As a student of physical therapy, I am sure that you have dreaded the day you have to start studying for the national board exam.

But if you remember anything from this post, it's that it is never too early to start studying. 

When I was in physical therapy assistant school our professors encouraged us to begin the National Physical Therapy Exam prep 6 months in advance. Yes, that's right, 6 months of studying for a 4 to 5 hour test. I took their advice. 

In January 2019 I was honored to be named the first student in Midlands Technical College (South Carolina) history to earn a perfect score on my physical therapist assistant NPTE exam. 

I remember logging in to see my score one night and being completely in awe and humbled. It was surreal and overwhelming that I made a perfect score on the exam, 800 out of 800. I still cannot wrap my head around this reality of mine. 

Since high school I have always been a terrible test taker on tests like the ACT, SAT, and GRE. At least that was my norm until I crushed the NPTE in order to become a licensed PTA in the state of South Carolina. 

So how did I make a perfect score? Here are my tips and insights gained from my experience.