Athletic trainer certification in the US rests on one exam: the Board of Certification test that awards the ATC® credential. It is a health-care credential, not a coaching one. You sit it from a CAATE-accredited program, then your state licenses you to practice. In 2024–25, 74.6% of first-time candidates passed.
Multiple choice, multi-select, drag-and-drop and hot spot items, plus focused testlets (one scenario, several items); partial credit on multi-select and drag-and-drop
A student in the final term or a graduate of a CAATE-accredited professional athletic training program, endorsed by the program director; or the International Arrangement route for ARTI, BASRaT and CATA credential holders
CAATE programs have not admitted new bachelor’s-level students since fall 2022, so new candidates come from master’s programs (254 accredited professional programs in 2023–24)In 2023–24, 250 of the 254 accredited professional programs led to a master’s degree and 7 were bachelor’s programs in teach-out.
Current Emergency Cardiac Care certification (adult and pediatric CPR, AED, airway obstruction, barrier devices) with a skills demonstration, needed to finish certification and to keep it
74.6% of first-time candidates passed in 2024–25 (1,683 of 2,256)Retakers 29.3%, all candidates 56.2%. First-time 68.7% in 2023–24, the first PA8 year. 2025–26 rates are not published yet.
Two domains carry half the scored items: assessment and diagnosis, and therapeutic intervention, at 25.6% each. Healthcare administration is the smallest at 8%, about 10 scored items. Each domain has its own page with practice questions.
Question 1 of 4 · Assessment, Evaluation and Diagnosis · 25.6%
A volleyball player twisted the knee on a planted foot and now reports medial joint-line pain and occasional catching. Which special test is MOST appropriate for the suspected structure?
A valgus stress test checks the MCL; it gives no information on catching from a torn meniscus.
Twisting on a planted foot plus joint-line pain and catching suggests a meniscal tear, and the McMurray test rotates the tibia under load to provoke it.
Patellar apprehension tests lateral patellar instability, which does not produce joint-line pain and catching.
The Lachman test measures anterior tibial translation for the ACL, not a meniscal lesion.
Question 2 of 4 · Healthcare Administration and Professional Responsibility · 8%
An athletic trainer moves to a new state to practice. Which source determines the procedures the athletic trainer may legally perform there?
Legal scope comes from the state's practice act and its rules; it decides which procedures an athletic trainer may perform in that state.
An employer cannot widen legal scope; a job description that exceeds the practice act does not make the procedure legal.
The BOC Standards bind certified athletic trainers professionally, but they do not grant legal authority in a state.
The NATA Code of Ethics guides members' conduct and has no force as state law.
Question 3 of 4 · Assessment, Evaluation and Diagnosis · 25.6%
During a manual muscle test, a patient moves the knee through full extension against gravity but cannot hold the position against any added resistance. How should the athletic trainer grade the quadriceps?
A 4/5 (Good) grade needs the patient to hold against moderate resistance, which this patient cannot do.
A 2/5 (Poor) grade means full range only with gravity eliminated; this patient lifts the leg against gravity.
A 3+/5 (Fair+) grade means holding against minimal resistance, and this patient cannot hold against any.
Completing full range against gravity with no added resistance is a 3/5 (Fair) grade.
Question 4 of 4 · Therapeutic Intervention · 25.6%
A patient who is non-weight-bearing on the right leg needs to go up a flight of stairs with axillary crutches. Which sequence should the athletic trainer teach?
Moving both legs together after the crutches puts weight on the non-weight-bearing right leg.
Moving both legs before the crutches leaves the patient unsupported and loads the right leg.
Going up, the uninvolved left leg steps first and lifts the body, then the crutches and the non-weight-bearing right leg follow.
Leading with the crutches and the involved leg is the sequence for going down stairs.
Answer every question to see your score
A new outline is coming
Next edition:PA9 from April 2028. Until those forms arrive every window tests PA8, so a 2027 candidate studies the current five domains. A guide that says no new edition is planned is out of date.
Athletic trainer or strength coach?
The two careers share the field and split at the injury. An athletic trainer evaluates, treats and rehabilitates in collaboration with a physician and needs a state license. A strength coach builds performance in healthy athletes; the strength credential on this site is the NSCA’s CSCS, which asks for bachelor’s (any field) + CPR/AED rather than a CAATE program. The careers side by side: how to become a strength coach.
More on the ATC exam
BOC (ATC) practice test→59 questions across the five PA8 domains, in exam weights, every option explained
About three in four first-timers pass: 74.6% in 2024–25, against 29.3% of retakers. In 2023–24, the first year on the PA8 outline, the first-time rate was 68.7%. The full table.
Is BOC certification the same as a license?
No. The ATC credential is national; the right to practice comes from your state. You pass the exam first and then apply to the state board, which sets its own rules, including on exam attempts.
Can I take the exam before I graduate?
Yes, in your final term, once your program director confirms you. The full eligibility rule is on how to become an athletic trainer.
Do I have to be a NATA member?
No. Membership lowers the application fee ($75 / $100) and, later, the yearly certification fee; the exam fee is the same for members and nonmembers. What it all costs.