A new grad cannot use the PT Compact, because a privilege needs a current home-state license. Some boards let you work under supervision before your license is issued; the four read for this page are quoted below, and every other state is “check with the board”.
Board pages last checked October 2, 2026.
Short answer: it depends on the state’s board. Texas issues a temporary license to exam applicants who have never taken the NPTE, New York issues limited permits, Florida offers licensure by examination with a temporary permit, and California grants license applicant status. Each comes with its own conditions, time limit and supervision rule.
| State | Route | In the board’s words | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | License applicant status | “You are not authorized to work as a physical therapist license applicant/physical therapist assistant license applicant (PTLA/PTALA) until you receive a notice from PTBC granting you license applicant status.” | Physical Therapy Board of California |
| Florida | Temporary permit | “Temporary permits are valid for six months from the date of graduation.” | Florida Board of Physical Therapy |
| New York | Limited permit (and the first 90 days after graduation) | “The Department may issue limited permits to an applicant for licensure which authorize the practice of physical therapy under the on-site supervision of a New York State licensed and currently registered physical therapist.” | NYSED Office of the Professions |
| Texas | Temporary license | “An applicant by examination who has never taken the national exam is eligible for a Temporary License.” | Texas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners |
The PT Compact Commission lists, among the requirements to buy a privilege: “Hold a current, valid PT or PTA license in your home state, as defined in Commission Rules.” A new graduate does not hold one yet. And each state sets its own rules for the first license: “Each licensing authority has its own eligibility criteria for licensure and for taking the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE).” (FSBPT)
FSBPT lists four 2026 test dates for PTs: January 27-28, April 28-29, July 28-29 and October 27-28. (FSBPT, Dates & Deadlines)
From the Texas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners:
State page: Texas travel therapy licensing.
From the NYSED Office of the Professions:
State page: New York travel therapy licensing.
From the Florida Board of Physical Therapy:
State page: Florida travel therapy licensing.
From the Physical Therapy Board of California:
State page: California travel therapy licensing.
No other board was read for this page, so it states nothing about them. Each board’s own site says whether it allows practice before a license is issued (board links from FSBPT’s licensing-authority directory):
Every route above comes with a supervision rule. Ask the recruiter whether the facility accepts a temporary license or permit, and who at the facility would supervise you, before you sign.
Only where the state's board allows it, under supervision. In the boards' words: Texas, “An applicant by examination who has never taken the national exam is eligible for a Temporary License.” New York, “The Department may issue limited permits to an applicant for licensure which authorize the practice of physical therapy under the on-site supervision of a New York State licensed and currently registered physical therapist.” Florida, “Temporary permits are valid for six months from the date of graduation.” California, “You are not authorized to work as a physical therapist license applicant/physical therapist assistant license applicant (PTLA/PTALA) until you receive a notice from PTBC granting you license applicant status.”
No. The PT Compact Commission lists, among the requirements to buy a privilege: “Hold a current, valid PT or PTA license in your home state, as defined in Commission Rules.”
The Texas board: “A Temporary License is valid until issuance of the permanent license, or until the last day of the third month after the month the license is issued.”
The Texas board: “If the applicant fails the exam, the Temporary License is void and must be returned to the Board when notification of failure is received.”
NYSED: “New graduates of New York State-registered or APTA-accredited physical therapist education programs may be employed for 90 days immediately following graduation without holding a limited permit.” “While practicing during these 90 days, the permittee must be under the on-site supervision of a New York State licensed and registered PT.”
FSBPT lists four 2026 test dates for PTs: January 27-28, April 28-29, July 28-29 and October 27-28.
Already licensed in another state? That is licensure by endorsement, a different route: see the PT license by endorsement guide and the PT Compact page.