Physical Therapist Assistant – Compact Privileges

To obtain Physical Therapist Assistant Compact Privileges:

Check Eligibility:

• Hold a valid PTA license in your home state (must be a compact member).

• Have a valid driver's license proving permanent residency in your home state.

• No active encumbrances or disciplinary actions in the past two years.

• Visit ptcompact.org/am-i-eligible to check your eligibility.

Pass the Wisconsin Statutes and Rules Exam:

• Create a LicensE account

• Apply for Physical Therapist Assistant Compact Privileges

  • Click Apply for License

  • Select Health

  • Select Physical Therapist Assistant

  • Select Compact Privileges

  • Submit the application.

• Exam instructions will be automatically emailed within 30 minutes of successful application submittal.

• Official exam scores must be received and processed and are not automatically updated upon exam completion. A passing score is 85% or higher.

Apply for Compact Privileges:

• Visit the PT Compact website and click "Purchase Now".

Important Notes:

• If you have a valid Wisconsin's Driver's License and a current Wisconsin Physical Therapist Assistant license, then Wisconsin is your home state and you should not submit this LicensE Compact application. Proceed to ptcompact.org for instructions to apply for privileges in other Compact states.

• If you have a Driver's License in another state and a current Wisconsin Physical Therapist Assistant license, proceed to the PT Compact and purchase your privileges. In this case, no additional Wisconsin application needed.

Below are some general instructions for applying for a credential on LicensE. 

1. Create or log into your LicensE account. Please visit LicensE account Information page for detailed guidance on selecting your account type.

2. Select "Apply for a License."

3. Select your Category.

4. Select your License Type.

5. Select your Application Method, then "Next."

6. Review your Personal Information.

7. Enter the requested Information on each page of the application. Information may include Examination, Education, or License History, depending on your profession.

8. If applicable, request a Veterans Fee Waiver or Initial Credential Fee Reduction.

9. Submit the requested Documents you may already have. You do not need to have all documents ready to submit.

   Note: Forms are now hosted on AccessGov. Visit AccessGov Forms Directory to choose your form.

10. Respond to the Attestation questions.

11. Provide Payment Information. Fees may be found Credential Fees.

12. Submit your application.  

Profession specific application requirements can be found in the "Application Information" section.

Create or log into your LicensE account

Select Apply for a License

Category: Health

License Type: Physical Therapist Assistant

Select Compact Privileges Application

The Wisconsin Statutes and Rules exam instructions will automatically be emailed to you within 30 minutes of successful application submittal.

To become licensed as a physical therapist assistant in Wisconsin, you must complete the following examination requirements:

• Pass the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE).

• Pass the Wisconsin Statutes and Administrative Code Examination, an open-book exam covering Wisconsin laws and rules related to the practice of physical therapy.

• Complete an oral examination, if required by the Physical Therapy Affiliated Credentialing Board.

The oral examination is only required in certain situations, as determined by the Board.

Exam

You must register directly with and pay the required fee(s) to the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT) to take the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE).

Score Transfers

If you want to transfer your National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) scores from one state or jurisdiction to another, contact the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT) Exam Application Processing & Score Transfer Service.

For questions or to understand more about transferring exam scores, email fsbptap@proexam.org

Results

Exam results are reported to the Wisconsin licensing board by FSBPT, per applicant instructions.

The passing score for Physical Therapist Assistant is 85%. You will receive your exam name, password and student ID to take this test after you submit your application.

Open-Book Exam Content:

The exam content is drawn from applicable state statutes and administrative code chapters specific to the profession. The purpose of the exam is to familiarize yourself with locating the statutes and administrative code that regulate the practice of the profession.

The state exam consists of material taken from the following statutes and code chapters:

PT 2

PT 3

PT 4

PT 5

PT 6

PT 7

PT 8

PT 9

Chapter 48

Chapter 252

Chapter 440

Chapter 448

Chapter 940

Instructions:

1. Instructions for the Wisconsin Statutes and Rules exam will be emailed to applicant within 30 minutes of submitting application including exam fee.

2. Be sure to select "Test Launching” not “Test Administration”

3. The exam is not timed. You may exit and return to the test any time over the next 3 months. Exit by clicking the “X” at the top right-hand corner of any screen.

4. Do not click “Done” until you are ready to submit the exam. If you accidentally click done before you are ready to submit your exam, just go back in and start again. Your first score will be deleted.

5. Print out a copy of your score report and retain it for your own records.

6. Exam results will be forwarded to DSPS once a week and will be manually added and reviewed in your application.

7. You will receive an email from LicensE when your exam scores have been added to your application.

8. Your Due Diligence page will be updated after your score has been reviewed.

Retake:

If you fail the exam, you must pay the $75 retake fee and retake the exam. Once you receive your exam results email from DSPS, log into your LicensE account, go to Check Application Status, click arrow under Action (turn phone sideways to see option on far right) and select JP Exam to pay the $75.00 retake fee to the Department. Instructions for the exam will be emailed when your fee is processed.

Questions:

Additional technical or exam content-related questions can be answered by logging into your LicensE account, click on Request Support in the blue ribbon and submit your specific questions.

Oral Examination must only be completed if needed. Please see Wisconsin Administrative Code Pt2 for more information.

An applicant may be required to complete an oral examination if he/she:

1. has a medical condition which in any way impairs or limits the applicant's ability to practice physical therapist or as a physical therapist assistant with reasonable skill and safety;

2. uses chemical substances so as to impair in any way the applicant's ability to practice physical therapist or as a physical therapist assistant with reasonable skill and safety;

3.  have been diagnosed as suffering from pedophilia, exhibitionism or voyeurism;

4. has within the past two (2) years engaged in the illegal use of controlled dangerous substances;

5. has been subject to adverse formal action during the course of physical therapist or physical therapist assistant education, postgraduate training, hospital practice, or other physical therapist or physical therapist assistant employment;

6. has been disciplined or had licensure denied by a licensing or regulatory authority in Wisconsin or another jurisdiction;

7. has been convicted of a crime, the circumstances of which substantially relate to the practice of physical therapist or of a physical therapist assistant;

8.  has not practiced physical therapist or as a physical therapist assistant for a period of three (3) years prior to application, unless the applicant has graduated from a school of physical therapist or physical therapist assistant within that period;

9. has graduated from a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant school not approved by the Board.

An applicant who meets any of the above criteria (1-9) will be reviewed by the Physical Therapy Examining Board members. The Board shall determine whether the applicant is eligible for a regular license without completing an oral examination.

All examinations shall be conducted in the English language. Where both written and oral examinations are required, they shall be scored separately, and the applicant is required to achieve a passing grade on both examinations to qualify for a license. If you are selected to appear for an oral examination, you will be advised of the date upon completion of your application.

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), TWE, TSE must only be completed by candidates who graduated from a school of physical therapy assistant in which English was not the primary language see TOEFL website for more information. 

After you upload all required documents, submit your application, and pay the required fee(s):

1. Preliminary Application Reference Number (PAR)

   1. Your application will be assigned a Preliminary Application Reference number or PAR number. This number allows you and trusted parties to look up the status of your application without logging in. You can also reference this number in any support tickets you submit in regard to your application.

      • A trusted 3^rd party can look up your credential status by visiting LicensE, clicking “Application Status Lookup” and entering the PAR number you have provided to them.

2. Review Timeline

   1. Your materials will be reviewed within approximately 10 days by a member of the credentialing team.

      • Note: Some licenses do take longer to process due to complexity. You can see the performance data on our LicensE Dashboard to see what date we are reviewing for certain application types under "Application Review Times by Profession."

3. Pending Applicant Input Status

   1. After this review, if anything is missing or the credentialing team has any questions on your application, your application will go back into a status called “Pending Applicant Input.”  You will receive an email letting you know your application was moved into this status. You should then log into LicensE and check your application “Due Diligence.”

4. To check your "Due Diligence" 

   1. Your Due Diligence is a checklist of items required for your credential.

   2. The Due Diligence section is how DSPS staff will communicate with you regarding your credential requirements.

   3. Log in to your LicensE account

   4. Click on "Check Application Status" 

   5. Your credential application should be shown on this page. Under “Action” select the button that looks like an upside-down triangle. If you are on mobile, you will need to turn your phone into landscape view. Note: LicensE is best viewed on a desktop or laptop.

   6. After clicking the upside-down triangle, select “View Due Diligences.”

   7. The Due Diligence column lets you know what the requirement is.

   8. The “STATUS” column will you know if the item is “Met”, “Not Met”, or “Not Applicable.”

      • Items listed as “Not Met” are items that are needed by the Department.  

   9. The “NOTES” column of your Due Diligence will provide further written details or instructions about what is still needed.

5. To upload documents

   1. Some applications require additional document uploads.

   2. Log into your LicensE account

   3. Click on "Check Application Status"

   4. Your credential application should be shown on this page. Under "Action" select the button that looks like an upside-down triangle. If you are on mobile, you will need to turn your phone into landscape view. Note: LicensE is best viewed on a desktop or laptop. 

   5. After clicking the upside-down triangle, select "Upload Document."

   6. The document must be an allowable document type. 

   7. After uploading the document, click "submit." If you do not, it will not be sent to a reviewer. 

6. If you have any questions, you can submit a support ticket on LicensE by logging in and clicking "request support" at the top of the page.

LicensE statuses that require action from applicant:

LicensE statuses that indicate the application is with Department staff:

Support Ticket
Submit a support ticket on LicensE and click "request support." Please provide as much detail as possible regarding your concern so we can work to answer your question with a one touch resolution. 

Call
608-266-2112

Email
dsps@wisconsin.gov

Office Hours
7:45am-4:30pm
Department of Safety and Professional Services
4822 Madison Yards Way
Madison, WI, 53705

Note: The in-person office does not process same day.