The National Physical Therapy Exam, or NPTE, is a critical licensing exam that all physical therapy graduates must pass to practice in the U.S. First-time NPTE pass rates are a key indicator of program quality and student success. However, national pass rates have been on the decline in recent years, which has led many physical therapy programs to focus on improving student outcomes.
One approach that programs have adopted is the use of comprehensive exams. These exams help identify areas where students may need additional support early in their education and predict success on the NPTE.
At our institution, we set three primary goals:
1. To identify key areas for improvement.
2. To select reliable tools to measure student progress.
3. To implement a comprehensive student success program.
We began by establishing clear expectations for students, ensuring they understood the benchmarks for success. This process included creating defined policies, such as "Academic Warning”, allowing us to intervene sooner and create tailored success plans for at-risk students.
Key initiatives we have implemented include:
• A peer tutoring program.
• A curriculum that covers study skills and test-taking strategies.
• Final exams written in a format consistent with the licensure exam.
• Comprehensive exams at the end of year one and two with minimal threshold expectations and a remediation plan, if needed.
With these efforts, we bridged knowledge gaps and improved student performance, resulting in a 100% first-time pass rate on the NPTE in 2023. This demonstrates the effectiveness of a well- structured student success program.