The Maryland jurisprudence exam is a Maryland-specific law and ethics test that many health-occupation boards require before issuing a license. Each board writes or selects its own version, so the content, format, fee, passing score, and retake rules depend entirely on which profession you’re entering. If you’re applying for a Maryland health-care license, your first task is to find out whether your board requires one and how that specific exam works.
Which Professions Require It
Maryland’s health occupations boards decide independently whether to include a jurisprudence exam. Confirmed professions include:
- Physical therapists and physical therapist assistants, who take the Maryland Jurisprudence Assessment Module (MD JAM) through the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy.1Maryland Department of Health. Board of Physical Therapy Examiners – Licensing
- Psychologists, through the Board of Examiners of Psychologists.2Maryland Department of Health. Maryland Jurisprudence Examination Registration Form
- Chiropractors, through the Board of Chiropractic and Massage Therapy Examiners.3Maryland Department of Health. Jurisprudence Examination
- Massage therapists, through the same board.4Maryland Department of Health. Board of Massage Therapy Examiners – Examination
- Pharmacists. Beginning June 1, 2026, the Board of Pharmacy will let applicants choose between the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination (MPJE) and the new Uniform Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination (UMPJE). Applicants who choose the UMPJE must also complete a Maryland-specific module with recorded materials and a competency assessment.5Maryland Department of Health. Maryland Board of Pharmacy
- Dentists and dental hygienists, who sit for separate jurisprudence exams published by the Board of Dental Examiners.6Maryland Department of Health. Jurisprudence Exams
- Podiatrists, who must complete both an ethics lecture and a jurisprudence exam under the Board of Podiatric Medical Examiners.7Maryland Department of Health. Jurisprudence Examination
- Professional counselors, through an assessment administered by CCE Global for the Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists.8CCE Global. Maryland
This is not an exhaustive list. If your profession is regulated under the Maryland Health Occupations Article, check your specific board’s website before you submit a license application.
What the Exam Covers
Every Maryland jurisprudence exam draws from two sources: the Maryland Health Occupations Article, which is the statute establishing legal authority and rules for each profession, and the Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR) Title 10, which contains the administrative rules each board has adopted.9Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code – Health Occupations – General Provisions Together these form what is commonly called the Practice Act for your profession.
Boards concentrate on a few areas: the boundaries of your scope of practice, grounds for disciplinary action including suspension and revocation, mandatory reporting obligations, and ethical standards. The physical therapy board tells candidates to review the Maryland Physical Therapy Act statutes and regulations in order to prepare for its 35-question exam.1Maryland Department of Health. Board of Physical Therapy Examiners – Licensing Other boards organize their material differently, but the underlying question is the same: do you know what Maryland law lets you do, what it forbids, and what happens when you cross the line?
Format and Passing Scores
Physical Therapy
The MD JAM is an online, on-demand exam with 35 questions. You need 90% to pass, which is one of the stricter thresholds in the state.1Maryland Department of Health. Board of Physical Therapy Examiners – Licensing You register and test through the FSBPT portal using your FSBPT ID, and there is no cap on the number of attempts.10Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy. Maryland Jurisprudence Assessment Module (MD JAM)
Psychology
The psychology exam runs on scheduled dates set by the Board of Examiners of Psychologists, not on demand. Registration forms and payment must be received at least two weeks before your chosen date.2Maryland Department of Health. Maryland Jurisprudence Examination Registration Form The exam is multiple choice with a 75% passing threshold.
Chiropractic and Massage Therapy
Both exams are online and require a 75% passing score.3Maryland Department of Health. Jurisprudence Examination4Maryland Department of Health. Board of Massage Therapy Examiners – Examination Question counts and other format details are not publicly posted on either board page, so read the instructions carefully once you register.
Fees
Fees vary dramatically across professions. Don’t assume your exam costs what a colleague’s did in a different field.
- Physical therapy (MD JAM): $65, plus a 1.6% processing fee rounded up to the nearest dollar.10Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy. Maryland Jurisprudence Assessment Module (MD JAM)
- Psychology: $250, credit or debit card only, nonrefundable.11Maryland Department of Health. Payment Center for Board of Examiners of Psychologists
- Chiropractic: initial fee set by the board; after two failed attempts, the retake fee rises to $400.3Maryland Department of Health. Jurisprudence Examination
- Massage therapy: retake fee after two failures is $250.4Maryland Department of Health. Board of Massage Therapy Examiners – Examination
At least some Maryland boards treat all fees as nonrefundable, and you are charged again every time you retake. Confirm the refund policy before you pay.
How to Register
Registration depends on your board. Physical therapists register through the FSBPT Customer Dashboard using an FSBPT ID.12Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy. Exam Registration and Payment Psychologists submit a dedicated registration form directly to the board with payment.2Maryland Department of Health. Maryland Jurisprudence Examination Registration Form Other boards point you to their own portals on the Maryland Department of Health website.
Whichever portal you use, you’ll typically supply personal identification details (name, date of birth, Social Security number), your educational background, and any identification numbers tied to your main license application. Make sure every detail matches what you submitted on your main application. A mismatched name spelling or ID number can prevent the board from connecting your results to your file and will stall the entire process.
For on-demand exams like the MD JAM, a link to launch the test usually appears immediately after payment. For scheduled exams like the psychology assessment, remember the two-week registration cutoff.2Maryland Department of Health. Maryland Jurisprudence Examination Registration Form
If You Fail: Waiting Periods and Retakes
Retake rules are stricter than most people expect. The chiropractic and massage therapy boards both impose a 30-day waiting period from the date of your last failed attempt before you can sit again.3Maryland Department of Health. Jurisprudence Examination4Maryland Department of Health. Board of Massage Therapy Examiners – Examination After two unsuccessful attempts, both boards also raise the retake fee substantially.
The physical therapy MD JAM has no attempt limit, and because it is on-demand, retake scheduling is more flexible.10Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy. Maryland Jurisprudence Assessment Module (MD JAM) For the psychology exam, retakes are tied to the board’s scheduled test dates, which can mean a longer wait between attempts. Confirm your board’s policy before assuming you can simply re-register the next day.
How Long a Passing Score Lasts
Not every passing score lasts forever. The Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists, for example, requires applicants to submit a complete license application within one calendar year of passing the jurisprudence assessment; after that, the score expires and you must retake the exam.8CCE Global. Maryland Other boards may use different windows or none at all. The safest approach is to take the jurisprudence exam close in time to your full license application, not months or years ahead.
How to Prepare
Start by downloading your profession’s Practice Act, which is the combination of the Health Occupations Article subtitle for your field and the matching COMAR Title 10 regulations. Both are available free through the Maryland General Assembly website and the COMAR database. The physical therapy board tells candidates directly to review the Maryland Physical Therapy Act statutes and regulations before taking the 35-question exam.1Maryland Department of Health. Board of Physical Therapy Examiners – Licensing
Focus on three areas. First, the exact boundaries of your scope of practice: what you are authorized to do, what requires supervision, and what’s flatly prohibited. Second, disciplinary grounds, especially the actions that can lead to license suspension or revocation. Third, mandatory reporting obligations, because boards frequently test whether you know when you are legally required to report another professional’s conduct or a patient safety concern.
A common mistake is treating the jurisprudence exam like a formality and skimming the materials the night before. The 90% threshold for physical therapy and the escalating retake fees for chiropractic and massage therapy suggest the boards expect real preparation. Budget several days of focused reading, especially if you trained out of state and haven’t worked under Maryland-specific rules before.
Testing Accommodations
If a disability affects your ability to take the exam under standard conditions, federal law requires testing entities to provide reasonable accommodations. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, you may qualify for extended time, a distraction-free room, screen reading technology, large-print materials, permission to take medication during the exam, or a scribe, among other modifications.13ADA.gov. ADA Requirements: Testing Accommodations
Request accommodations early in the registration process. The Department of Justice has flagged slow responses and excessive documentation demands as recurring problems with testing entities.13ADA.gov. ADA Requirements: Testing Accommodations Contact your specific board or the third-party testing vendor to find out exactly what documentation they require and how far in advance you need to submit it.