The Orthopaedic Clinical Specialist (OCS) exam is a coveted, difficult physical therapy specialization examination. Below is information based on my experience with this board exam, where I rank the difficulty of each section of the exam from 1-5 while considering other board exams I have taken in the past:
1-well below average
2 -below average
3-average
4-above average
5-well above average
I am a physical therapist and have taken board exams to become a PT (licensure exams), the orthopaedic certified specialist exam (OCS), and the registered in musculoskeletal sonography (RMSK) exam.
Material Volume
I would rank the material volume of the OCS as 5 (well above average). There is a seemingly unlimited amount of information that OCS questions can be derived from when considering clinical practice guidelines and the available literature. I felt that the overall amount of material that could be considered was well above average when compared to general physical therapy boards or the RMSK. I mostly studied clinical practice guidelines to prep for this test, but also completed the prep course and Chad Cook's courses on MedBridge. Despite this I still felt there were things I didn't know on exam day, and some of the information I learned on MedBridge ended up being irrelevant.
Novelty of Exam Material
Overall I would rank this as a 2. As a PT with an interest in orthopaedics, I felt I was familiar with most exam topics even if there was a lot of material to memorize and review for exam day.
I took about a year to prep for this examination in total, which included the MedBridge prep course, reviewing JOSPT articles, and memorizing information in clinical practice guidelines.
Complexity of Questions
I would rank this as a 5. Some questions were straightforward, but many were long and convoluted with irrelevant information that needed to be sifted through. I found it was helpful to read the end of the question first to figure out what the question was actually asking before going back through the full question. I can understand why it was written this way, as I'm sure the exam writers wanted to make sure the people taking the test could clinically reason (not just know information). I felt knowledge is certainly needed to pass the OCS, but it almost felt more like an IQ test when compared to other exams I have taken in the past. I didn't feel the practice exams I had taken prior to exam day really captured this aspect of the exam, as most practice questions are short and to the point.
Background Knowledge Required
I would rank this as 4 (above average). This test would be very difficult for someone who hadn't been working as an orthopedic PT for several years (or completed a residency) in my opinion. I did not undertake a residency prior to sitting for this exam, but still did quite well overall.
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Length of Exam
I ended up using every minute of the four hours provided on test day, whereas I have finished all of my other board exams with plenty of time to spare. I would rank the OCS as a 5 here.
Overall Difficulty
The average of the above sections is 4.2 (above average). My grading may change in the future as I tack on more board exams. Keep in mind that board preparation exams are difficult in general, so the fact that the OCS scores above average is significant. Your background, preparation, and ability to quickly analyze information may affect how difficult this test feels. Make sure to take time to learn as much as you can prior to taking this test, and I recommend multiple sources. I used MedBridge (both the prep course and Chad Cook's courses), clinical practice guidelines, JOSPT articles for the several years leading up to the exam, and I took all the available tests on MedBridge (both for the OCS and SCS). Practice exams were instrumental in passing the actual test, and the best route to passing is likely through taking as many practice exams as you can get your hands on after extensively studying clinical practice guidelines.
Good luck! I know I am biased, but I feel Specialized Clinician offers the most realistic mock examination currently available for the OCS. Our prices are very competitive on a question by question basis compared to other available tests. If you are wanting to practice the exam and improve your chance of passing be sure to check out my 200 question practice exam (and additional 5 question sample quiz) here.