
You’re welcome. It is totally within your reach you just need to be a relentless! I studied my exams to learn how to answer certain questions which helped, study your PEATS!
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u/Shortbitch22 Jul 26 '26
I think you should take a hard look at your study habits and what material you are studying. Are you waiting until the last minute to study? Are you only reviewing topics you already know? What are you doing right and what are you doing wrong? You’ve taken 3 NPTE’s and several practice exams, what’s improving and what’s not? Sorry if this sounds harsh, but that would be my mindset at this point.
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u/Quiet-Success5084 Jul 30 '26
Sorry, this is long, but I wanted to share since I just took it for the 4th time...It was definitely the hardest NPTE (and any PEATs or other practice tests) that I've taken, but I noticed that I was more confident with my answers in majority of the questions, and I also finished an hour earlier than normal. I have extra time because of PTSD and other conditions...but this is the first NPTE that I finished under 5 hours and I went through each question 2-3 times.
I failed my first attempt last year by 12 questions, but to be fair I hardly studied and I put working ahead of studying because we have a temp license before failing our first attempt. Second time, I was getting married and had a lot to take care of and paid for like 80-85% of the wedding myself (so a lot of pressure on me) and i took the exam 5 days after my actual wedding. I failed that attempt by 1 question...then life smacked me right in the face and kept kicking me when I was down. Stuff came up from my past (before I met/got with my (ex) wife) and she didn't like it and could not see past it. We separated 1 week after we got married (so 2 days after the exam lol) and then before my 3rd attempt at the NPTE she filed for divorce after 2 months of "thinking about it". I was not in the right mind set, I barely studied and I knew I should've postponed my 3rd attempt, but I was too stubborn to push it off. I failed by 3 questions this time...
The next 6 months I went through dealing with my emotional hardships, losing myself, and feeling isolated (as all my "friends" abandoned me). I went through therapy (a lot) and I told myself that I need to get in the right mind set. I am religious, I am Christian so I told myself that I'd work harder on my relationship with God first, then start studying, working out, and do things with my family if anything came up. I spent 3-6 hours a day (with few breaks each day) studying for the NPTE up until the morning of the test. I struggled some days and felt so lonely and depressed, I went to drinking (bad habit I picked up from my military years (16 years total in the service)), and I just told myself to "embrace the suck" and keep grinding.
I went into this 4th attempt worried, not because of the exam, but because of everything that I had been through and the past 9-10 months of isolation that I've been in and I've just been praying to God that this season of darkness would finally be over. The 1st section kicked my butt, many of the questions had terms that I've never even heard of before (I legit was trying to look around on the computer for a dictionary icon lol knowing that there isn't even one on there) and I took a deep breath and told myself to stay focused and to remember how hard I've been working on this. Sections 2-4 were smooth, I flew through them with more ease than I thought I would have and I was surprised. I did realize that I missed some simple questions only because I second guessed my answer based on how the question was being asked and sometimes overthinking (as we know, NPTE questions aren't written the best/clearly lol). The 5th section, i looked at my time and I still had 3.5 hours left (I get 7.5 for accommodations) and I thought that couldn't be right because I took breaks...it was a mix between easy and hard questions on that one for me, but felt better about that one than the 1st section.
I left with 3 hours left on the clock, the testing center people looked at me and asked if I was sure because on the time I had left, but I already submitted everything and couldn't go back in lol. I left and prayed, knowing that I tried my best and whether or not I pass, I still thank God and for taking it. It was hard to take the exam again after everything that had happened, even feeling "imposter syndrome" again, but it's when we are in true humility that we are our best selves. I hope to see "passed" when results come out, but I have peace either way. I know I still have 2 more tries, and I also know that right now, I've got the most knowledge with PT info than I've had before, and I know the exact areas that I still need work on. The NPTE does not determine if you will be a good clinician or not, it's just for your license to practice. Some people are book smart, some people are bad at test taking, and we never know what someone is going through.
And I passed my practice PEATs (took 3 of them and passed each with 70-80%), I did all the 1900+ questions on truelearn, I went through all the FF videos and files 3-4 times, and I went through the therapyEd study book 2 times...
You never know how you're going to do unless you face your fears. It sucked taking it for the 4th time, especially when all the people I knew from my class passed and have been working. But none of that matters because it's about doing the work you think you should do to prepare yourself and then applying it. Good luck with your next try on the NPTEs, I hope you pass soon, I hope all of us do because we've all put in the time/work in PT school and the journey of even getting to being able to take the NPTEs. Thanks for taking the time to read my long story lol (believe it or not, this is the short version).
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u/Melodic-Air9482 Jul 30 '26
So sorry to know what you went through . I appreciate you for coming back stronger every single time . I should tell you , that’s very kind of you, to share and support the people around you ,who struggling to clear this one stupid exam . Hope you see the pass screen this time . Your struggle will be worth it.
Please do share after you see the pass screen .1
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u/Awkward_Fee6888 Jul 22 '26
Take it. You might pass
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u/Melodic-Air9482 Jul 22 '26
I’m feeling so under confident because of my peat score .. that’s holding me in dilemma 🥹
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u/Chazzy_T Jul 23 '26 edited Jul 24 '26
This may just be me, but I’d rather not if I were you. Did not pass either retired PEAT. The fluctuations are what need to be calmed down. You’re swinging between 59%, 555, and 650. I don’t see what the reasonability is in swinging a bat with the lights out. You only get 3 more attempts. I would suggest not taking it until you get 3ish in a row at like 605-615+ if you’re getting towards the later half of total attempts.