You must be a legal US resident to sit for OPA-C / OA-C exam

Candidates must have completed an orthopaedic assistant program, a primary care physician assistant program, or a nurse practitioner program or completion of a related allied health care program and have at least five (5) years of experience in orthopaedic work with responsibility in surgical assisting, history and physical assessment, and immobilization techniques, under the supervision of a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon.

Please note that a supervising board-certified Orthopaedic surgeon must verify eligibility and sign the Supervising Physician's Statement on the candidate's application.

*revised in March 2018

• Initial Certification Fee - $450
• Recertification Fee by Exam- $350

Given as needed - Dates through PTC -OPA-C / OA-C Testing Information

Current schedule -
You can schedule the test as needed

Retest- Must have 3 months between exam attempts

The Certification Examination for OPA-C/OA-Cs is administered at computer based testing facilities managed by PSI/LaserGrade Computer Testing, Inc. PSI/LaserGrade has several hundred testing sites in the US as well as Canada. Please note: Hours and days of availability vary at different testing centers. Scheduling is done on a first-come, first-serve basis. To locate a testing center near you, visit www.lasergrade.com or call (800) 211-2754.  You will not be able to schedule your examination appointment until have have received an eligibility notice from Professional Testing Corp (PTC).  OPA-C / OA-C Testing Information

The Certification Examination for Orthopaedic Physician's Assistants/Orthopaedic Assistants is composed of a maximum of 250 multiple-choice, objective test questions with a total testing time of four hours. The questions for the examination are developed by individuals with expertise in orthopedics and are reviewed for construction, accuracy, and appropriateness by representatives of NBCOPA/NBCOA. The NBCOPA/NBCOA, with the advice and assistance of the Professional Testing Corporation, prepares the examination.  OPA / OA Exam Candidate Handbook

The Certification Examination for Orthopaedic Physician's Assistants/Orthopaedic Assistants will be weighted in approximately the following manner:

• Anatomy and Physiology -15%
• Musculoskeletal Conditions - 30%
• Orthopaedic History and Physical Examination - 10%
• Imaging and Laboratory Studies - 10%
• Treatment of Musculoskeletal Conditions - 35%

Passage of the NBCOPA/NBCOA examination also signifies an entry level of knowledge in the following categories in the specialty of orthopaedic medicine and surgery:

• Pharmacology
• Assessment and treatment of adult and pediatric orthopaedic diseases and injuries
• Principles and techniques of operative procedures
• Functions and applications of instrumentation and equipment utilized in operative orthopaedic procedures
• Principles and techniques of traction, casting and splint applications
• Clinical evaluation and physical assessment.

There is NOT an official NBCOPA study guide and the booklet that is printed by MoMetrix is NOT an approved study guide and will in no wayhelp you study for or pass the OPA-C exam.

Click here for a list of NBCOPA/NBCOA Source List/Study Guide References

As well as: (some may be out of print or have newer versions.)

• Netter's Concise Atlas of Orthopedic Anatomy- Jon C Thompson
• Orthopedic Secrets 2nd edition- David Brown, Randall Neumann
• A Manual of Orthopedic Terminology- Six Edition- Carolyn Taliaferro, Blauvelt, Fred Nelson
• The Fundamentals of Orthopedics 2nd edition (or 1st but it is not as well laid out), Mark Brinker

An NBCOPA/NBCOA Online Practice Test is available!

The practice test consists of 75 questions, with a testing time of 2 hours to be taken online. The practice test will allow you to experience taking a computerized exam, review content included in the certification exam for OPA/OAs and to learn more about question format, style and level of difficulty. Once you have completed the test, you will receive an instant score report showing test performance in each of the content areas.

Content included:

1. Anatomy and Physiology
2. Musculoskeletal Conditions
3. Orthopedic History and Physical Examination
4. Imaging and Laboratory Studies
5. Treatment of Musculoskeletal Conditions

Cost: $75

Click here for more information about the online practice exam.