OpenExamsFREE PRACTICE — ANY EXAM

Vermont Occupational Therapy — Requirements & Free Practice

US-VT · License preparation

605 free questions · Answer explanations · No signup required

Choose what to practice

Start with an exam below. Your examination requirements depend on your application pathway. View licensing requirements

Choose an exam or combined practice to begin.

Licenses, application pathways and examination requirements

Each license and applicant pathway has its own requirements and exemptions. Choosing practice questions does not determine your eligibility.

Occupational Therapist

Vermont license to practice occupational therapy under 26 V.S.A. chapter 71, issued by the Director of the Office of Professional Regulation.

Licensing authority: Vermont Secretary of State, Office of Professional Regulation (Director of Professional Regulation, with occupational therapy advisor appointees) · Application information

Licensure without examination by endorsement (licensed or certified in another jurisdiction with substantially equivalent requirements)
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
License Verification
Official verification of license from the initial and most recent states of licensure, sent directly by the licensing authority (OPR application instructions, February 2026).
Nbcot Certification Document
The OPR application instructions (February 2026) for "Apply by Endorsement" state: "Within the application you will need to upload your NBCOT certification." Rule 2.6 (administrative rule) makes endorsement licensure without examination, so the upload is recorded as the Office's stated document demand, not as an examination leaf.
Other Jurisdiction
Currently certified or licensed, in good standing, in another state, the District of Columbia or a U.S. territory whose requirements are currently at least equal to Vermont's (26 V.S.A. § 3358(a); Rule 2.6(a)).
Supervised Experience
The Director may not waive any required period of supervised experience (26 V.S.A. § 3358(a)).

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2004-06-01.

Licensure by examination (first time applicants)
OTR exam
Canadian Applicants
The OPR instructions state that Canadian applicants must submit a Verification of Exam Certification letter from CAOT (Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists); that is another country's credential and is not an examination of this route.
Education
Successful completion of the academic requirements of an ACOTE-accredited educational program for occupational therapists; Rule 2.3(1) requires a bachelor's or higher degree (26 V.S.A. § 3355(a)(1)).
Education Waiver
The Director may waive the educational requirement for an applicant recognized as a certified occupational therapist after qualifying for and passing an occupational therapist examination that the Director finds meets § 3357 (26 V.S.A. § 3358(c); Rule 2.7(b)).
Examination
Pass the written examination conducted by a nationally recognized credentialing body approved by the Director (26 V.S.A. § 3357); the application requires upload of NBCOT certification, obtained by passing the NBCOT Occupational Therapist Registered (OTR) Certification Examination.
Examination Waiver Pre1993
The Director may waive the examination requirement for an applicant certified before July 1, 1993 as OTR or COTA whose certification standards the Director finds at least equal to chapter 71 (26 V.S.A. § 3358(b); Rule 2.7(a)).
Failed Examination
Candidates who fail the exam must retake it and are ineligible to practice until its successful completion (Rules 2.3(2), 2.4(2)).
Fieldwork
At least 24 weeks of supervised fieldwork experience, or generally recognized past standards at the time of graduation (26 V.S.A. § 3355(a)(2), (c)).
Foreign Trained
Applicants trained in countries without accreditation standards similar to those of the United States must complete an equivalent educational program, evaluated by the Office with a credentials evaluation service at the applicant's cost (Rule 2.8).
Fast Track Endorsement (licensed in good standing in another jurisdiction for three or more years)
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
License Verification
Official verification of license from the initial and most recent states of licensure, sent directly by the licensing authority (OPR application instructions, February 2026).
Practice History
Actively licensed or certified in good standing in another jurisdiction for three or more years immediately preceding the application (3 V.S.A. § 136a(a); OPR application instructions and Fast Track Endorsement page).
Provisional License
An applicant whose only outstanding deficiency is license verification may request a 90-day provisional license (OPR application instructions; 3 V.S.A. § 130).

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2021-06-08.

Biennial renewal
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Continuing Competence
At least 20 hours of approved continuing competence in the preceding two-year period, prorated for the first renewal (26 V.S.A. § 3359(a); Rules 3.2-3.3).
Fee
Renewal fee (26 V.S.A. § 3359(a)).

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2004-06-01.

Temporary license (up to 90 days, not renewable) while the data for licensure without examination by endorsement is collected
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Eligibility
Applicant licensed or certified in another jurisdiction with substantially equivalent qualifications, pending the Director's receipt of the data for licensure without examination (26 V.S.A. § 3358a(b)(2); Rule 2.5(a)).
Nbcot Certification Document
The OPR temporary license instructions (February 2026) for "Apply by Endorsement" state: "Upload a copy of your current NBCOT certification". Statute § 3358a(b)(2) and Rule 2.5(a) make this licensure without examination, so the upload is recorded as a document demand, not as an examination leaf.
Supervision
Daily, direct, on-site supervision by a Vermont-licensed occupational therapist; Verification of Employment/Supervision form (Rule 3.7(i); OPR temporary license instructions).
Term
Valid for 90 days from issuance; not renewable and may not be extended (OPR temporary license instructions).

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2004-06-01.

Temporary license (up to 90 days, not renewable) for a first time applicant practicing while awaiting the examination
OTR exam
Education
Official transcripts or Verification of Education from an ACOTE-accredited program (OPR temporary license instructions).
Eligibility
First-time applicant who meets all qualifications of 26 V.S.A. § 3355 other than the examination (26 V.S.A. § 3358a(a); Rule 2.5(a)); the license lasts until the applicant takes the next examination and qualifications are determined (§ 3358a(b)(1)).
Examination Timing
The temporary license is issued before the NBCOT Occupational Therapist Registered (OTR) Certification Examination is passed; if the applicant fails the examination the temporary license automatically expires (OPR temporary license instructions, February 2026).
Supervision
Daily, direct, on-site (close) supervision by a Vermont-licensed occupational therapist; Verification of Employment/Supervision form (Rules 2.5(b), 3.7(i)).
Term
Valid for 90 days from issuance; not renewable and may not be extended (OPR temporary license instructions).

Occupational Therapy Assistant

Vermont license to assist in the practice of occupational therapy under the supervision of an occupational therapist, 26 V.S.A. chapter 71.

Licensing authority: Vermont Secretary of State, Office of Professional Regulation (Director of Professional Regulation, with occupational therapy advisor appointees) · Application information

Licensure without examination by endorsement (licensed or certified in another jurisdiction with substantially equivalent requirements)
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
License Verification
Official verification of license from the initial and most recent states of licensure, sent directly by the licensing authority (OPR application instructions, February 2026).
Nbcot Certification Document
The OPR application instructions (February 2026) for "Apply by Endorsement" state: "Within the application you will need to upload your NBCOT certification." Rule 2.6 (administrative rule) makes endorsement licensure without examination, so the upload is recorded as the Office's stated document demand, not as an examination leaf.
Other Jurisdiction
Currently certified or licensed, in good standing, in another state, the District of Columbia or a U.S. territory whose requirements are currently at least equal to Vermont's (26 V.S.A. § 3358(a); Rule 2.6(a)).
Supervised Experience
The Director may not waive any required period of supervised experience (26 V.S.A. § 3358(a)).

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2004-06-01.

Licensure by examination (first time applicants)
COTA Certification Exam
Canadian Applicants
The OPR instructions state that Canadian applicants must submit a Verification of Exam Certification letter from CAOT (Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists); that is another country's credential and is not an examination of this route.
Education
Successful completion of the academic requirements of an ACOTE-accredited educational program for occupational therapy assistants; Rule 2.4(1) requires an associate's or higher degree (26 V.S.A. § 3355(b)(1)).
Examination
Pass the written examination conducted by a nationally recognized credentialing body approved by the Director (26 V.S.A. § 3357); the application requires upload of NBCOT certification, obtained by passing the NBCOT Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA) Certification Examination.
Examination Waiver Pre1993
The Director may waive the examination requirement for an applicant certified before July 1, 1993 as OTR or COTA whose certification standards the Director finds at least equal to chapter 71 (26 V.S.A. § 3358(b); Rule 2.7(a)).
Failed Examination
Candidates who fail the exam must retake it and are ineligible to practice until its successful completion (Rules 2.3(2), 2.4(2)).
Fieldwork
At least 16 weeks of supervised fieldwork experience, or generally recognized past standards at the time of graduation (26 V.S.A. § 3355(b)(2), (d)).
Foreign Trained
Applicants trained in countries without accreditation standards similar to those of the United States must complete an equivalent educational program, evaluated by the Office with a credentials evaluation service at the applicant's cost (Rule 2.8).
Fast Track Endorsement (licensed in good standing in another jurisdiction for three or more years)
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
License Verification
Official verification of license from the initial and most recent states of licensure, sent directly by the licensing authority (OPR application instructions, February 2026).
Practice History
Actively licensed or certified in good standing in another jurisdiction for three or more years immediately preceding the application (3 V.S.A. § 136a(a); OPR application instructions and Fast Track Endorsement page).
Provisional License
An applicant whose only outstanding deficiency is license verification may request a 90-day provisional license (OPR application instructions; 3 V.S.A. § 130).

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2021-06-08.

Biennial renewal
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Continuing Competence
At least 20 hours of approved continuing competence in the preceding two-year period, prorated for the first renewal (26 V.S.A. § 3359(a); Rules 3.2-3.3).
Fee
Renewal fee (26 V.S.A. § 3359(a)).

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2004-06-01.

Temporary license (up to 90 days, not renewable) while the data for licensure without examination by endorsement is collected
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Eligibility
Applicant licensed or certified in another jurisdiction with substantially equivalent qualifications, pending the Director's receipt of the data for licensure without examination (26 V.S.A. § 3358a(b)(2); Rule 2.5(a)).
Nbcot Certification Document
The OPR temporary license instructions (February 2026) for "Apply by Endorsement" state: "Upload a copy of your current NBCOT certification". Statute § 3358a(b)(2) and Rule 2.5(a) make this licensure without examination, so the upload is recorded as a document demand, not as an examination leaf.
Supervision
Daily, direct, on-site supervision by a Vermont-licensed occupational therapist; Verification of Employment/Supervision form (Rule 3.7(i); OPR temporary license instructions).
Term
Valid for 90 days from issuance; not renewable and may not be extended (OPR temporary license instructions).

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2004-06-01.

Temporary license (up to 90 days, not renewable) for a first time applicant practicing while awaiting the examination
COTA Certification Exam
Education
Official transcripts or Verification of Education from an ACOTE-accredited program (OPR temporary license instructions).
Eligibility
First-time applicant who meets all qualifications of 26 V.S.A. § 3355 other than the examination (26 V.S.A. § 3358a(a); Rule 2.5(a)); the license lasts until the applicant takes the next examination and qualifications are determined (§ 3358a(b)(1)).
Examination Timing
The temporary license is issued before the NBCOT Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA) Certification Examination is passed; if the applicant fails the examination the temporary license automatically expires (OPR temporary license instructions, February 2026).
Supervision
Daily, direct, on-site (close) supervision by a Vermont-licensed occupational therapist; Verification of Employment/Supervision form (Rules 2.5(b), 3.7(i)).
Term
Valid for 90 days from issuance; not renewable and may not be extended (OPR temporary license instructions).

OTR exam

Format
Three- and four-option single-response multiple-choice items and six-option multi-select scenario sets
Exam questions
180 items
Examination outline
  • Domain 1 — Evaluation and Assessment: Acquire information regarding factors that influence occupational performance on an ongoing basis throughout the occupational therapy process. (23%)
    • Task 1: Identify the influence of development and lived experience; body functions and body structures; values, beliefs, and spirituality; and identity on occupational performance.
    • Task 1 knowledge 1: Impact of typical development and aging on occupational performance, health, and wellness across the life span.
    • Task 1 knowledge 2: Expected patterns, progressions, and prognoses associated with conditions that limit occupational performance. Examples include signs and symptoms of disease; stages of disease; secondary complications.
    • Task 1 knowledge 3: Impact of body functions and body structures on occupational performance. Examples include cognitive impairments; congenital anomalies.
    • Task 1 knowledge 4: Influence of lived experiences and identity on occupational performance. Examples include history of trauma and adverse childhood events; socioeconomic status; gender, race, culture, religion.
    • Task 2: Assess a client’s functional skills, roles, prioritized needs and wants, and performance context to evaluate their occupational performance.
    • Task 2 knowledge 1: Resources and considerations for acquiring information about the client’s current condition and occupational performance. Examples include referrals; client records; developmental history; Individualized Education Program (IEP) plans; theoretical approach and frame of reference.
    • Task 2 knowledge 2: Administration, purpose, indications, advantages, and limitations of standardized and nonstandardized screening and assessment tools. Examples include criterion-referenced tests; norm-referenced tests; client and caregiver interviews; observation.
    • Task 2 knowledge 3: Internal and external factors influencing a client’s engagement in occupation. Examples include roles, habits, routines, and rituals; environmental context; family and social supports; medication side effects and interactions; mental health.
    • Task 3: Perform an activity analysis to determine the influence of task demands, current conditions, performance skills, and context on occupation.
    • Task 3 knowledge 1: Task requirements, steps to task completion, and task demands across contexts or settings.
    • Task 3 knowledge 2: Personal and environmental factors that facilitate or inhibit task completion or occupational engagement. Examples include compensation patterns; role of performance context; influence of current conditions.
  • Domain 2 — Analysis, Interpretation, and Planning: Formulate conclusions regarding client needs and priorities to develop and monitor an intervention plan throughout the occupational therapy process. (23%)
    • Task 1: Synthesize assessment results to determine eligibility for services and establish a client-centered intervention plan.
    • Task 1 knowledge 1: Interpretation and analysis of quantitative assessments. Examples include statistical terminology; scoring; limitations of scores; client reactions to testing.
    • Task 1 knowledge 2: Interpretation of qualitative findings. Examples include occupational profile; outcomes of needs assessment; results from interviews or observations.
    • Task 1 knowledge 3: Integration and application of quantitative assessment results and qualitative findings to guide critical decision-making and prioritize needs.
    • Task 2: Collaborate with the client, the client’s relevant others, occupational therapy colleagues, and other professionals using a client-centered approach and therapeutic use of self to manage occupational therapy services.
    • Task 2 knowledge 1: Roles and responsibilities among interprofessional teams when coordinating client care and providing services. Examples include referral to and consultation with other services; interprofessional communication methods; scope of practice.
    • Task 2 knowledge 2: Processes for managing interprofessional intervention plans. Examples include Individualized Education Program (IEP) plans; discharge plans; transition plans; palliative and hospice care plans.
    • Task 2 knowledge 3: Client-centered approaches and considerations for coordinating occupational therapy services. Examples include therapeutic use of self; advocacy; frequency/duration of intervention; level of service delivery.
    • Task 2 knowledge 4: Factors used to prioritize intervention goals and activities in collaboration with the client and family, teacher, caregiver, and relevant others. Examples include client-reported outcomes; level of support required; context of service delivery; progress toward goals.
    • Task 2 knowledge 5: Strategies for addressing and enhancing health literacy with the client and relevant others. Examples include caregiver training; teaching-learning models; methods for making health information accessible; informed decision-making; navigating challenges to professional expertise.
    • Task 3: Monitor and modify the intervention plan, approach, context, and goals on an ongoing basis using clinical reasoning.
    • Task 3 knowledge 1: Factors for determining and managing context and activities to meet individual and group intervention goals and objectives. Examples include client needs and priorities; response to intervention.
    • Task 3 knowledge 2: Strategies for monitoring the effectiveness of individual and group interventions. Examples include client-reported outcomes; reevaluation results; progress toward goals.
    • Task 3 knowledge 3: Clinical decision-making for assessing and adapting the intervention plan and prioritizing goals based on client response to intervention. Examples include physiological changes; behavioral reactions; emotion regulation; developmental needs.
    • Task 3 knowledge 4: Precautions or contraindications associated with a client’s condition or stage of recovery. Examples include postsurgical precautions; vital signs; laboratory values; suicidal ideation.
  • Domain 3 — Select and Manage Interventions: Select and implement interventions for managing a client-centered plan throughout the occupational therapy process. (38%)
    • Task 1: Incorporate preparatory techniques, activities, and modalities as an adjunct to interventions to promote healing and enhance engagement in occupation-based activities.
    • Task 1 knowledge 1: Considerations for selecting, preparing, and adapting the intervention technique to support optimal engagement and promote goal achievement. Examples include client condition; client safety.
    • Task 1 knowledge 2: Considerations for selecting, preparing, and adapting the intervention environment to support optimal engagement and promote goal achievement. Examples include ensuring privacy during telehealth sessions; equipment safety; line management.
    • Task 1 knowledge 3: Indications, contraindications, and precautions associated with wound management and maintaining skin integrity. Examples include stage of wound healing; prevention and management of pressure ulcers.
    • Task 1 knowledge 4: Indications, contraindications, precautions, and clinical application of superficial thermal agents. Examples include dry whirlpool; hot packs; cryotherapy.
    • Task 1 knowledge 5: Indications, contraindications, precautions, and clinical application of deep thermal, mechanical, and electrotherapeutic physical agent modalities. Examples include transcutaneous and neuromuscular electrical stimulation; biofeedback.
    • Task 2: Implement occupation-based strategies to support participation in activities of daily living (ADL), instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), health management, rest and sleep, education, work, play, leisure, and social participation across the life span.
    • Task 2 knowledge 1: Interventions for supporting leisure and play.
    • Task 2 knowledge 2: Methods for grading an activity, task, or technique based on level of development, client status, response to intervention, and client needs.
    • Task 2 knowledge 3: Considerations for facilitating individual and group participation in shared activities. Examples include group processes; group dynamics; group type and function.
    • Task 2 knowledge 4: Interventions to support cognitive, visual-motor, visual, and perceptual processing and sensory arousal. Examples include sensory modulation; proprioceptive input; vestibular strategies; low vision strategies.
    • Task 2 knowledge 5: Compensatory and remedial strategies for managing cognitive and perceptual deficits or developmental disabilities. Examples include graded cueing; chaining; metacognition; memory aids.
    • Task 2 knowledge 6: Adaptive and preventive strategies for supporting optimal engagement in occupation. Examples include use of technology/apps; joint protection; task simplification; energy conservation.
    • Task 2 knowledge 7: Intervention strategies and techniques used to facilitate oral motor skills for drinking, eating, and swallowing. Examples include hand-to-mouth patterns; mastication; adaptive utensils; positioning at mealtime.
    • Task 2 knowledge 8: Prevocational, vocational, and transitional services, options, and resources for supporting strengths, interests, employment, and lifestyle goals across the life span.
    • Task 2 knowledge 9: Strategies, techniques, and client-centered education to facilitate functional transfers.
    • Task 2 knowledge 10: Strategies for promoting wellness and mental health. Examples include relaxation; sleep hygiene; addiction management.
    • Task 3: Select and implement interventions for improving sensory, motor, neurological, and physiological status, considering client condition and current stage of recovery, to support occupational performance.
    • Task 3 knowledge 1: Methods for grading therapeutic exercise and conditioning programs consistent with indications and precautions.
    • Task 3 knowledge 2: Techniques for sensory and motor reeducation, pain management, desensitization, edema reduction, and scar management. Examples include manual edema mobilization; nerve gliding; neuromuscular reeducation; constraint-induced movement.
    • Task 3 knowledge 3: Techniques for promoting improved postural stability, dynamic balance, body mechanics, and breathing patterns during functional tasks.
    • Task 4: Select, fabricate, and modify orthotic devices, and provide training in the use of orthotic and prosthetic devices to support functional outcomes.
    • Task 4 knowledge 1: Types and functions of immobilization, mobilization, and restriction orthoses for managing specific conditions and congenital anomalies across the life span.
    • Task 4 knowledge 2: Types and functions of prosthetic devices for upper and lower extremity amputations.
    • Task 4 knowledge 3: Implications of anatomical, physiological, biomechanical, cognitive, and socioeconomic factors and healing principles for orthotic selection, design, fabrication, and modification.
    • Task 4 knowledge 4: Client-centered education and training methods for the safe and effective use of orthotic and prosthetic devices.
    • Task 5: Select assistive technology options, adaptive devices, mobility aids, and other durable medical equipment to enable participation in occupation.
    • Task 5 knowledge 1: Factors related to measuring, selecting, monitoring the fit of, and recommending modifications to seating systems, positioning devices, and mobility aids. Examples include equipment components; biomechanical considerations; usability and maintenance.
    • Task 5 knowledge 2: Types, characteristics, and features of high- and low-tech assistive technology and adaptive devices. Examples include interface options and processor parameters; equipment components.
    • Task 5 knowledge 3: Mobility options, vehicle adaptations, and alternative devices for supporting participation in community mobility. Examples include adapted driving controls; wheelchair tie downs; alternative transportation options; dynamic mobile standers; navigation apps.
    • Task 5 knowledge 4: Client factors influencing successful use and maintenance of assistive technology options, adaptive devices, mobility aids, and other durable medical equipment. Examples include developmental, physical, functional, cognitive, and mental health status; prioritized needs.
    • Task 5 knowledge 5: Client-centered education and training methods for successful use and maintenance of assistive technology options, adaptive devices, mobility aids, and other durable medical equipment.
    • Task 6: Recommend environmental modifications, while considering accessibility guidelines, standards, and legislation, to support participation in occupation consistent with client needs and status, task demands, and context.
    • Task 6 knowledge 1: Principles of ergonomics and universal design for identifying, recommending, and implementing features and reasonable accommodations in the workplace, home, and virtual and public spaces.
    • Task 6 knowledge 2: Processes and procedures for identifying, recommending, and implementing modifications in the workplace, home, and virtual and public spaces.
  • Domain 4 — Competency and Practice Management: Manage professional activities of self and relevant others as guided by evidence, regulatory compliance, and standards of practice to promote quality care. (16%)
    • Task 1: Employ evidence-based strategies and approaches to provide safe, effective, and efficient services relevant to individuals, groups, and populations.
    • Task 1 knowledge 1: Methods for locating, reviewing, interpreting, and critically appraising scholarly research to guide practice-relevant decision-making. Examples include defining a clinical question; determining the clinical bottom line.
    • Task 1 knowledge 2: Methods for applying continuous quality improvement processes and procedures to occupational therapy service delivery. Examples include program evaluation; outcome measures.
    • Task 1 knowledge 3: Evidence-based programming for advancing population health outcomes. Examples include aging in place; fall prevention; health and wellness; community support groups.
    • Task 2: Incorporate risk management techniques at the individual and practice-setting levels to protect clients, self, staff, and others from injury or harm.
    • Task 2 knowledge 1: Infection control procedures and universal precautions for reducing transmission of contaminants. Examples include PPE; isolation precautions; cleaning equipment.
    • Task 2 knowledge 2: Responses to adverse reactions, minor injuries, and emergency situations. Examples include minor burns and cuts; seizures; diabetic reactions.
    • Task 2 knowledge 3: Preventive measures for minimizing risk and promoting safety. Examples include proper body mechanics; safety data sheet (SDS); standard operating procedures; equipment maintenance; emergency preparedness; personal safety in the client’s environment.
    • Task 2 knowledge 4: Strategies and resources to prevent professional burnout. Examples include assessment of personal needs; self-advocacy regarding workload; stress management.
    • Task 3: Provide occupational therapy services in accordance with laws, regulations, state occupational therapy practice acts, and accreditation guidelines to protect consumers and meet applicable reimbursement requirements related to the service delivery setting.
    • Task 3 knowledge 1: Application of federal regulations, state practice acts, facility policies, and accreditation guidelines related to service delivery across occupational therapy practice settings. Examples include health care legislation; accreditation organizations; licensing and credentialing; supervisory role under state practice acts.
    • Task 3 knowledge 2: Influence of reimbursement policies and guidelines on occupational therapy service delivery.
    • Task 3 knowledge 3: Accountability processes and procedures for justifying, tracking, and monitoring outcomes. Examples include relevant practice terminology; documentation guidelines.
    • Task 4: Engage in professional development and competency assessment activities relevant to the job role, practice setting, scope of practice, and professional certification standards.
    • Task 4 knowledge 1: Methods for identifying, documenting, and monitoring service competency and professional development needs. Examples include competency self-assessment; mentoring.
    • Task 4 knowledge 2: Application of ethical decision-making and professional behaviors guided by the NBCOT Practice Standards and Code of Conduct.
Examination sources

COTA Certification Exam

Format
Three- and four-option single-response multiple-choice items and six-option multi-select items
Exam questions
190 items
Examination outline
  • Domain 1 — Collaborate and Gather Information: Under the supervision of the OTR, acquire information on an ongoing basis regarding factors that influence occupational performance. (27%)
    • Task 1: Recognize the influence of development and lived experience; body functions and body structures; values, beliefs, and spirituality; and identity on occupational performance.
    • Task 1 knowledge 1: Impact of typical development and aging on occupational performance, health, and wellness across the life span.
    • Task 1 knowledge 2: Expected patterns, progressions, and prognoses associated with conditions that limit occupational performance. Examples include signs and symptoms of disease; stages of disease; secondary complications.
    • Task 1 knowledge 3: Impact of body functions and body structures on occupational performance. Examples include cognitive impairments; congenital anomalies.
    • Task 1 knowledge 4: Influence of lived experiences and identity on occupational performance. Examples include history of trauma and adverse childhood events; socioeconomic status; gender, race, culture, religion.
    • Task 2: Acquire information about a client’s functional skills, roles, prioritized needs and wants, and performance context to inform the development of and updates to an occupational profile.
    • Task 2 knowledge 1: Resources for acquiring information about the client’s current condition and occupational performance. Examples include referrals; client records; developmental history; Individualized Education Program (IEP) plans.
    • Task 2 knowledge 2: Purpose, advantages, limitations, and service competency needs related to the administration of standardized and nonstandardized assessments and screening methods. Examples include criterion-referenced tests; norm-referenced tests; client and caregiver interviews; observation.
    • Task 2 knowledge 3: Internal and external factors influencing a client’s engagement in occupation. Examples include roles, habits, routines, and rituals; environmental context; family and social supports; medication side effects and interactions; mental health.
    • Task 3: Perform an activity analysis to determine the influence of task demands, current conditions, performance skills, and context on occupation.
    • Task 3 knowledge 1: Task requirements, steps to task completion, and task demands across contexts or settings.
    • Task 3 knowledge 2: Personal and environmental factors that facilitate or inhibit task completion or occupational engagement. Examples include compensation patterns; role of performance context; influence of current conditions.
    • Task 4: Collaborate with the client, the client’s relevant others, occupational therapy colleagues, and other professionals using a client-centered approach and therapeutic use of self to provide quality occupational therapy services.
    • Task 4 knowledge 1: Roles and responsibilities among interprofessional teams when coordinating client care and providing services. Examples include referral to and consultation with other services; interprofessional communication methods; scope of practice.
    • Task 4 knowledge 2: Processes for supporting interprofessional intervention plans. Examples include Individualized Education Program (IEP) plans; discharge plans; transition plans; palliative and hospice care plans.
    • Task 4 knowledge 3: Client-centered approaches and considerations for coordinating occupational therapy services. Examples include therapeutic use of self; advocacy; frequency/duration of intervention; level of service delivery.
    • Task 4 knowledge 4: Factors used to prioritize intervention goals and activities in collaboration with the client and family, teacher, caregiver, and relevant others. Examples include client-reported outcomes; level of support required; context of service delivery; progress toward goals.
    • Task 4 knowledge 5: Strategies for addressing and enhancing health literacy with the client and relevant others. Examples include caregiver training; teaching-learning models; methods for making health information accessible; informed decision-making; navigating challenges to professional expertise.
    • Task 5: Monitor the intervention plan, approach, context, and goals on an ongoing basis, in collaboration with the OTR, using clinical reasoning.
    • Task 5 knowledge 1: Factors for determining and managing context and activities to meet individual and group intervention goals and objectives. Examples include client needs and priorities; response to intervention.
    • Task 5 knowledge 2: Strategies for monitoring the effectiveness of individual and group intervention. Examples include client-reported outcomes; reevaluation results; progress toward goals.
    • Task 5 knowledge 3: Clinical decision-making for prioritizing goals and implementing modifications to the intervention plan based on client responses, under the supervision of the OTR. Examples include physiological changes; behavioral reactions; emotion regulation; developmental needs.
    • Task 5 knowledge 4: Precautions or contraindications associated with a client condition or stage of recovery. Examples include postsurgical precautions; vital signs; laboratory values; suicidal ideation.
  • Domain 2 — Select and Implement Interventions: Implement interventions, under the supervision of the OTR, in accordance with the intervention plan and level of service competence to support client participation in areas of occupation throughout the occupational therapy process. (55%)
    • Task 1: Incorporate preparatory techniques, activities, and modalities as an adjunct to interventions to promote healing and enhance engagement in occupation-based activities.
    • Task 1 knowledge 1: Considerations for selecting, preparing, and adapting the intervention technique to support optimal engagement and promote goal achievement. Examples include client condition; client safety; theoretical approach and frame of reference.
    • Task 1 knowledge 2: Considerations for selecting, preparing, and adapting the intervention environment to support optimal engagement and promote goal achievement. Examples include ensuring privacy during telehealth sessions; equipment safety; line management.
    • Task 1 knowledge 3: Indications, contraindications, and precautions associated with wounds and maintaining skin integrity. Examples include stage of wound healing; prevention and management of pressure ulcers.
    • Task 1 knowledge 4: Indications, contraindications, precautions, and clinical application of superficial thermal agents. Examples include dry whirlpool; hot packs; cryotherapy.
    • Task 1 knowledge 5: Indications, contraindications, precautions, and clinical application of deep thermal, mechanical, and electrotherapeutic physical agent modalities. Examples include transcutaneous and neuromuscular electrical stimulation; biofeedback.
    • Task 2: Implement occupation-based strategies to support participation in activities of daily living (ADL), instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), health management, rest and sleep, education, work, play, leisure, and social participation across the life span.
    • Task 2 knowledge 1: Interventions for supporting leisure and play.
    • Task 2 knowledge 2: Methods for grading an activity, task, or technique based on level of development, client status, response to intervention, and client needs.
    • Task 2 knowledge 3: Considerations for facilitating individual and group participation in shared activities. Examples include group processes; group dynamics; group type and function.
    • Task 2 knowledge 4: Interventions to support cognitive, visual-motor, visual, and perceptual processing and sensory arousal. Examples include sensory modulation; proprioceptive input; vestibular strategies; low vision strategies.
    • Task 2 knowledge 5: Compensatory and remedial strategies for managing cognitive and perceptual deficits or developmental disabilities. Examples include graded cueing; chaining; metacognition; memory aids.
    • Task 2 knowledge 6: Adaptive and preventive strategies for supporting optimal engagement in occupation. Examples include use of technology/apps; joint protection; task simplification; energy conservation.
    • Task 2 knowledge 7: Intervention strategies and techniques used to facilitate oral motor skills for drinking, eating, and swallowing. Examples include hand-to-mouth patterns; mastication; adaptive utensils; positioning at mealtime.
    • Task 2 knowledge 8: Prevocational, vocational, and transitional services, options, and resources for supporting strengths, interests, employment, and lifestyle goals across the life span.
    • Task 2 knowledge 9: Strategies, techniques, and client-centered education to facilitate functional transfers.
    • Task 2 knowledge 10: Strategies for promoting wellness and mental health. Examples include relaxation; sleep hygiene; addiction management.
    • Task 3: Implement interventions for improving sensory, motor, neurological, and physiological status, considering client condition and current stage of recovery, to support occupational performance.
    • Task 3 knowledge 1: Methods for grading therapeutic exercise and conditioning programs consistent with indications and precautions.
    • Task 3 knowledge 2: Techniques for sensory and motor reeducation, pain management, desensitization, edema reduction, and scar management. Examples include manual edema mobilization; nerve gliding; neuromuscular reeducation; constraint-induced movement.
    • Task 3 knowledge 3: Techniques for promoting improved postural stability, dynamic balance, body mechanics, and breathing patterns during functional tasks.
    • Task 4: Select, fabricate, and modify orthotic devices, and provide training in the use of orthotic and prosthetic devices in order to support functional outcomes.
    • Task 4 knowledge 1: Types and functions of immobilization, mobilization, and restriction orthoses for managing specific conditions and congenital anomalies across the life span.
    • Task 4 knowledge 2: Types and functions of prosthetic devices for upper and lower extremity amputations.
    • Task 4 knowledge 3: Implications of anatomical, physiological, biomechanical, cognitive, and socioeconomic factors and healing principles for orthotic selection, design, fabrication, and modification.
    • Task 4 knowledge 4: Client-centered education and training methods for the safe and effective use of orthotic and prosthetic devices.
    • Task 5: Integrate assistive technology options, adaptive devices, mobility aids, and other durable medical equipment into the intervention to enable participation in occupation.
    • Task 5 knowledge 1: Factors related to measuring, selecting, monitoring the fit of, and recommending modifications to seating systems, positioning devices, and mobility aids. Examples include equipment components; biomechanical considerations; usability and maintenance.
    • Task 5 knowledge 2: Types, characteristics, and features of high- and low-tech assistive technology and adaptive devices. Examples include interface options and processor parameters; equipment components.
    • Task 5 knowledge 3: Mobility options, vehicle adaptations, and alternative devices for supporting participation in community mobility. Examples include adapted driving controls; wheelchair tie downs; alternative transportation options; dynamic mobile standers; navigation apps.
    • Task 5 knowledge 4: Client factors influencing successful use and maintenance of assistive technology options, adaptive devices, mobility aids, and other durable medical equipment. Examples include developmental, physical, functional, cognitive, and mental health status; prioritized needs.
    • Task 5 knowledge 5: Client-centered education and training methods for successful use and maintenance of assistive technology options, adaptive devices, mobility aids, and other durable medical equipment.
    • Task 6: Implement environmental modifications, while considering accessibility guidelines, standards, and legislation, to support participation in occupation consistent with client needs and status, task demands, and context.
    • Task 6 knowledge 1: Principles of ergonomics and universal design for identifying, recommending, and implementing features and reasonable accommodations in the workplace, home, and virtual and public spaces.
    • Task 6 knowledge 2: Processes and procedures for identifying, recommending, and implementing modifications in the workplace, home, and virtual and public spaces.
  • Domain 3 — Uphold Professional Standards and Responsibilities: Uphold professional standards and responsibilities by achieving service competence and applying evidence-based interventions to promote quality in practice. (18%)
    • Task 1: Employ evidence-based strategies and approaches to provide safe, effective, and efficient services relevant to individuals, groups, and populations.
    • Task 1 knowledge 1: Methods for locating, reviewing, and interpreting scholarly research to guide practice-relevant decision-making. Examples include applying the Patient, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome (PICO) model; identifying best evidence.
    • Task 1 knowledge 2: Methods for contributing to continuous quality improvement processes and procedures related to occupational therapy service delivery. Examples include program evaluation; acquiring information to measure outcomes.
    • Task 1 knowledge 3: Types of evidence-based programming for advancing population health outcomes. Examples include aging in place; fall prevention; health and wellness; community support groups.
    • Task 2: Incorporate risk management techniques at the individual and practice-setting levels to protect clients, self, staff, and others from injury or harm.
    • Task 2 knowledge 1: Infection control procedures and universal precautions for reducing transmission of contaminants. Examples include PPE; isolation precautions; cleaning equipment.
    • Task 2 knowledge 2: Responses to adverse reactions, minor injuries, and emergency situations. Examples include minor burns and cuts; seizures; diabetic reactions.
    • Task 2 knowledge 3: Preventive measures for minimizing risk and promoting safety. Examples include proper body mechanics; safety data sheet (SDS); standard operating procedures; equipment maintenance; emergency preparedness; personal safety in the client’s environment.
    • Task 2 knowledge 4: Strategies and resources to prevent professional burnout. Examples include assessment of personal needs; self-advocacy regarding workload; stress management.
    • Task 3: Provide occupational therapy services in accordance with laws, regulations, state occupational therapy practice acts, and accreditation guidelines to protect consumers and meet applicable reimbursement requirements related to the service delivery setting.
    • Task 3 knowledge 1: Application of federal regulations, state practice acts, facility policies, and accreditation guidelines related to service delivery across occupational therapy practice settings. Examples include health care legislation; accreditation organizations; licensing and credentialing.
    • Task 3 knowledge 2: Influence of reimbursement policies and guidelines on occupational therapy service delivery.
    • Task 3 knowledge 3: Accountability processes and procedures for justifying, tracking, and monitoring outcomes. Examples include relevant practice terminology; documentation guidelines.
    • Task 4: Engage in professional development and competency assessment activities relevant to the job role, practice setting, scope of practice, and professional certification standards.
    • Task 4 knowledge 1: Methods for identifying, documenting, and monitoring service competency and professional development needs. Examples include competency self-assessment; mentoring.
    • Task 4 knowledge 2: Application of ethical decision-making and professional behaviors guided by the NBCOT Practice Standards and Code of Conduct.
Examination sources