Sitting on my couch, binge-watching Strangers Things 2 on Netflix was not able to take me away from the reality of the day. It was 5 in the evening and besides Halloween; NPTE results were on my mind. Pulse racing faster as I knew that results would soon be up. With all my willpower, with my sense of fake composure, I could not stop but to hit Alt+Tab to peek into FSBPT site. I kept on hitting refresh again and again till voila! the screen gave in to my persistence and showed PASSED...............................

The overwhelming sense of joy, the realization of the result was slowly sinking in as my heart and tear glands gave in. The months of hard work had not failed me. I made it in my FIRST ATTEMPT.

Today, I am a proud licensed Physical Therapist in the USA. It wasn't a fairytale, but a struggle and series of compromises which led to this picture-perfect ending. The last one year has been one adventure after another; getting married, moving to the US, studying for CLEPs, securing admission in DPT , having DPT midterms just a day before and after NPTE, and the final feather in my hat, clearing NPTE. :) Rollercoaster indeed.

It may sound methodic and sequential but it was an emotional catastrophe. I almost had a nervous breakdown a week before the exam. The thought of postponing my exam kept coming back like a nightmare. But it’s a fact no student will ever be ready for any exam let alone an important one as NPTE. We all have thoughts in our head saying ‘I can do it next time’. But you have to put your foot down. Trust your gut which tells you to seize the day with all you have. I did not achieve this all by myself. I had my family, my friends and my most importantly my study partner who made this day happen. And also thank my husband, for being so supportive.

I genuinely thank my mentor, Bhupinder Singh, for guiding and supporting me throughout the period with his knowledge and experience. Taking the classes with Final Frontier, was undoubtedly my best decision. Though like all the new students, I was skeptical before enrolment but through a recommendation from a trusted friend, I joined in, putting aside all my apprehensions and hesitations. With every class, my confidence in him and my decision increased. I felt I am in right company and mentored by a right teacher. Dr. Bhupinder's knowledge and patience is immense but his virtue that makes the most difference is his jest to help us, his students, to succeed. I remember when I contacted him, a year back when I was about to start my prep, he guided me with the best of information on every aspect.

The best part about his classes is the A/V collaboration, which gives an atmosphere of a live classroom. Making the whole experience more interactive and very professional. Another very important aspect of his tutoring is his periodic 1-1 weakness classes. I felt 1-1 classes played the utmost essential part in my success; he made sure he knew every single student of his class and worked on each one of us addressing weaknesses and devising a personal strategy. His individual attention helped me immensely with my preparation. I remember right at the start when he asked me "What is your goal?" and "What are your fears?".

I call him my Mentor more than a teacher as he encouraged me, guided me at every step, showed me the path to walk and work upon. We can attend a number of classes, and spend thousands of dollars but at the end, we are once who have to strike the decisive blow. So the mentor matters.

Few lines from Robert Frost comes to my mind. "Two roads diverged in a wood and I - I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."

Special thanks to my Licensed PT friends, who all also cracked NPTE is their first attempt and helped me stay positive. - Ekleen, Yogesh , Mansi , Krima , Rashmeet.

My story wouldn't be so pretty without help and care of My Study Partner (Amruta), my roommate (Prarthana),final frontier team- Gowre Anurekha Arunachalam, my genius friends from India who had always stood by my side to make this happen- Richa , Gaurav , Deepak , Tejas , Suman , Hetal, Ayaz & Venus.

I had many difficulties passing NPTE. I tried everything including PT Final and other courses with NO luck.

Long story ahead…

Trick or treat??? It's a treat! I passed the October 25th 2017, National Physical Therapy Examination! US board exam man, c'mon! Hahahah! I couldn't believe this day has finally finally came. Woooow really??? YES! I hope I'm not dreaming though, but AA joint, C1C2 rotation not at all. It's solid. It's written. It's published! I just couldn't contain my happiness right now it's over to the moon and will be back in a while so bear with me. C'mon, we all have our adrenaline rush stories. I'm just so happy that God's perfect time has come. It's as simple as that. To thank a few..

Thank you God the Father. You know more than anyone in this world. I trust in Your timing and it's always always Your will, be done.

To my mama and papa who were my sources of strength, thank u so much. I couldn't make it without your love and guidance. Papa cried with me in this process and mama never did (well not unless when I'm not looking, lol). That's why I love you guys because I find my balance in you. I promise to keep making both of you proud. I love you so much. I will be here for you as you two are to me and to my sisters.

To my husband, who supported me all the way, thank u sooo much. You woke up 30 mins early that day, prepared me breakfast, 4 bacons, 2 sunny side up, brown rice and coffee at 5:30am woow! You're the man! Hahaha! And even drove with me to Sacramento but, never had the chance to use the prometric's restroom because they locked it, boom! I know right! Sorry about that love. Nevertheless, thank you for taking the struggles with me, for me, and for us.

To my mentor, professor and good friend, Dr. Bhupinder Singh thank you so much sir. I call you "The Master of NPTE content". Guys I'm telling you, I never really truly believed in myself but this good man never stopped believing that I will pass. Telling me in emails, "Cheeryl! Stop stressing about the exam!" Hahahah. I know I could be a persistent freak at times but Dr. Singh was so professional in dealing with my anxiousness. For people like me, who's a foreign trained, worked full time Dr. Singh's class worked the magic for me. We study smart in his class, he doesn't believe in luck, he believes in pure knowledge. And I carry it with me until the day of examination. I admit, I'm a student who's late at times, absent most of the time, sleep during classes given the situation that I work full time hours side by side with my studies. But, Dr. Singh guided me in a way that works for my schedule. In my part, I did my best to watch all the recorded videos, answer assignments (fewer than few, lol) and read the given content from books. Guys if you doubted yourself and your capabilities, that's normal. It was just like me before I enrolled in his class. But, do yourself a favor and enroll in Dr. Singh's class and be prepared to be amaze how much you could grow professionally. If I passed this cerebrospinal fluid draining, brain shrinking and teeth clenching exam I believe you too could do it. You have to have the right knowledge, the right people to help you with and the right time to give yourself a chance to grow. Good luck!

Lastly, to my extended family, friends turned into family, to my coworkers turned into friends, to the residents and to my classmates thank u for all your prayers. Know that I will also pray for you. "What goes around, comes around" by Dr. Bhupinder Singh.

And of course, happy halloween!

Sending you all a big smile,

I could not have passed without the teaching and guidance of  Bhupinder Singh his program at NPTE Final Frontier. My score increased by 61 points and I will now be a practicing PT. The class really covered all that what is in the blueprint for the NPTE and along the way I discovered multiple weaknesses that I did not even realize I had which really paid off.