How do you send exam scores and license verifications to a new state board?

Most state boards want proof from the source, not a copy from you: your national exam score sent by the organization that ran the exam, and a verification of each license you hold from the board that issued it. Order both the day you apply, because a board usually cannot finish your application until they arrive.

By ProTherapy Staffing, published November 4, 2026.

Why won't a board accept a copy of your score?

Because the board needs to know the score is real. The Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy explains: “Most jurisdictions require a score be transferred by FSBPT to ensure that the score is authentic.” Occupational therapy boards work the same way through NBCOT.

A printout or a screenshot of your result shows the board nothing it can rely on, so it waits for the transfer. Treat the transfer as part of the application, not something to send later. Many applications also ask for an official transcript sent by your school; the board’s checklist says which documents it wants from the source.

How does a physical therapist send a score to a new state?

Through FSBPT’s score transfer service for licensees, for each new state. FSBPT says it “will transfer your score(s) directly to the licensing authority in the jurisdiction that you selected.”

Order it as soon as you start the new state’s application, and check the board’s own instructions for anything else it wants with it, such as a jurisprudence exam. Each state’s page on this site links its board.

How does an occupational therapist send a score?

Through NBCOT. Its exam handbook says: “Candidates may request that NBCOT send an electronic Score Transfer to a state regulatory board,” and “A state regulatory board will NOT automatically receive a score unless a Score Transfer service has been ordered.”

The handbook also leaves it to you to ask the board which NBCOT service it needs. An OT license outside the compact walks through the rest of an OT application.

If you want the paperwork for a new state timed against a contract start, ask a ProTherapy recruiter: Find my next contract.

What is a license verification?

Confirmation, from a board where you hold or have held a license, that the license is real and in good standing. Boards handle it in different ways: some read the other state’s online license lookup, and some want a form completed and sent by the other board.

The new board’s application says which it accepts. Read that part closely, because a verification sent the wrong way can leave the application waiting while you order it again.

Which licenses do you need to verify?

Read the application’s wording. Many boards ask about every state where you hold a license, and some about every state where you have ever held one, including a license you let lapse.

Keep a list of each license with its state, number and the dates you held it, so you can answer the question the same way on every application and order the verifications in one go. If a license was ever restricted or disciplined, expect the application to ask about it directly, and answer it the way the verification will show it.

How do you keep the paperwork from slowing a contract?

Order the score transfer and every verification on the day you apply, then confirm with the board that each one has arrived. A missing verification is one of the simplest things to fix and one of the easiest to miss. Write down the date you ordered each one, so you can tell the board exactly what to look for if it says something has not arrived.

If a contract depends on the license, tell your recruiter what is still outstanding. Applying before you hold the license covers how facilities handle a license that is still pending, and some states offer a temporary license while you wait.

Does a compact privilege need a score transfer?

A compact privilege is not a new license. It rests on your home-state license and follows the compact’s own process, set out in the PT Compact and OT Compact guides, so the steps above are for a full license in a new state.

When the state you want is not in your compact, or you need a full license there for another reason, plan for the score transfer and the verifications from the start.

Frequently asked questions

Can I send a state board a copy of my exam score?

Usually not. FSBPT explains that most jurisdictions require a score be transferred by FSBPT to ensure that the score is authentic, and NBCOT says a state regulatory board will not automatically receive a score unless a Score Transfer service has been ordered.

What is a license verification for a new state?

Confirmation from a board where you hold or have held a license that the license is real and in good standing. The new board's application says whether it reads an online lookup or wants a form sent by the other board.

Does a compact privilege need a score transfer?

A compact privilege is not a new license: it rests on your home-state license and follows the compact's own process. The score transfer and verifications are for a full license in a new state.

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