- A GA-JAM is a 50-question, 90-minute, open-book jurisprudence assessment approved by the Georgia State Board of Physical Therapy.
- Passing requires 80%, costs $65 plus a 1.6% processing fee, and must be finished within 96 hours of purchase.
- Licensure & Examination is the heaviest domain at 32%, followed by Patient Care Management at 30%.
- A new passing result can satisfy all 4 mandatory ethics-and-jurisprudence CE units once per competence cycle.
What Is a GA-JAM?
The Georgia Physical Therapy Jurisprudence Assessment Module - universally shortened to GA-JAM - is the state-specific law and ethics exam that Georgia requires of physical therapists and physical therapist assistants. It is approved by the Georgia State Board of Physical Therapy and delivered online, on demand, through FSBPT's testing platform. Unlike a national licensure exam that tests clinical competency, the GA-JAM tests something narrower and more specific: whether you actually know the statutes, board rules, and disciplinary framework that govern PT practice inside Georgia.
If you're arriving at this page after searching "what is a GA-JAM," the short answer is: it's a gatekeeping assessment, not a clinical skills exam. You don't need a cadaver lab or a goniometer to pass it - you need to know the Georgia Practice Act, board authority, licensure procedures, and what counts as unlawful practice. For a deeper walkthrough of what the initials mean and where the module fits among other Georgia licensing requirements, see GA-JAM Meaning and What Does GA-JAM Stand For?.
Who Actually Needs One
The GA-JAM is required in two main scenarios:
- Initial PT/PTA licensure in Georgia - anyone applying for a first-time physical therapist or physical therapist assistant license in the state must pass it.
- Initial or renewed Georgia PT Compact privileges - therapists using compact privileges to practice in Georgia under the interstate PT Compact must also complete a passing GA-JAM.
This means the audience isn't limited to brand-new graduates. Out-of-state licensees relocating to Georgia, compact-privilege holders renewing their standing, and PTAs entering the workforce all encounter this same module. If you're trying to figure out whether your specific situation triggers the requirement, the full breakdown of prerequisites is covered in GA-JAM Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.
Key Takeaway
If you are licensing in Georgia for the first time, or activating/renewing PT Compact privileges to practice there, the GA-JAM applies to you regardless of where you originally trained.
Format, Fees, and Time Limits
The mechanics of the GA-JAM are straightforward but unforgiving on timing. Here's what the module actually looks like once you purchase access:
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Delivery | Online, on-demand, administered by FSBPT |
| Questions | 50 |
| Time limit | 90 minutes |
| Passing score | 80% |
| Cost | $65 plus 1.6% processing fee (rounded up to nearest dollar) |
| Completion window | Must be completed within 96 hours of purchase |
| Attempts allowed | 4, before additional study proof is required |
| Score reporting | Immediate, with detailed feedback |
Two details trip candidates up. First, the 96-hour completion window starts at purchase, not at your first login - if you buy access on a Monday and don't sit for it until Friday, you may run out of time. Second, the 90-minute limit for 50 questions leaves roughly 1.8 minutes per item, which is generous for a knowledge-recall exam but tight if you're second-guessing answers. A full cost breakdown, including how the processing fee is calculated, is available in GA-JAM Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
The Six Content Domains
The current official blueprint was revised January 20, 2016, and it organizes GA-JAM content into six domains of very unequal weight. Two of them - Licensure & Examination and Patient Care Management - make up 62% of the exam between them, so most of your prep time should go there.
Domain 3: Licensure & Examination (32%)
The single largest domain. Covers licensure application procedures, eligibility criteria, examination requirements, license renewal mechanics, and the pathways for both PTs and PTAs to become and remain licensed in Georgia.
- Application and renewal timelines
- Eligibility requirements for initial licensure
- Compact privilege activation rules
Domain 4: Patient Care Management (30%)
Focuses on the legal boundaries of clinical practice - supervision requirements between PTs and PTAs, scope of practice limits, documentation obligations, and referral rules under Georgia law.
- PT/PTA supervision ratios and responsibilities
- Scope-of-practice boundaries
- Documentation and record-keeping obligations
Domain 5: Disciplinary Actions and Unlawful Practice (28%)
Covers what constitutes unlawful or unlicensed practice, the board's disciplinary process, and the consequences of violations.
- Definitions of unlawful practice
- Board investigation and disciplinary procedures
- Grounds for license suspension or revocation
Domains 1, 2, and 6: Legislative Intent, Board Powers, and Consumer Advocacy (10% combined)
Smaller but not skippable - these domains cover the purpose behind the Practice Act, the board's statutory authority, and consumer protection provisions.
- Legislative intent and definitions used throughout the Act
- Board of Physical Therapy powers and duties
- Consumer advocacy protections
For a domain-by-domain study plan with sample question phrasing and topic checklists, see GA-JAM Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 6 Content Areas. If you want to gauge overall difficulty before diving in, How Hard Is the GA-JAM Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 walks through what makes certain domains harder to memorize than others.
Using GA-JAM for Continuing Competence
One of the more useful - and misunderstood - features of the GA-JAM is its dual purpose. Georgia requires 30 continuing-competence hours per biennium for license renewal, and a portion of those hours must cover ethics and jurisprudence. A new passing GA-JAM result can satisfy all 4 mandatory ethics-and-jurisprudence units at once, but only once per competence cycle.
There's an important restriction to understand here: a GA-JAM result used to satisfy initial licensure requirements, or one generated as part of a board order (such as a disciplinary remediation requirement), cannot be reused later for continuing-education credit. The credit-eligible pass must be a separate, new attempt taken specifically for that purpose during the applicable cycle.
Key Takeaway
Licensing-purpose passes and board-order passes don't count twice - if you want CE credit from the GA-JAM, you'll need a fresh passing attempt within your current competence cycle.
Attempts, Retakes, and Score Reports
Candidates receive detailed, immediate score reporting after finishing the module, which tells you exactly where you fell short if you don't clear 80%. Up to four attempts are permitted. After exhausting those four, further attempts require Board-accepted proof of extensive additional study - meaning you can't simply keep re-purchasing the module indefinitely without demonstrating that you've done more preparation.
This makes the retake structure meaningfully different from a casual practice quiz. Treat each attempt as a real one, not a throwaway diagnostic, especially by your third or fourth try. For details on exactly how the 80% threshold is calculated and what happens if you land just under it, read GA-JAM Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass. If you want context on how test-takers generally perform across attempts, GA-JAM Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows covers the available data.
How to Prepare for the Content
Because the GA-JAM tests statutory and regulatory knowledge rather than clinical judgment, effective preparation looks more like studying for a licensing exam in law than reviewing anatomy flashcards. The most efficient approach is to allocate study time proportionally to domain weight - spend the bulk of your hours on Licensure & Examination and Patient Care Management, moderate time on Disciplinary Actions and Unlawful Practice, and a lighter pass on the three smaller domains.
Licensure & Examination (32%)
- Read the full licensure and renewal sections of the Practice Act
- Map out eligibility criteria for PT vs. PTA candidates
- Review compact privilege activation and renewal steps
Patient Care Management (30%)
- Study PT/PTA supervision requirements in depth
- Memorize scope-of-practice and documentation rules
- Note referral-related restrictions
Disciplinary Actions & Remaining Domains
- Review unlawful practice definitions and board disciplinary procedures
- Cover Legislative Intent, Board Powers & Duties, and Consumer Advocacy
- Take a full timed practice run to simulate the 90-minute limit
A short daily review cycle - reading a section, closing the material, and explaining the rule aloud in your own words - works well for statutory content because it forces you to internalize definitions rather than just recognize them. For a more complete week-by-week prep plan built specifically around this exam's blueprint, see GA-JAM Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt, and for a condensed reference you can review the night before your session, check the GA-JAM Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts. You can also run through timed practice questions on the main practice test site to get comfortable with the pacing before your real attempt.
Where the GA-JAM Fits in Your Career Path
Because the GA-JAM is a licensure requirement rather than an optional credential, employers hiring PTs and PTAs in Georgia - outpatient clinics, hospital systems, home health agencies, and school-based therapy programs - expect it as a baseline, not a differentiator. That said, understanding its role in your overall licensure timeline matters when you're evaluating job offers or compact-privilege moves. For a broader look at how this requirement connects to hiring and employment in the state, see GA-JAM Jobs and GA-JAM Training. If you're weighing whether the time and cost are worthwhile relative to your career plans, Is the GA-JAM Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 and GA-JAM Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis provide additional context, and the practice test platform can help you gauge readiness before you commit to a paid attempt.
Frequently Asked Questions
It's the Georgia Physical Therapy Jurisprudence Assessment Module - a 50-question, 90-minute online exam approved by the Georgia State Board of Physical Therapy that tests knowledge of state PT law, board rules, and disciplinary standards. It's required for initial PT/PTA licensure and for PT Compact privileges in Georgia.
The module costs $65 plus a 1.6% processing fee, rounded up to the nearest dollar. There's no separate retake discount - each attempt is billed at the standard rate.
You get four attempts. After that, you need to submit Board-accepted proof of extensive additional study before you're permitted to attempt it again.
Yes, in some cases. A new passing GA-JAM can satisfy all 4 mandatory ethics-and-jurisprudence CE units once per competence cycle, as part of Georgia's 30-hour biennial continuing-competence requirement. However, a result used for initial licensure or ordered by the board cannot be reused for CE credit.
You must complete the module within 96 hours of purchase. The 90-minute testing window is separate - it's the time limit once you actually begin answering the 50 questions.