Predictors of success to pass the National Physical Therapy Exam: Is there a correlation between GRE/GPA scores and success rates?

The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is an admission criterion for many different graduate programs including the Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT). Upon completion of a DPT program, the National Physical Therapy Exam (NPTE) must be passed with a minimum score of 600 in order to practice as a physical therapist. This study analyzes the relationship between GRE and graduate grade point average (GGPA) and NPTE scores to explore the ability of GRE and GGPA scores to predict NPTE success. Similar studies have been done in the past, but the results vary between studies. GRE, GGPA, and NPTE records were gathered for 67 DPT students that graduated from 2007 to 2009. Scatterplots were created using the GRE score and GGPA for the x values and the NPTE score for the y value. The correlation coefficient r was calculated to determine the strength of the linear association. The GRE and NPTE scores had an r value of 0.2143 which indicates a weak positive correlation. The GGPA and NPTE scores had an r value of 0.535 which indicates a moderate positive correlation