All questions on the exam relate to the competencies outlined in "Description of Specialty Practice: Orthopaedic Physical Therapy."

The specialist examination for board certification in orthopaedic physical therapy is based on the major competency areas listed below. Each competency area is subdivided into specific objectives in Chapter 2 of the DSP. The percentage of the exam devoted to each of these areas is outlined below. These percentages are based on survey responses from board-certified orthopaedic clinical specialists and members of the Academy of Orthopaedic Physical Therapy who are not certified specialists, as well as the opinions of a group of subject matter experts. Each question in the item bank is categorized according to the competency area, and when the test is constructed the question distribution on the exam approximately reflects these percentages.