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Updated 1/21/20
Are you tired of searching for NPTE resources by reading through various Facebook groups, asking your peers, and searching on Google? Yeah, I was too.
This post is a comprehensive list of study tools so that you can figure out the best way to study for and pass the NPTE. While I included some common pros and cons, this list is not going to tell you what is going to work the best for you.
Here are the only resources I recommend for the NPTE:
1. Buy a used TherapyEd or Scorebuilers book (make sure you can take the exams if you buy a used book. I recommend buying used books on the Doctor of Physical Therapy Student Facebook group)
2. Buy the PEAT practice exams
3. Utilize free resources (apps, podcasts, your PT school notes)
That’s all you need. You likely don’t need to buy both textbooks or an expensive online course. To cut costs even more, you could also share both TherapyEd and Scorebuilders books with a study partner.
Books
Scorebuilders – The Complete Study Guide

- 3 online practice exams
- Better charts and pictures than TherapyEd
- Exams are easier than TherapyEd and PEAT
- Not as comprehensive as TherapyEd
Buy on Scorebuilders Website | Buy on Amazon
TherapyEd Review & Study Guide

- 3 online practice exams
- Comprehensive and detailed information
- The most challenging exams (compared to Scorebuilders and PEAT)
- Too many bullet points and not enough diagrams / photos
Buy on TherapyEd Website | Buy on Amazon
Click to read a thorough comparison of TherapyEd and Scorebuilders books.
Other Textbooks

These books are not commonly spoken about, so you’re probably better off with the textbooks listed above. If you’d like these books, I’d definitely recommend finding them used on a Facebook group.
- McGraw-Hills NPTE National Physical Therapy Exam: 2012 version
- Saunders Q&A Review for the Physical Therapy Board Examination: 2012 version, expensive
- NPTE Secrets Study Guide
- Scorebuilders On-Campus Review Course: 2015 version; this book is given if you attend a Scorebuilders course in person
Practice Exams
Practice Exam & Assessment Tool (PEAT)

- 1 retired NPTE exam and 1 practice exam
- The closest practice exams to the actual NPTE (uses the same format and type of questions)
- One of the only practice exams with 250 questions
- Only a 60-day access the exams
- Does not come with a textbook or other study materials
Scorebuilders – PT Online Advantage (Student Version)

- 2 practice exams
- Helpful if you want additional Scorebuilders exams
- Only a 60-day access the exams
- Does not come with a textbook
- May be cheaper to purchase the textbook that comes with 3 practice exams
Other Practice Exams

Take these exams with a grain of salt, as I have not seen them mentioned too often on the Doctor of Physical Therapy Student Facebook group. Please read reviews on the Facebook group before purchasing.
Phone Apps
PT 365

- Daily questions with good explanations
- Thorough analysis of your scores
- Answer questions from days that you missed
- No access to daily questions from before the day you downloaded the app (so get the app ASAP!)
- No push notifications
Google Play Store | Apple App Store
NPTE Final Frontier

- Daily practice questions
- Monthly 10-question practice quiz
- The Audio Bundle and Study Bundle are not free
- Less user friendly and does not feel as modern compared to the other apps
- No analysis of your overall scores
Google Play Store | Apple App Store
NPTE – PT Pocket Prep

- Free version includes only 14 daily questions and 50 extra practice questions
- Paid version includes 600 practice questions and unlimited daily questions
- Push notifications are available
- Unlock 40 more questions by liking, rating, or sharing on social media
- Paid version is expensive
Google Play Store | Apple App Store
NPTE PT Tutor – Practice Test

- 299 Flashcards and questions of the day
- Push notifications are available
- Poor explanations to questions
- Questions and flashcards are too simple
- Not very user friendly
- Ads occasionally pop up over entire screen
PT Content Master

- 750 multiple choice questions
- The only app that includes content review
- Expensive
- The app has not been updated in 2-3 years
- Many negative reviews on the app stores
Google Play Store | Apple App Store
Flashcards
Quizlet

- Unlimited flashcards
- Free to create your own flashcards
- Information may be incorrect on flashcards created by other students
- Time consuming to create your own flaschards
Quizlet Website | NPTE Final Frontier Quizlet
Scorebuilders – PT Content Master Flash Cards

- 200 double-sided flashcards
- Perfect for studying on the go
- Not comprehensive (compared to textbooks)
Buy on Scorebuilders Website | Buy on Amazon
Social Media Resources
Podcasts

- NPTE Clinical Files
- Dominating the NPTE with Kyle Rice
- BEST PT Podcast
- NPTE Studycast
- NPTE Final Frontier Audio Bundle (not free)
- Audio flashcards created by a PT student: Google Drive | Zip File | Link to the original Facebook post
Blogs

Facebook Groups

Email Newsletter

Email newsletter beginning 8 weeks before your NPTE exam date
- Free practice schedule
- Daily practice questions
- Helpful study topics and mnemonics
- This is not a comprehensive review course
Paid Courses
If you would like reviews on any of the following courses, I recommend searching on the Facebook groups linked above. I have not personally taken any of these courses, so I will not be reviewing them.

- Scorebuilders Basecamp: Standard | Annual | Basecamp Website
- Scorebuilders – PT ACE (A Competitive Edge)
- The PT Hustle
- PT Final Exam
- NPTE Final Frontier
- Therapy Exam Prep
- TherapyEd Prep Class
- NPTE StudyBuddy
Hi Katie!
Great resource, as always. Could you share tips, tricks, and templates of how you summarized the NPTE books you used? Simply writing it down won’t cut if for most people.
Thanks again!
Hi Yoav! Thanks so much for commenting.
I’ll try to get a post out in a few weeks. I wish I had taken more photos while I was actually studying for the NPTE a couple years ago. 😉 In the meantime, I’d recommend trying to study like how you studied textbooks during PT school. Create charts, draw pictures, make flashcards, etc. Some of my classmates could just sit and read a book and then recall the information.
Best of luck! 🙂