Occupational therapy is the only profession that helps people across the lifespan to do the things they want and need to do through the therapeutic use of daily activities (occupations). Occupational therapy practitioners enable people of all ages to live life to its fullest by helping them promote health, and prevent—or live better with—injury, illness, or disability.

The National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc. (NBCOT®) is the national certification body for occupational therapy professionals in the United States. The primary purpose of the NBCOT certification exams is to protect the public interest by certifying only those candidates who have the necessary knowledge of occupational therapy to practice. The OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST REGISTERED OTR® and CERTIFIED OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY ASSISTANT COTA® exams are constructed to measure entry-level competence of candidates who have met eligibility requirements for certification of the respective credential.

The National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc. (NBCOT®) is a not-for-profit credentialing agency that provides certification for the occupational therapy profession. The mission of NBCOT is to serve the public interest by advancing client care and professional practice through evidence-based certification standards and the validation of knowledge essential for effective practice in occupational therapy.

NBCOT’s certification programs are nationally and internationally accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).