Best SCS Prep Materials - Sports Certified Specialist Exam Materials

Figuring out which resources to use to prepare for the PT board specialty exam can be a daunting process. But with the right study plan and a few key resources, you can ace the test!

There is one thing that you need to know about preparing: You have to use multiple sources in order to be prepared for the board specialty exam. For example, if you completed a residency program that used much of the material from Evidence in Motion, then I recommend using the Medbridge Specialty Exam Prep Course (they have SCS, OCS, GCS, NCS, PCS). But if your residency is like ours, we use a lot of the prep material from Medbridge, so you can certainly use the Medbridge Study Guides and practice exams, but I would recommend using another program as well (e.g. Evidence in Motion (they have OCS, SCS, GCS) or The SPTS Sports Certified Specialist Examination Preparatory Course (2020)

If you didn’t do a residency program, I would recommend doing both (e.g. Medbridge and Evidence in Motion). Those two resources will really give you a comprehensive way to be certain to learn the material.

If you are looking for additional ways to study and additional practice exams (although MedBridge has 4 practice exams), below is list of resources to aid your studying for the Board Certified Specialist Examination:

What are the best Sports Board Certified Specialist Examination Prep Materials?

Medbridge SCS Prep

My favorite part of the Medbridge SCS prep is the study guides. These guides are amazing and are incredibly comprehensive. They were developed by Jenna Gourlay, and I have had multiple exam takers tell me using these guides helped them tremendously. Here is how I recommend using them:

1. Complete a section of the blank study guide without using resources. This will give you a good indication of your current knowledge level on the topic area
2. Go back to your resources to complete the areas you left blank
3. Make flash cards and take notes on the areas that you don’t feel as confident in. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to HANDWRITE notes. The learning research on this is unequivocal.

Also, there are over 500 SCS and OCS practice questions. That is such a helpful way to gauge your knowledge as well as study in a different way. One thing to note with any practice test, I wouldn’t use your score to be predictive of what your performance will be on the exam. They are intended to identify areas of weakness and provide practice, not perfectly replicate the board specialty exam.

Evidence in Motion SCS Test Prep Course
While I haven’t used this course personally, I know many people who have that found it extremely valuable. Like I said, I recommend this course to our residency graduates as it gives them a different perspective.

From the Evidence in Motion Website:

• Interact with other “SCS-preppers” in an exclusive online forum.
• Weekly summaries of the most “need to know” info for the SCS Exam with quizzes.
• Pre-course exam, quizzes and post-course exam with over 350 SCS-style review questions.
• Citations and full text are provided for all quiz and pre-course exam questions.

PT Ortho & Sports Questions Volume II: Pass the Test Without Breaking the Bank, PT Ortho Questions: Pass the test without breaking the bank, and PT Sports Questions: Get an Edge Over the Competition

I just reviewed these for the first time and I really like them! It is great to have access to that many questions. Each question has an explanation of why the answer is correct and links to the citing course (a great way to dive into areas that you feel less confident).

The SPTS Sports Certified Specialist Examination Preparatory Course (2020)

“Edited by Robert Manske, PT,DPT, MEd, SCS, ATC, CSCS and John DeWitt, PT, DPT, SCS, AT, this home study course has been developed by the leaders in sports physical therapy to help physical therapists confidently sit for the SCS examination.”

This is a brand new preparation course from the Sports Section. Looking forward to getting feedback on it!

Clinical Orthopaedic Rehabilitation: An Evidence-Based Approach: Expert Consult - Online and Print https://www.amazon.com/Clinical-Orthopaedic.../dp/0323055907

American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS) SCS Candidate Guide. 
Current Concepts of Orthopaedic Physical Therapy 4th Ed

This is a must read for those taking the SCS. The other specialty guides can be found here.

What is the content breakdown of the Board Speciality Exam for Sports Physical Therapy?

1. Rehabilitation/Return to Sport
     Examination, Evaluation, and Diagnosis (20%)
   Prognosis, Interventions and Outcomes (20%)
2. Acute Injury/Illness Management (15%)
3. Medical/Surgical Considerations (15%)
4. Injury Prevention (15%)
5. Sports Performance Enhancement (10%)
6. Professional Roles and Responsibilities (5%)