The Australian Physiotherapy Council's Written Assessment is the gate to registration for overseas-trained physiotherapists. Two papers, 30 cases, 120 questions, one day, one scaled score. Here is the format from the Council's own information booklet, and what the case-based style means for preparation.
Updated October 2026 from the APC Written Assessment Information Booklet (2026) and the Council's APEP pages. The Council notes it does not endorse any third-party course; read the current booklet on physiocouncil.com.au before you book.
| Item | Written Assessment (APEP) |
|---|---|
| Papers | Two — Paper 1 morning, Paper 2 afternoon, same day |
| Time | Two hours per paper |
| Structure | 15 cases per paper; four multiple-choice questions per case; 60 questions per paper, 120 in total |
| Question style | An Australian clinical scenario, then questions asking for the most appropriate response as the treating physiotherapist |
| Content | Competencies from the Physiotherapy Practice Thresholds across cardiorespiratory, neurological and musculoskeletal areas, across the lifespan and settings, with professional practice throughout |
| Scoring | One scaled score; 500 or more passes. Result is Pass or Fail with the scaled score |
| Delivery | Online; remote with supervision, or at venues in Melbourne and Sydney. Four sittings a year, all starting 9 a.m. Melbourne time |
| Prerequisites | APEP Eligibility Assessment and Cultural Safety Training completed |
Two minutes a question, but the reading is per case. Four questions share one scenario, so the time is really eight minutes per case: read once, carefully, then answer four. Candidates who re-read the case for each question run out of time in the last three cases of Paper 2.
The "most appropriate" response is a judgement in the Australian setting. Scope of practice, referral pathways, consent, cultural safety and what a physiotherapist does first in an Australian ward or community setting are examined inside clinical questions. A correct clinical answer from another health system can be the wrong Australian answer.
Safety first, always. Across cases, the options that identify red flags, check precautions, or stop and refer are the ones the Council's competencies reward. If two options look right, the safer one usually is.
Three clinical areas carry the score. The scaled score is built from cardiorespiratory, neurological and musculoskeletal performance. Pass or fail rests on one combined score across all three, so a weak area drags the total down; preparation has to cover all three at exam length.
A pass on the Written Assessment opens the next APEP stages — the Capability Assessment, a remote oral examination of clinical reasoning in simulated patient contexts, and the Clinical Workshop — before registration with Ahpra. The Written Assessment is where the pathway is most often delayed, which is why it is the one to over-prepare.
PT StudyBuddy's APC Course is recorded and self-paced, built on the Council's clinical areas and the Practice Thresholds, with case-based quizzes after each module and timed papers in the Council's two-paper, 15-case format so the pacing is learned before the day.
120: two papers of 60, each paper made of 15 clinical cases with four multiple-choice questions per case. Paper 1 in the morning, Paper 2 in the afternoon, two hours each, on the same day.
A scaled score of 500 or more, produced by the Council's Rasch-based scaling across the clinical areas. It is a fixed standard, not a percentage and not a ranking against other candidates.
Four times a year, remotely with online supervision or in person in Melbourne and Sydney. Every sitting starts at 9 a.m. Melbourne time — check what that is in your own time zone.
Under APEP: the Eligibility Assessment and the Cultural Safety Training. Then you apply for the Written Assessment through the Candidate Dashboard and pay the fee.
No. Each case gives an Australian clinical scenario and asks for the most appropriate response; the questions test reasoning, prioritisation and safety in that setting, which is why candidates who did well on memory-based home-country exams still fail it.
