PTA Licensure Exam Study 2025
Questions and Answers
A physical therapist assistant notes that a two-year-old child exhibits muscle
pseudohypertrophy in the lower extremities. The child has been reluctant to ambulate
recently and exhibits difficulty rising from the floor. Which medical condition is MOST
consistent with the described clinical presentation?
1. Cerebral palsy
2. Duchenne muscular dystrophy
3. Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease
4. Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy - ✔✔2. Duchenne muscular dystrophy
Patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) typically present with symptoms
between the ages of 2 and 5. Gastrocnemius pseudohypertrophy is common with early
symptoms including clumsiness, toe walking, frequent falls, difficult rising from the
floor, and a reluctance to walk or run at appropriate developmental ages. The
pseudohypertrophy is caused by muscle tissue being replaced with fat and connective
tissue.
A patient recently diagnosed with anemia asks the physical therapist assistant what
effect this condition will have on their ability to participate in an exercise program.
COPYRIGHT © 2025 BY OLIVIA WEST, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 1
,Which of the following responses is the MOST appropriate for the assistant to give to
the patient?
1. You may feel as though your muscles are weak
2. You may experience frequent nausea
3. Your aerobic capacity may be reduced
4. You may have a tendency to become fatigued - ✔✔4. You may have a tendency to
become fatigued
Anemia is a common cause of fatigue. Fatigue often results since there are an
inadequate number of red blood cells available to transport oxygen to the tissues of the
body.
A physical therapist assistant treats a patient diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome
in an acute care hospital. Based on the condition's typical clinical presentation, what
should the assistant anticipate that the patient will demonstrate?
1. Cognitive dysfunction
2. Hyperflexia
3. Incoordination
4. Normal sensation - ✔✔3. Incoordination
Patients diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome will typically present with muscle
weakness, clumsiness, and dyskinesia
A patient receives surgical discharge instructions that include the use of an incentive
spirometer and lower extremity compression stockings. Which of the following surgical
procedures would be MOST likely to necessitate the use of this type of medical
equipment?
COPYRIGHT © 2025 BY OLIVIA WEST, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2
,1. Achilles tendon repair
2. Lateral ankle ligament reconstruction
3. Knee meniscectomy
4. Total knee arthroplasty - ✔✔4. Total knee arthroplasty
The destruction of articular cartilage secondary to osteoarthritis is the most common
indication for total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Due to the magnitude of the surgery, the
use of compression stockings and incentive spirometry are typically included in the
post-operative management of patients post TKA
A patient who has cerebral palsy exhibits slow, involuntary, continuous writhing
movements of the upper and lower extremities. Which of the following motor
impairments is MOST representative of this type of motor disturbance?
1. Spasticity
2. Ataxia
3. Hypotonia
4. Athetosis - ✔✔4. Athetosis
Athetosis refers to involuntary movements characterized as slow, irregular, and
twisting. Peripheral movements occur without central stability. This type of motor
disturbance makes it extremely difficult to maintain a static body position.
A patient diagnosed with fibromyalgia syndrome reports difficulty with managing
flare-ups of their symptoms. Which of the following interventions should the physical
therapist assistant MOST emphasize in order to address the patient's complaint?
1. Lumbar stabilization exercises
2. Aerobic exercise
COPYRIGHT © 2025 BY OLIVIA WEST, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 3
, 3. Instruction in pacing activities
4. General flexibility training - ✔✔3. Instruction in pacing activities
Instruction in pacing activities, so as not to push too hard or too little, is a key
component of the management of FMS in an attempt to avoid fluctuations or flare-ups
of symptoms. Individuals with FMA often cycle their activity around their pain on
"good" and "bad" days, with typically lower tolerance for activities and exercise.
Learning to pace activities throughout the day is an important strategy to break up the
vicious cycle of pain leading to decreased activity, which leads to deconditioning and
more pain.
A physical therapist assistant administers the Thomas test to a patient rehabilitating
from a lower extremity injury. Which of the following findings would represent the
MOST significant shortening of the right iliopsoas?
1. In supine with the left hip flexed to the chest, the right hip exhibits 5 degrees of
flexion
2. In supine with the left hip flexed to the chest, the right hip exhibits 15 degrees of
flexion
3. In supine with the right hip flexed to the chest, the left hip exhibits 5 degrees of
flexion
4. In supine with right hip flexed to the chest, the left hip exhibits 15 degrees of flexion. -
✔✔2. In supine with the left hip flexed to the chest, the right hip exhibits 15 degrees of
flexion.
Special tests may be utilized to determine if a patient has muscle tightness or pathology.
The Thomas test is a special test commonly used to assess the length of the hip flexors.
COPYRIGHT © 2025 BY OLIVIA WEST, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 4
Questions and Answers
A physical therapist assistant notes that a two-year-old child exhibits muscle
pseudohypertrophy in the lower extremities. The child has been reluctant to ambulate
recently and exhibits difficulty rising from the floor. Which medical condition is MOST
consistent with the described clinical presentation?
1. Cerebral palsy
2. Duchenne muscular dystrophy
3. Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease
4. Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy - ✔✔2. Duchenne muscular dystrophy
Patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) typically present with symptoms
between the ages of 2 and 5. Gastrocnemius pseudohypertrophy is common with early
symptoms including clumsiness, toe walking, frequent falls, difficult rising from the
floor, and a reluctance to walk or run at appropriate developmental ages. The
pseudohypertrophy is caused by muscle tissue being replaced with fat and connective
tissue.
A patient recently diagnosed with anemia asks the physical therapist assistant what
effect this condition will have on their ability to participate in an exercise program.
COPYRIGHT © 2025 BY OLIVIA WEST, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 1
,Which of the following responses is the MOST appropriate for the assistant to give to
the patient?
1. You may feel as though your muscles are weak
2. You may experience frequent nausea
3. Your aerobic capacity may be reduced
4. You may have a tendency to become fatigued - ✔✔4. You may have a tendency to
become fatigued
Anemia is a common cause of fatigue. Fatigue often results since there are an
inadequate number of red blood cells available to transport oxygen to the tissues of the
body.
A physical therapist assistant treats a patient diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome
in an acute care hospital. Based on the condition's typical clinical presentation, what
should the assistant anticipate that the patient will demonstrate?
1. Cognitive dysfunction
2. Hyperflexia
3. Incoordination
4. Normal sensation - ✔✔3. Incoordination
Patients diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome will typically present with muscle
weakness, clumsiness, and dyskinesia
A patient receives surgical discharge instructions that include the use of an incentive
spirometer and lower extremity compression stockings. Which of the following surgical
procedures would be MOST likely to necessitate the use of this type of medical
equipment?
COPYRIGHT © 2025 BY OLIVIA WEST, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2
,1. Achilles tendon repair
2. Lateral ankle ligament reconstruction
3. Knee meniscectomy
4. Total knee arthroplasty - ✔✔4. Total knee arthroplasty
The destruction of articular cartilage secondary to osteoarthritis is the most common
indication for total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Due to the magnitude of the surgery, the
use of compression stockings and incentive spirometry are typically included in the
post-operative management of patients post TKA
A patient who has cerebral palsy exhibits slow, involuntary, continuous writhing
movements of the upper and lower extremities. Which of the following motor
impairments is MOST representative of this type of motor disturbance?
1. Spasticity
2. Ataxia
3. Hypotonia
4. Athetosis - ✔✔4. Athetosis
Athetosis refers to involuntary movements characterized as slow, irregular, and
twisting. Peripheral movements occur without central stability. This type of motor
disturbance makes it extremely difficult to maintain a static body position.
A patient diagnosed with fibromyalgia syndrome reports difficulty with managing
flare-ups of their symptoms. Which of the following interventions should the physical
therapist assistant MOST emphasize in order to address the patient's complaint?
1. Lumbar stabilization exercises
2. Aerobic exercise
COPYRIGHT © 2025 BY OLIVIA WEST, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 3
, 3. Instruction in pacing activities
4. General flexibility training - ✔✔3. Instruction in pacing activities
Instruction in pacing activities, so as not to push too hard or too little, is a key
component of the management of FMS in an attempt to avoid fluctuations or flare-ups
of symptoms. Individuals with FMA often cycle their activity around their pain on
"good" and "bad" days, with typically lower tolerance for activities and exercise.
Learning to pace activities throughout the day is an important strategy to break up the
vicious cycle of pain leading to decreased activity, which leads to deconditioning and
more pain.
A physical therapist assistant administers the Thomas test to a patient rehabilitating
from a lower extremity injury. Which of the following findings would represent the
MOST significant shortening of the right iliopsoas?
1. In supine with the left hip flexed to the chest, the right hip exhibits 5 degrees of
flexion
2. In supine with the left hip flexed to the chest, the right hip exhibits 15 degrees of
flexion
3. In supine with the right hip flexed to the chest, the left hip exhibits 5 degrees of
flexion
4. In supine with right hip flexed to the chest, the left hip exhibits 15 degrees of flexion. -
✔✔2. In supine with the left hip flexed to the chest, the right hip exhibits 15 degrees of
flexion.
Special tests may be utilized to determine if a patient has muscle tightness or pathology.
The Thomas test is a special test commonly used to assess the length of the hip flexors.
COPYRIGHT © 2025 BY OLIVIA WEST, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 4
