How to Pass the Arizona Physical Therapy Jurisprudence Exam

The Arizona physical therapy jurisprudence exam, called the AZLAW, is a 50-question multiple-choice test you take at a Prometric Testing Center, and you need a scaled score of 600 to pass.¹ Every physical therapist and physical therapist assistant seeking initial Arizona licensure has to pass it before the Board of Physical Therapy will issue a license.² You have 60 minutes. Only 40 of the 50 questions actually count toward your score; the other 10 are unscored pretest items the FSBPT is trying out for future exams, and you won’t be told which is which. Testing runs on a continuous basis, so appointments are available most days of the year.³

What the Exam Covers

Every question comes from two sources: Arizona Revised Statutes Title 32, Chapter 19, and Arizona Administrative Code Title 4, Chapter 24. Between them, they contain the laws and administrative rules that govern physical therapy in the state.

The FSBPT publishes a content outline with six weighted categories:⁴

Licensure and examination — 30%
Patient care management — 27.5%
Definitions — 17.5%
Disciplinary actions, unlawful practice, and ethical conduct — 10%
Consumer advocacy — 10%
Board powers and duties — 5%

Licensure and patient care together account for roughly 58% of the scored questions. That includes supervision rules for physical therapist assistants and aides, which is where the Arizona rules get specific and the exam tends to test fine distinctions between what an assistant can do independently and what requires direct supervision.

How to Register and Schedule

Three parties are involved: the Arizona Board of Physical Therapy, the FSBPT, and Prometric. The order matters.

Apply to the Board First

You need a pending licensure application on file with the Arizona State Board of Physical Therapy before you can be approved to test. The application must include a valid Arizona Fingerprint Clearance Card issued by the Department of Public Safety; without it, the Board will not approve you for the exam.⁵

Register With the FSBPT

Register for the AZLAW through fsbpt.org and pay the $65 exam fee.⁶ You can register before the Board approves you, but you can’t schedule the test until the Board confirms your eligibility. If approval doesn’t come within six months, FSBPT closes the registration and refunds the fee minus a $15 processing charge.³

Schedule at Prometric

Once the Board approves eligibility, the FSBPT sends an Authorization to Test (ATT) letter with scheduling instructions for Prometric. You have to sit for the exam within the 60-day window on the ATT letter. Prometric charges a separate testing fee (listed at $29.50 in the Board’s exam handbook, though the current amount may differ) that you pay online when you schedule. Payment is not accepted at the testing center.¹

Fees

Board application fee: $260 for physical therapists, $160 for physical therapist assistants.⁷
AZLAW exam fee: $65 to the FSBPT.⁶
Prometric testing fee: paid separately when scheduling; check the FSBPT or Prometric site for the current amount.

A physical therapist applying for initial licensure should plan on at least $350 for application and AZLAW costs combined. That figure does not include the NPTE registration fee or any score transfer fees, which are separate FSBPT charges.

How to Study

Neither the Board nor the FSBPT provides official practice questions or a self-assessment tool. The Board recommends studying its AZLAW Exam Handbook alongside the full text of the Arizona Revised Statutes and Arizona Administrative Code sections that govern physical therapy.⁸ The handbook is a free PDF on the Board’s website, and the statutes and rules are publicly accessible online.

A workable approach: read the statutes and rules section by section, and use the content outline’s percentage breakdown to decide how much time to spend on each area. Give licensure provisions and patient care management the most attention. Pay particular attention to supervision rules for physical therapist assistants and aides, since the distinctions there are the kind the exam is built to test.

Scoring, Results, and Retakes

You need a scaled score of 600 to pass.¹ The FSBPT scores the exam, sends results to the Arizona Board, and posts your status to your FSBPT dashboard about five business days after your exam window ends.⁹

If you don’t pass, you can retake it. You’ll re-register through fsbpt.org, pay the $65 FSBPT fee again, and pay the Prometric fee again. After registering for the retake, email the Board to ask it to renew your exam eligibility.¹

Watch one deadline: the Board treats your entire licensure application as withdrawn if you do not take the required national exam within 360 days of submitting it. If you’re getting close to that cutoff, contact the Board. You can request a denial in writing rather than let the application be withdrawn, which preserves your appeal options.¹⁰

Compact Privilege Holders Have to Take It Too

The AZLAW isn’t limited to initial licensure applicants. Physical therapists practicing in Arizona through the Physical Therapy Licensure Compact must also pass the exam, and Arizona requires it with every compact privilege purchase, including each renewal.¹¹ The compact statute itself authorizes each member state to impose a jurisprudence requirement on compact privilege holders.¹² To register under the compact, email submissions@ptboard.az.gov with your name, home state address, and FSBPT ID to request access.¹³

1
Arizona State Board of Physical Therapy. AZLAW Jurisprudence Exam Handbook
2
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes Title 32 – 32-2022 Qualifications for Licensure; Fingerprint Clearance Card
3
Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy. Jurisprudence Exam
4
Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy. Arizona LAW Content Outline
5
State Board of Physical Therapy. Fingerprint Clearance Card Information
6
Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy. Exam Registration and Payment
7
State Board of Physical Therapy. New Applicants
8
State Board of Physical Therapy. AZLAW Exam Handbook
9
Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy. After Test Day
10
Arizona Administrative Code. Arizona Administrative Code Title 4, Chapter 24, Article 2 – Table 1 Time-Frames
11
State Board of Physical Therapy. Other Applicants
12
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 32-2053 Physical Therapy Licensure Compact
13
PT Compact. Process and Requirements