- MD-JAM has 35 questions, a 90-minute limit, and requires a 90% score to pass.
- Cost is $65 plus a 1.6% processing fee, rounded up to the nearest dollar.
- Patient Care Management is the heaviest domain at 34.3% of the exam.
- Licensure & Examination and Disciplinary Actions each carry 25.7% - together over half the test.
What Is the MD-JAM, Exactly?
The Maryland Physical Therapy Jurisprudence Assessment Module - MD-JAM - is the state-mandated jurisprudence exam approved by the Maryland Board of Physical Therapy Examiners and administered online by FSBPT. It is not a clinical skills test. It measures whether a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant understands Maryland's specific practice act, board regulations, and legal boundaries of practice. If you want the full backstory and legal context, the What Is MD-JAM? overview and the MD-JAM Meaning breakdown are good starting points before you dive into this cheat sheet.
This page is intentionally condensed - a single-screen review for candidates who already studied and just need the facts reinforced before test day. If you haven't built a full study plan yet, back up to the MD-JAM Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt first.
Core Numbers to Memorize
- 35 questions - a short, online, on-demand assessment (not a proctored testing-center exam).
- 90 minutes - roughly 2.5 minutes per question if you use the full window.
- 90% passing requirement - you can miss only a small handful of questions, so precision matters more than speed.
- Unlimited attempts - there's no cap on retakes, which lowers the stakes compared to certification exams with attempt limits.
- Immediate, detailed score reporting - you'll know your domain-level performance right away.
- 96-hour completion window - the clock starts at purchase, not at your first login, so don't buy access before you're ready to sit down and finish.
For a deeper dive into how that 90% threshold is calculated and what it means practically, see the MD-JAM Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass article.
Registration & Fee Mechanics
The MD-JAM costs $65 plus a 1.6% processing fee, which is rounded up to the nearest dollar. That processing fee is small, but candidates are often surprised by it at checkout because the advertised price only shows the base $65. Budget an extra dollar or two.
Registration Logistics
Because the module is online and on-demand rather than scheduled at a testing center, there's no exam date to book - you purchase access and then must complete it within 96 hours.
- No physical testing center - everything happens through the FSBPT online portal.
- Purchase triggers the 96-hour clock immediately.
- Unlimited retakes mean a failed attempt just means purchasing and completing another module cycle.
For a full pricing walkthrough, including how the processing fee is calculated, read MD-JAM Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown. And if you're still confirming when to register relative to your licensure timeline, check MD-JAM Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling for scheduling considerations even though there's no fixed testing window.
Who Actually Needs the MD-JAM
Not every PT or PTA touching Maryland paperwork needs this module. Know the trigger events cold:
- Required for initial licensure by examination or endorsement in Maryland.
- Required for reinstatement of a Maryland license that has been expired for more than three years.
- Required for an initial Maryland PT Compact privilege.
- Not required if a previously held Maryland license has been non-renewed for less than three years.
- Not required for compact-privilege renewal (only the initial privilege triggers it).
Key Takeaway
The three-year mark is the dividing line for reinstatement - expired less than three years, no MD-JAM needed; more than three years, MD-JAM required.
For the complete eligibility logic with edge cases, see MD-JAM Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify. Employers hiring across state lines - hospital systems, outpatient orthopedic clinics, and home health agencies expanding into Maryland - increasingly expect this credential cleared before an offer is finalized; see MD-JAM Jobs for how it shows up in hiring pipelines.
Domain-by-Domain Cheat Sheet
The 2024 MD JAM Test Content Outline organizes the exam into six domains. Memorize the weights - they tell you exactly where to spend your review time.
| Domain | Weight | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Patient Care Management | 34.3% | Highest |
| Licensure & Examination | 25.7% | High |
| Disciplinary Actions; Unlawful Practice | 25.7% | High |
| Legislative Intent & Definitions | 8.6% | Moderate |
| Board of Physical Therapy Powers & Duties | 2.9% | Low |
| Consumer Advocacy | 2.9% | Low |
Notice that three domains - Patient Care Management, Licensure & Examination, and Disciplinary Actions; Unlawful Practice - together account for roughly 86% of the exam. If your review time is limited, concentrate there. The full explanation of each domain's scope lives in MD-JAM Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 6 Content Areas.
High-Yield Topics Inside Each Domain
Domain 4: Patient Care Management (34.3%)
This is the largest domain by a wide margin and deserves the largest share of your study time.
- Scope of practice boundaries for PTs versus PTAs in Maryland
- Supervision requirements and delegation rules
- Referral requirements, direct access limitations, and treatment authority
- Documentation, recordkeeping, and patient rights obligations
Domain 3: Licensure & Examination (25.7%)
Covers the mechanics of becoming and staying licensed in Maryland.
- Application requirements for licensure by examination and endorsement
- Renewal cycles, continuing education, and reinstatement timelines
- Compact privilege eligibility and when the MD-JAM applies to it
Domain 5: Disciplinary Actions; Unlawful Practice (25.7%)
Focuses on what the board can act on and what constitutes unlawful practice.
- Grounds for disciplinary action and board investigative authority
- Definitions of unlicensed or unlawful practice
- Reporting obligations for licensees who observe violations
Domains 1, 2, and 6: The Smaller but Still Tested Areas
Legislative Intent & Definitions (8.6%), Board Powers & Duties (2.9%), and Consumer Advocacy (2.9%) are lighter but not skippable - a single missed question in a low-weight domain still counts against your 90% target.
- Purpose and intent language behind the Maryland practice act
- Board's rulemaking, licensing, and enforcement authority
- Consumer complaint processes and public protection mechanisms
Because the exam has only 35 questions, even the smallest domains can appear multiple times relative to their weight. Don't assume a 2.9% domain means "zero questions." For question-style examples and format expectations, review How Hard Is the MD-JAM Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026.
Quick Comparison Table
| Feature | MD-JAM Detail |
|---|---|
| Administered by | FSBPT (online, on-demand) |
| Approved by | Maryland Board of Physical Therapy Examiners |
| Questions | 35 |
| Time limit | 90 minutes |
| Passing score | 90% |
| Completion window | 96 hours from purchase |
| Attempts allowed | Unlimited |
| Base cost | $65 + 1.6% processing fee (rounded up) |
Last-Week Review Plan
If you're within seven days of scheduling your module purchase, don't restart a full study cycle - triage by domain weight instead.
Patient Care Management deep review
- Re-read scope of practice, supervision, and referral rules - this domain alone is over a third of the exam
- Drill practice questions focused on delegation and direct access
Licensure & Examination + Disciplinary Actions
- Compare renewal, reinstatement, and compact privilege rules side by side
- Review disciplinary grounds and reporting duties until they're automatic recall
Smaller domains + mixed practice
- Skim Legislative Intent, Board Powers, and Consumer Advocacy for definitions and terminology
- Take a full-length timed practice run under 90 minutes on the main practice test platform
Purchase and complete
- Confirm you have 90 uninterrupted minutes available before buying access, since the 96-hour clock starts immediately
- Review missed practice items one final time, then sit the module
This condensed spaced-repetition approach works because it maps directly to MD-JAM's domain weights rather than treating every topic equally. For a longer-horizon version of this plan, see the full study guide.
Common Last-Minute Mistakes
- Buying access before you're ready. The 96-hour window starts at purchase - treat that purchase like scheduling an exam appointment, not like buying a study resource.
- Underestimating low-weight domains. Consumer Advocacy and Board Powers & Duties are only 2.9% each, but skipping them entirely risks losing points you can't afford at a 90% threshold.
- Confusing renewal rules with reinstatement rules. The three-year non-renewal exemption is easy to misremember - double-check which scenario applies to you.
- Assuming this is a clinical exam. Every question is about Maryland law, board regulation, and jurisprudence - not physical therapy technique.
- Not reviewing the actual outline. The 2024 MD JAM Test Content Outline is the authoritative source for domain scope - cross-reference it against your notes.
If you're weighing whether this credential is worth the time investment relative to your career plans, Is the MD-JAM Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 and MD-JAM Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis put the module in context alongside broader licensure goals. For data on how candidates typically perform, see MD-JAM Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows.
FAQs
The MD-JAM has 35 questions with a 90-minute time limit, administered online and on-demand through FSBPT.
You need a 90% passing score. Detailed score reports are provided immediately after completion.
The base cost is $65, plus a 1.6% processing fee rounded up to the nearest dollar.
Yes. You must complete the MD-JAM within 96 hours of purchase, even though there is no fixed exam date to schedule around.
Patient Care Management, at 34.3% of the exam, is the single largest domain and deserves the most review time, followed closely by Licensure & Examination and Disciplinary Actions; Unlawful Practice, each at 25.7%.
Keep this cheat sheet nearby as a final review tool, but pair it with focused practice - run through timed sets on the MD-JAM practice test site so the domain weights above become second nature before you purchase your official attempt.