About the NBCOT® OTR® and

COTA® Exams
The following information is a general description of the NBCOT® OTR® and COTA® exams. Detailed informa-
tion and additional resources are available from NBCOT. All examination candidates should visit the NBCOT
website and review the resources for certification candidates there.

Exam Basics
The OTR and COTA exams are timed, computer-administered exams. Candidates have 4 hours to answer the
questions.
• OTR exams consist of 170 multiple-choice questions and 3 clinical simulation questions.
• COTA exams consist of 200 multiple-choice questions.
Some multiple-choice questions require that you read a scenario and answer several questions about it. AOTA’s
NBCOT® Exam Prep does not include scenario-type questions at this time; however, general strategies for han-
dling multiple-choice questions are provided in Testing Tips.
If you can answer the multiple-choice questions at a pace of approximately 1 minute per question and (for OTR
candidates), allow 15 minutes for each clinical simulation question, you should have roughly half an hour at
the end of the exam to check your work.

Exam Construction
The NBCOT COTA and OTR examinations are based on practice surveys that NBCOT conducts every few years.
The surveys ask new practitioners—those who have been certified as an OTR or COTA for less than 3 years—
about the tasks, knowledge, and skills required in the course of their work. This approach ensures that the OTR
and COTA exams include content that accurately reflects entry-level practice. The most recent practice analysis
surveys were conducted in 2012, and the validated task, knowledge, and skills statements derived from those
surveys are available at the following links:
• 2012 OTR® Validated Domain, Task, and Knowledge Statements
• 2012 COTA® Validated Domain, Task, and Knowledge Statements
Tasks, knowledge, and skills are grouped into several domains, which in turn form the “blueprint” for the ex-
ams. Candidates taking exams after January 1, 2014, will have exams based on the 2012 practice surveys. The
blueprints are available at the following links:
• 2012 OTR® Examination Blueprint
• 2012 COTA® Examination Blueprint
How does the blueprint help you decide how to study? For example, the 2012 OTR exam blueprint states that
28% of the exam questions will be in Domain 2 and 45% of the questions will be in Domain 3 (Table 1). Together,

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Domains 2 and 3 will constitute 73% of the exam, so candidates should be sure to give extra attention to practice
questions from those domains. Table 2 describes the blueprint for the COTA exam.

Table 1. OTR® Exam Blueprint as of January 2014

% of
Domain Definition Questions
1 Acquire information regarding factors that influence occupational 17
performance throughout the occupational therapy process.
2 Formulate conclusions regarding client needs and priorities to de- 28
velop and monitor an intervention plan throughout the occupational
therapy process.
3 Select interventions for managing a client-centered plan throughout 45
the occupational therapy process.
4 Manage and direct occupational therapy services to promote quality in 10
practice.
Source. National Board for Certification of Occupational Therapists. (2013). 2012 practice analysis of the Occupational
Therapist Registered (p. 19). Retrieved from http://www.nbcot.org/assets/candidate-pdfs/2012-practice-analysis-executive-
otr.pdf

Table 2. COTA® Exam Blueprint as of January 2014

% of
Domain Definition Questions
1 Assist the OTR® to acquire information regarding factors that influ- 32
ence occupational performance throughout the occupational therapy
process.
2 Implement interventions in accordance with the intervention plan and 60
under the supervision of the OTR® to support client participation in
areas of occupation throughout the occupational therapy process.
3 Uphold professional standards and responsibilities to promote quality 8
in practice.
Source. National Board for Certification of Occupational Therapists. (2013). 2012 practice analysis of the Certified Occu-
pational Therapy Assistant (p. 17). Retrieved from http://www.nbcot.org/assets/candidate-pdfs/2012-practice-analysis-
executive-cota.pdf

A detailed description of exam construction and test administration is beyond the scope of this product. For
more information, review the resources for certification candidates on the NBCOT website. We also recom-
mend that you obtain a copy of the NBCOT study guide for the test you are taking.

Application of Knowledge
The validated task, knowledge, and skill statements make it clear that the NBCOT exams are primarily about
measuring the ability of OTR and COTA candidates to apply what they have learned to clinical practice. Your
knowledge base is important, of course, but knowing how to use what you know is key to passing the exam. See
Testing Tips for more information about how to approach studying for the OTR and COTA exams.

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All rights reserved. For permissions, contact www.copyright.com.