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Please note that the overall pass rate is the cumulative pass rate and includes students that may have failed the first time but passed on subsequent attempts. The fail rate for the NBCOT OTR ® and COTA ® exams average around 10-25%.

On average 81% of OTRs and 75% of COTAs pass on the NBCOT® on their first try.

Unlike other exams, students took during their academic tenures, the NBCOT® Exam is rigid, requiring you to adopt the mindset of the individuals who wrote the questions in order to pass. It's arduous and of course, time-consuming. Below, we unpack just why this test is so hard to prepare for.

The 2022 year included 26 out of 29 new graduates passing to achieve the 90% rate, similar to the previous year's rate of 27 out of 29 (93%). New grads are candidates testing within one year of graduation, regardless of the number of attempts. The national averages for OTR candidates were 96% in 2022 and 98% in 2021.

Most students (n = 268; 85.1%) passed the NBCOT exam on the first attempt. Key differences for those who passed were seen among many of the admission and program characteristics, including overall college GPA (p = .

Performance is ranked on a scale between 300-600, with 450 being the minimum score needed to pass. The exam consists of 170 multiple choice questions and a three-problem clinical simulation test section. Scoring is unique in that points are not deducted if you choose an incorrect answer.

A PDU is a Professional Development Unit. Most often, it is equal to one contact hour. One AOTA CEU is equal to ten contact hours, or ten PDUs.

Please note that the overall pass rate is the cumulative pass rate and includes students that may have failed the first time but passed on subsequent attempts. The fail rate for the NBCOT OTR ® and COTA ® exams average around 10-25%.