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Healthcare & Clinical Licensure

Healthcare & Clinical Licensure

There are 6 healthcare & clinical licensure credentials in the TestPrepPilot directory: 6 national certifications awarded by a single body, and 0 licences issued by individual state boards across 0 states.

Physician, nursing, pharmacy, dental, vision and rehabilitation licensing and board certification exams.

Credentials: 6
Specialisms: 4
National: 6

How do the main healthcare & clinical licensure credentials compare?

Verified figures for 6 of the national healthcare & clinical licensure credentials, drawn from each awarding body's published material. Fees change — confirm with the body before you book.

Credential	Awarded by	Exam fee	Length	Pass mark
NCLEX-PN	National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN)	~$200 (NCSBN) plus state board and processing fees	Up to 5 hours (variable by candidate)	Passing score set by the awarding body; see the official score report
NCLEX-RN	National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN)	~$200 (NCSBN) plus state board and processing fees	Up to 5 hours (variable by candidate)	Passing score set by the awarding body; see the official score report
Massage and Bodywork Licensing Examination	Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB)	Varies by location and currency — confirm on the official registration page	2 hours	Passing score set by the awarding body; see the official score report
Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination	National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA)	~$550	~5 hours	Passing score set by the awarding body; see the official score report
USMLE Step 1	National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) and Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB)	~$695	~8 hours	Passing score set by the awarding body; see the official score report
National Physical Therapy Examination	Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT)	~$400-485	5 hours incl. break	Passing score set by the awarding body; see the official score report

Which healthcare & clinical licensure credentials lead to the highest published pay?

Ranked by the median annual wage published for the occupation each credential unlocks — the most recent figure per occupation, quoted from the source named in the guide (usually the BLS occupational series). A credential is the entry ticket to an occupation, not a pay guarantee: these are occupation medians, not starting salaries.

USMLE Step 1

Physicians and surgeons earned a median of $239,200 or more per year, SOC 29-1210 (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, May 2024 — the median is top-coded at $239,200)

Step 1 has reported pass/fail only since January 2022, and no numeric score is published — the USMLE does publish performance data by examinee group, and US MD senior first-time pass rates have been roughly 90-93% in recent years, with IMG rates lower

Verified 2026-08
Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination

$133,260 median for physician assistants (BLS SOC 29-1071, May 2024)

NCCPA publishes first-time pass rates by year — 2025: 91.5% first-time (13,145 first-time takers), versus 88.4% across all administrations

Verified 2026-08
National Physical Therapy Examination

Expect physical-therapist pay at a May 2024 median of $101,020 (BLS) — the NPTE is the licensure gate for the occupation, and pass rates of ~78% reflect a demanding but passable exam

FSBPT publishes pass rates — recent first-time pass rates for U.S.-educated PT candidates have run about 78-80%; the NPTE is a 250-question, 5-hour computer-based exam

Verified 2026-08
NCLEX-RN

$93,600 median for registered nurses (BLS SOC 29-1141, May 2024)

NCSBN publishes no single blended pass rate - but reports first-time, US-educated rates (2023: 88.56%, 2024: 91.2%, 2025: ~86.7%)

Verified 2026-08
NCLEX-PN

$62,340 median for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses (BLS, May 2024)

NCSBN reports cohort pass rates — the exam itself is scored to a fixed standard, not a curve

Verified 2026-08
Massage and Bodywork Licensing Examination

$57,400 median for massage therapists (BLS, May 2024)

FSMTB publishes the format and passing-standard structure, and reports pass rates by year in its annual data

Verified 2026-08

Nursing 2 credentials

Other Clinicians 2 credentials

Physician 1 credential

USMLE Step 1 USMLE Step 1 — Healthcare (Clinical) credential from National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) and Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) Exam

Rehabilitation 1 credential

National Physical Therapy Examination National Physical Therapy Examination — Healthcare (Clinical) credential from Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT) Exam

Frequently asked questions about healthcare & clinical licensure credentials

How many healthcare & clinical licensure credentials are there?

How much do healthcare & clinical licensure exams cost?

Across the 6 national healthcare & clinical licensure credentials we have verified fee data for, exam fees run from $200–$695. Renewal, membership and study-material costs are additional and vary by awarding body — each guide breaks out its own full cost table.

Do you need a certification to work in healthcare & clinical licensure?

None of the 6 credentials in this field is a state-issued licence — all 6 are national certifications awarded by a professional body. That usually means the certification is not legally mandatory, but employers, insurers or clients may require it as a condition of the work.

Which healthcare & clinical licensure credential should you start with?

Start with the one your target employer or state board names. The most widely recognised national options in this field are NCLEX-PN, NCLEX-RN, Massage and Bodywork Licensing Examination — each has a full guide with eligibility rules, fees and a week-by-week study plan.

How often do healthcare & clinical licensure requirements change?

Fees are revised most years and eligibility rules change whenever a state legislature or awarding body acts. Every guide on TestPrepPilot links to the primary regulatory source it was verified against, and the "Sources" section is the authoritative place to confirm current figures before you book.