In 2016, 100 percent of new USC Chan graduates passed national certification exam
February 28, 2017

By Mike McNulty

According to new data released by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy®, all 132 of USC’s new graduates successfully passed the Occupational Therapist Registered OTR® certification examination during the 2016 calendar year. This 100 percent passing rate was also accompanied by the highest average passing score of any Trojan cohort during the past three years on record.

The OTR certification examination — a four-hour test including three clinical simulations and 170 multiple choice items — is designed to validate a person’s essential knowledge for effective occupational therapy practice. NBCOT is the national certification organization for occupational therapy professionals in the United States which oversees the OTR examination. In California, OTR certification is a requirement for new clinicians to receive a license issued by the state in order to practice.

“Thank you to all of our faculty members whose diligent efforts ensure USC students are prepared for earning their national certification,” said USC Chan Associate Dean and Chair Grace Baranek PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA. “And congratulations to our 132 newest Trojan occupational therapists who will surely have long and successful careers ahead of them.”

USC alumni last achieved a collective 100 percent examination pass rate during the 2014 calendar year, when all 118 new graduates successfully earned their OTR certification.

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