OPA-C Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling

Which OPA-C This Article Covers

"OPA-C" is shorthand used by several unrelated credentials. This article is about one: the Orthopaedic Physician's Assistant Certification, awarded as Orthopedic Physician Assistant-Certified in the 2026 candidate handbook. The certifying authority is the National Board for Certification of Orthopaedic Physician's Assistants (NBCOPA, which also appears under the NBCOA name). Professional Testing Corporation (PTC) administers the examination, and Prometric delivers it at computer-based test centers during published testing windows.

This is not the NCCPA's PA-C, not the OA-C for orthopaedic assistants, and not an orthopaedic surgery CAQ. The professional association ASOPA (also styled ASOA) is a separate body from the certifier; PTC states that ASOA dissolved while NBCOPA certification continues. If you need background on the credential itself, start with What Is OPA-C Certification? or What Does OPA-C Stand For?, then return here for the calendar.

All dates in this article come from the NBCOPA/PTC Certification Examination for Orthopedic Physician Assistants Candidate Handbook 2026 and were checked on October 15, 2026. Dates are fixed by the handbook, not by candidate demand, so treat the published windows as the only options rather than expecting on-demand scheduling.

The Three 2026 Testing Windows and Deadlines

The 2026 handbook publishes three pairs of application deadlines and testing windows. Each deadline falls several weeks before its window opens, so the effective planning date is the deadline, not the window itself.

Each window spans roughly two weeks, which gives you flexibility to choose an appointment day at a Prometric center within that range. Seats at a center can fill, so once your application is approved, book an appointment promptly rather than waiting for the last days of the window.

Where the Calendar Stands Now: 2027 Dates

As of October 15, 2026, the final 2026 window (October 10-24) is in progress, and its September 9 application deadline has passed. If you did not apply by then, you cannot sit in this window, and the practical question becomes the next one.

The next published window is February 20-March 6, 2027, with an application deadline of January 20, 2027. These dates come from the separately published Candidate Handbook 2027 (revised September 9, 2026). Because that is a different edition of the handbook than the 2026 one this article uses for exam rules, keep future-year dates and any ancillary fee details separate from the 2026 figures. Before you commit, read the 2027 handbook yourself to confirm that nothing relevant to your situation changed.

If you are currently weighing whether to certify at all, our analysis in Is the OPA-C Certification Worth It? covers the return on investment, and OPA-C Jobs looks at where the credential appears in hiring.

Choosing a Window That Fits Your Eligibility Timeline

The best window is the earliest one for which your paperwork will be complete, not necessarily the earliest one on the calendar. Eligibility is documented, not self-attested, so your timeline depends on how fast you can assemble required evidence.

The three eligibility pathways

The handbook recognizes three education routes, and all of them require legal U.S. residency at the time of application and at the time of testing:

• Pathway 1: Completion of an orthopedic physician assistant, primary-care PA, or NP program.
• Pathway 2: Completion of a master's-level orthopedic-assisting program.
• Pathway 3: Completion of a related allied-health program plus five years of orthopedic work, including surgical assisting, history and physical assessment, and immobilization under a board-certified orthopedic surgeon.

The five-year work requirement applies only to the allied-health route, not to every pathway. All three pathways require evidence of program completion and the signed verification of a supervising board-certified orthopedic surgeon. Two years of college science are recommended but not mandatory. For the full breakdown, see OPA-C Requirements 2026.

Which window suits which candidate

• Recent graduates: Target the first window after your program-completion documentation is issued. Content is freshest, but confirm your transcript or completion letter will exist before the deadline.
• Allied-health route candidates: Confirm your five-year work history is documented and your surgeon is willing to attest to the specific duties named in the handbook before choosing a window.
• Candidates needing accommodations: Plan for the eight-week accommodation lead time first. That date may effectively force you into a later window.

Registration Mechanics: PTC, Prometric and Fees

The process has two layers. First, you apply through PTC, which reviews eligibility and approves you to test. Second, once approved, you schedule an appointment at a Prometric computer-based test center within the published window. Approval comes before scheduling, so you cannot book a seat on the strength of an unfinished application.

The reschedule and transfer charges are contingencies, not routine parts of the initial-exam fee. A candidate who tests on schedule pays the $450 initial fee and nothing else on this list, apart from the optional practice product. For a wider cost picture, including study materials and renewal, read OPA-C Certification Cost 2026.

Rescheduling vs. Transferring: Two Different Transactions

Candidates often blur these two, and the cost difference is large. They solve different problems.

What Test Day Looks Like

The certification examination consists of 200 multiple-choice objective questions with three hours and 15 minutes of testing time. That works out to well under a minute per question on average, so pacing matters as much as knowledge. Questions are objective and scenario-driven, reflecting how an orthopaedic PA reasons through patient presentations, so expect to interpret findings rather than recite isolated definitions.

Rules to plan around:

• The exam is closed-book. No unauthorized references or electronics are allowed during the exam or breaks.
• You must present valid government photo identification that matches your registration.
• You sign a confidentiality agreement as part of testing.
• There are no scheduled breaks. Breaks are permitted, but they do not pause the timer.

That last point deserves attention. Because the clock keeps running during any break, candidates should treat a break as a cost of time, not a reset. To gauge what to expect from the difficulty side, see How Hard Is the OPA-C Exam?

Accommodations and Score Reporting Timeline

Requests for testing accommodations are due at least eight weeks before the testing window. That is a separate and earlier clock than the application deadline. For the February 20-March 6, 2027 window, eight weeks before the window opens falls well before the January 20 application deadline, so candidates who need accommodations should start the process first and the application second.

PTC reports pass/fail along with content-area and total scores approximately four weeks after the testing window closes. Notice that this runs from the close of the window, not from your individual appointment date. A candidate who tests on the first day of a window still waits for results until roughly four weeks after the window ends.

No public numeric passing threshold or current cohort pass rate was verified in the 2026 sources retrieved for this article, so we do not cite one. We discuss what is and is not known on OPA-C Passing Score 2026 and OPA-C Pass Rate 2026.

Mapping Domains to Your Countdown

The five formal exam domains carry published weights that total 100%. Two domains are tied for the largest share, which should drive how you spend your final weeks before a window.

These are exam objectives, not course topics. Musculoskeletal Conditions and Treatment of Musculoskeletal Conditions together account for 60% of the exam, so a candidate who is strong there has a structural advantage. Our full breakdown is in OPA-C Exam Domains 2026.

A countdown sequenced by domain weight

Here is one way to sequence the final eight weeks before a window, ordering topics so foundational material comes before the heavily weighted clinical domains:

You can run timed sets on our OPA-C practice question platform. Keep in mind that independent question banks and study guides are not issuer-endorsed; the older issuer page states that no official study guide exists. For a full prep plan, see the OPA-C Study Guide 2026, and keep the OPA-C cheat sheet handy for last-week review.

After You Pass: Certification Cycle and Practice Authorization

Certification lasts four years. Renewal is by current reexamination or by documenting 120 CME hours, at least 50% of which must be orthopaedic-related and at least 40 of which must be Category I. CME submission is due October 31 of the renewal year, with a $100 late fee. Per the NBCOPA/NBCOA Maintaining Certification page, processing fees are $2 per credit for eligible NAOT or approved OPA-organization members and $5 per credit for non-members, which gives 120-credit base totals of $240 and $600 respectively. The listed member checkout adds $10, for $250. Use the October 31 date, not an older October 1 deadline that appears on some outdated pages.

Wondering how the credential translates to compensation? See the OPA-C Salary Guide, which is careful to avoid unsupported figures.

Why Older Pages Show Different Details

If you have searched around, you may have seen conflicting numbers. The older NBCOPA Board Certification page describes up to 250 questions, four hours, PSI/LaserGrade testing instructions, as-needed scheduling, and domain weights of 15/30/10/10/35. Those details do not match the dated 2026 handbook, which lists 200 questions, 195 minutes, fixed windows and the 15/30/15/10/30 weighting shown above. This article follows the 2026 handbook.

The Candidate Handbook 2027, revised September 9, 2026, agrees with 2026 on 200 questions, 195 minutes and the 15/30/15/10/30 weights, but it is a different edition. When planning for the February 2027 window, check it for any updated fees or procedural changes before you apply. The practical rule: always work from the handbook edition that matches your testing year, and verify against the source before committing money or dates.

Frequently Asked Questions