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Australian Physiotherapy Entry Pathway · Last updated November 2026

APC Written Assessment (Australian Physiotherapy Council): free practice test

The second stage of the Australian Physiotherapy Entry Pathway (APEP) and the FLYR pathway for overseas-qualified physiotherapists. 120 case-based multiple-choice questions test your knowledge, problem-solving and decision-making against the Physiotherapy practice thresholds, across musculoskeletal, neurological and cardiorespiratory physiotherapy, the lifespan, different practice settings and professional practice.

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About the APC Written Assessment exam

The second stage of the Australian Physiotherapy Entry Pathway (APEP) and the FLYR pathway for overseas-qualified physiotherapists. 120 case-based multiple-choice questions test your knowledge, problem-solving and decision-making against the Physiotherapy practice thresholds, across musculoskeletal, neurological and cardiorespiratory physiotherapy, the lifespan, different practice settings and professional practice.

What's on the exam

APC Written Assessment
Musculoskeletal Assessment and Diagnosis
7 key facts
Musculoskeletal Management
7 key facts
Neurological Physiotherapy
7 key facts
Cardiorespiratory Physiotherapy
7 key facts
Lifespan: Paediatrics, Gerontology and Gender Health
7 key facts
Acute Care and Patient Safety
7 key facts
Professional, Ethical and Evidence-Based Practice
7 key facts

Each branch is a topic in the official outline. Members see every key fact on the full mind map. Read the free study guide →

How to pass the APC Written Assessment exam

  • Each paper is 60 questions in 2 hours: about 2 minutes per question. Read the case once carefully, because all 4 of its questions draw on it.
  • Answer as an entry-level physiotherapist working in Australia. The best option is the one that follows Australian guidelines and is safe, client-centred and within your scope.
  • Learn the Australian sources the Council points to: the Australian and New Zealand stroke guidelines, Lung Foundation Australia's pulmonary rehabilitation toolkit and Heart Foundation resources.
  • There's no negative marking, so never leave a question blank. Flag hard ones and come back.

Save your results and get your Readiness Score

Create a free account after the test: your score by topic, a mistakes bank, the complete study notes for the first topic, flashcards and the Clinical Values & Red Flags Sheet.

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What's in the premium APC Written Assessment prep

Premium APC Written Assessment prep is studied one topic at a time. Each step starts with that topic's key notes and flashcard deck, then its own question sets of 25, so you master one topic before you move to the next. When every topic is strong, the 6 full mock exams show you're ready.

3,000practice questions, every answer explained
6full-length mock exams, 120 questions each, timed
800flashcards with spaced repetition, sorted by topic
60comprehensive key notes across 7 topics

Your step-by-step study path

  1. 1
    Musculoskeletal Assessment and Diagnosis9 key notes, 115 flashcards, then 450 practice questions in 18 sets of 25
    Notes free with an account
  2. 2
    Musculoskeletal Management9 key notes, 115 flashcards, then 425 practice questions in 17 sets of 25
    Premium
  3. 3
    Neurological Physiotherapy9 key notes, 115 flashcards, then 425 practice questions in 17 sets of 25
    Premium
  4. 4
    Cardiorespiratory Physiotherapy9 key notes, 115 flashcards, then 425 practice questions in 17 sets of 25
    Premium
  5. 5
    Lifespan: Paediatrics, Gerontology and Gender Health8 key notes, 115 flashcards, then 425 practice questions in 17 sets of 25
    Premium
  6. 6
    Acute Care and Patient Safety8 key notes, 115 flashcards, then 425 practice questions in 17 sets of 25
    Premium
  7. 7
    Professional, Ethical and Evidence-Based Practice8 key notes, 110 flashcards, then 425 practice questions in 17 sets of 25
    Premium
  8. Final step: 6 full mock exams120 questions each, timed like test day. Pass them, then book your exam.
    Premium
Free with an account

Read the complete APC Written Assessment study notes for “Musculoskeletal Assessment and Diagnosis”

Our first full set of comprehensive notes, about 16 minutes of reading: Start with the subjective examination · Screen for serious pathology · Clinical decision rules and imaging · Choosing the right test · Reading neurological findings · From findings to a physiotherapy diagnosis, a worked exam example, the traps examiners use and a one-minute recap. Create a free account to read it and see how premium notes work before you decide.

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Study tools included

3,000 practice questions

3,000 exam-style questions per exam, organized topic by topic in sets of 25. Every answer explained, with the rule it comes from.

6 full mock exams

6 full-length timed mock exams per exam, with real question counts and time limits, so test day feels like practice day.

Exam Readiness Score

One 0 to 100 number that tells you when you're ready to book. Reach 80 and you're covered by our Pass Guarantee.

800 flashcards + spaced repetition

800 flashcards per exam, in a deck for each topic, that come back right before you'd forget them. Five minutes a day keeps every number fresh.

60 comprehensive key notes

60 key notes per exam, split across its topics and each explained in full: the concepts, worked exam examples, the traps examiners use and a quick recap. Your first set is free with an account.

Mind maps

See the whole exam on one screen: every topic and the facts under it.

Sample questions with answers

These are the questions in the free test above, with answers. Try the test first. You'll learn more by getting some wrong.

1. A 24-year-old netballer rolled her ankle into inversion an hour ago. Under the Ottawa ankle rules, which finding means she should be referred for an ankle X-ray?
Answer: Bone tenderness along the posterior edge of the distal 6 cm of the lateral malleolus. An ankle X-ray is indicated if there is pain in the malleolar zone plus bone tenderness at the posterior edge or tip of either malleolus (distal 6 cm), or inability to bear weight for four steps both immediately and when assessed. Swelling, bruising, pain on inversion and ligament laxity don't predict fracture.
2. A 19-year-old footballer felt a pop in his knee while pivoting and had a large effusion within 2 hours. Which clinical test is the most accurate for an acute anterior cruciate ligament rupture?
Answer: Lachman test. The Lachman test has the best combined sensitivity and specificity for ACL rupture, and is easier to perform than the anterior drawer in an acutely swollen knee. McMurray tests the menisci, valgus stress the MCL and the posterior drawer the PCL.
3. A 40-year-old office worker has had low back pain for 5 days after gardening. There are no red flags and no neurological signs. Which initial management best follows Australia's Low Back Pain Clinical Care Standard?
Answer: Reassurance, advice to stay active and continue usual activities, with no imaging. The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care's standard recommends assessment for serious causes, education and reassurance, advice to stay active, and no imaging unless a serious pathology is suspected. Bed rest slows recovery, and opioids are not first-line.
4. A 45-year-old recreational runner has had 4 months of pain 4 cm above the Achilles insertion, worse in the morning and after running. Which management has the best evidence?
Answer: A progressive tendon-loading programme, such as calf strengthening, with pain monitoring. Mid-portion Achilles tendinopathy responds best to progressive loading (eccentric or heavy slow resistance calf work), using a pain-monitoring model to guide progression. Complete rest de-conditions the tendon, and injecting corticosteroid into the tendon risks rupture.
5. A man was admitted 10 hours ago with an ischaemic stroke and is medically stable. According to the Australian and New Zealand Living Clinical Guidelines for Stroke Management, what is the recommended approach to getting him out of bed?
Answer: Frequent, short out-of-bed sessions within the first 48 hours, avoiding high-dose mobilisation in the first 24 hours. The guidelines strongly recommend against very early, high-dose mobilisation within 24 hours of stroke onset (based on the AVERT trial). For mild and moderate stroke they recommend frequent, short sessions of out-of-bed activity within the first 48 hours. Prolonged bed rest is not recommended.
6. A woman with Parkinson's disease freezes when walking through doorways at home. Which strategy is best supported for reducing her freezing of gait?
Answer: External cues, such as stepping to a metronome beat or over lines on the floor. External auditory, visual or tactile cues help people with Parkinson's disease bypass the impaired automatic control of gait and are a core recommendation of the European Physiotherapy Guideline for Parkinson's Disease. Hurrying tends to worsen freezing, and avoidance reduces participation.
7. A 30-year-old has a complete (AIS A) C6 spinal cord injury. Which preserved movement allows him to use a tenodesis grip?
Answer: Wrist extension. The C6 key muscle is the wrist extensors. Active wrist extension passively closes the fingers through tenodesis of the long finger flexors, giving a functional grip. Elbow extension is C7, finger flexion C8 and finger abduction T1.
8. Lung Foundation Australia's Pulmonary Rehabilitation Toolkit suggests an initial walking training intensity for a person with COPD of:
Answer: 80% of the average speed walked in the six-minute walk test. The toolkit recommends starting walking training at 80% of the average speed achieved in the six-minute walk test, for a total of about 30 minutes, then progressing using symptoms (dyspnoea and perceived exertion around moderate to somewhat severe).
9. On day 1 after an open upper abdominal operation, a patient has reduced breath sounds at both bases and SpO2 of 92% on room air. Observations are otherwise stable. What is the most appropriate physiotherapy intervention?
Answer: Early mobilisation out of bed, with deep breathing exercises. The picture suggests basal atelectasis. Getting the patient upright and walking increases lung volumes and is the most effective intervention, with deep breathing as a supplement. Head-down tilt and percussion are not indicated after abdominal surgery without retained secretions, and bed rest worsens atelectasis.
10. A 12-year-old boy who plays basketball four times a week has anterior knee pain, with tenderness and a prominent bump over the tibial tuberosity. What is the most likely diagnosis?
Answer: Osgood-Schlatter disease. Osgood-Schlatter disease is a traction apophysitis of the tibial tuberosity in active children around the growth spurt. Sinding-Larsen-Johansson affects the inferior pole of the patella, patellar tendinopathy is more typical in adults, and osteochondritis dissecans gives joint-line pain and mechanical symptoms.
11. Which exercise approach has the strongest evidence for preventing falls in community-dwelling older people?
Answer: Progressive exercise that challenges balance, done for about 3 hours a week on an ongoing basis. Exercise programs that safely challenge balance and are done for around 3 or more hours a week, and continued over time, reduce falls the most. Walking alone does not prevent falls and may increase them in high-risk people, and one-off education doesn't change falls rates.
12. A 38-year-old woman leaks urine when she coughs, sneezes or runs. There are no red flags. What is the first-line physiotherapy management?
Answer: Supervised pelvic floor muscle training for at least 3 months. Supervised pelvic floor muscle training for at least 3 months is first-line treatment for stress urinary incontinence in women. Restricting fluids concentrates urine and can irritate the bladder, crunches increase intra-abdominal pressure, and surgery is considered only after conservative care.
13. A patient with mechanical low back pain tells you she has new numbness between her legs and has not passed urine since yesterday. What is the most appropriate action?
Answer: Arrange immediate referral to the emergency department. Saddle anaesthesia and urinary retention are red flags for cauda equina syndrome, a surgical emergency. She needs same-day emergency assessment and imaging. Waiting, routine referral or continuing treatment risks permanent bladder, bowel and sexual dysfunction.
14. During a gym session, a man with a T4 complete spinal cord injury suddenly develops a pounding headache and flushing above the injury. His blood pressure is 190/110 mmHg. What should you do first?
Answer: Sit him upright, lower his legs and check for a trigger such as a blocked catheter. This is autonomic dysreflexia, a medical emergency in injuries at T6 and above. Sit the person upright with legs lowered to reduce blood pressure, loosen tight clothing, and find and remove the noxious stimulus (most often a full bladder or blocked catheter), escalating to medical care if it doesn't settle.
15. Under the NHMRC levels of evidence for intervention studies, which study design provides Level I evidence?
Answer: A systematic review of randomised controlled trials. NHMRC Level I is a systematic review of Level II studies, and Level II is a randomised controlled trial. Cohort studies are Level III-2 and case series Level IV. Evidence-based practice combines the best evidence with clinical expertise and the client's values.

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Certification guide

APC Written Assessment guide (2026-27): The Written Assessment is the second stage of the [Australian Physiotherapy Council's](https://physiocouncil.com.au/international-physiotherapists/australian-physiotherapy-entry-pathway/written-assessment) assessment for overseas-qualified physiotherapists. It tests your knowledge, problem-solving and decision-making against the Physiotherapy practice thresholds in 120 case-based multiple-choice questions over two 2-hour papers on the same day. Here's how it works and how to prepare.

APC Written Assessment exam FAQ

How many questions are on the APC Written Assessment exam?

120 multiple-choice questions in 2 papers (each paper: 15 clinical cases with 4 questions per case), with a time limit of 4 hours: two 2-hour papers on the same day (paper 1 in the morning, paper 2 in the afternoon). Format: closed book, computer-based.

What is the passing score for APC Written Assessment?

Scaled score of 500 or higher (Rasch-scaled across both papers). No negative marking.

How much does the APC Written Assessment exam cost?

A$2,078 per attempt from 21 October 2026 (A$2,017 before), charged again for each resit. The Council's fees changed on 21 October 2026, so confirm the current fee on its website before you apply.

Which languages is the APC Written Assessment exam offered in?

English.

Where do I take the APC Written Assessment exam?

Online exam, in person in Melbourne or Sydney, or remotely supervised from your own location.

Is this APC Written Assessment practice test free?

Yes. The 15-question practice test on this page is free, with an explanation for every answer and no signup. A free account also unlocks the complete study notes for the first topic. The full APC Written Assessment prep is Premium at A$217 a month for this exam.

What's in the premium APC Written Assessment prep?

3,000 practice questions organized topic by topic (Musculoskeletal Assessment and Diagnosis: 450; Musculoskeletal Management: 425; Neurological Physiotherapy: 425; Cardiorespiratory Physiotherapy: 425; Lifespan: Paediatrics, Gerontology and Gender Health: 425; Acute Care and Patient Safety: 425; Professional, Ethical and Evidence-Based Practice: 425), 6 full-length timed mock exams of 120 questions, 800 flashcards and 60 comprehensive key notes split across all 7 topics, plus a mistakes bank and the Readiness Score.

Related practice tests

Exam details are summarized from the official candidate information available in November 2026. the Australian Physiotherapy Council changes formats and fees, so confirm with Australian Physiotherapy Council before you book. APCPhysioExam is not affiliated with the Australian Physiotherapy Council.

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