Certification Overview
The National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc. (NBCOT®) is a national not-for-profit organization that provides certification for occupational therapy professionals. NBCOT develops, administers, and continually reviews its certification process based on current and valid standards that provide reliable indicators of competence of occupational therapy practice. Above all else, our mission is to serve the public interest.
If you did not earn your entry-level master’s/doctoral degree in occupational therapy from a U.S.-accredited college/university, you must apply for the Occupational Therapist Eligibility Determination (OTED®) process. The OTED process will determine if your completed education, including fieldwork, meets the eligibility requirements to apply for the OTR certification exam. Education and fieldwork must be deemed comparable to current U.S. entry-level educational standards.
To apply for OTED:
- Complete the online application
- Provide documentation demonstrating compliance with all eligibility criteria
- Pay the $850 (USD) fee.
Once you are approved through the OTED process, you are eligible to apply for the OTR certification exam (please review the exam retake policy, effective January 2020).
All OTED approvals are valid for 7 years from the date of approval.
Inquiries related to the OTED process should be directed to international@nbcot.org.
To schedule an exam, simply follow the below steps on the NBCOT page.
You should arrive at least 30 minutes before your scheduled exam appointment. This allows time for you to sign in and for staff to verify your identification.
You must present a valid form of identification before you can test. The identification document must:
- Be government-issued (e.g., driver’s license, state-issued identification card, military identification card or passport).
- Contain both a current photo (or a physical description) and your signature.
- Have a name that exactly matches the name used to register for the exam (including designations such as “Jr.” and “III”).
Important Failure to provide appropriate identification at the time of the exam is considered a missed appointment.
Personal Belongings
You will not be allowed to take any personal items with you into the testing room. This includes all bags, books or other materials not authorized for this exam, notes, phones, pagers, watches and wallets. You will, however, be provided a locker where you can keep your personal items. It is important that all electronic items, such as cell phones should be turned OFF.