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After your exam

You Finished Your Exam. Now What?

Take a moment to acknowledge your accomplishment of the time, work, and effort you took to prepare for your exam.

If you pass the exam, you will be notified via email when your exam result has been posted online.

You will also receive a congratulatory letter that includes your overall score, information about your certification benefits, and how to access and download your official NBCOT digital certificate, wallet card, and digital badge verifying Occupational Therapist Registered (OTR®) or Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA®) certification.

If you do not pass the exam, you will receive a feedback report in your MyNBCOT account. It includes:

  • The overall score
  • Feedback on domain-level performance
  • An explanation for interpreting your overall score and domain-level performance
  • FAQ about the feedback on your report

Use the feedback report to identify areas of weakness, which will help you to build a plan on how you will study for your next attempt. Review a sample report. 


Retaking the Exam After an Unsuccessful Attempt

To retake the exam, you will need to reapply through your MyNBCOT account and receive a new ATT letter. There is a waiting period after your last exam date before you can test again. You can find the details in the exam handbook.

Failing the exam alone is NOT sufficient grounds for a challenge.

Administrative or Technical Complaints

If you experience an administrative or technical issue during the exam, you may file a complaint. You can find more details in the exam handbook.

Exam Challenge

You may challenge your exam results. You can find more details in the exam handbook.


Next Step: Apply for your State License

Passing your exam is different from applying for state licensure. You will need to apply for a state license in order to practice. All jurisdictions, including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, have some form of regulation of occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants. Before you begin practicing in any state or comparable jurisdiction, you must meet all the requirements of that jurisdiction. To practice without a license or permit is against the law.

Research Your State Licensing Board

It is important that you review the licensure requirements for the state(s) where you wish to practice.