Exam Preparation Tools

The information found in this section is divided into multiple subcomponents for your convenience. Please review each resources for an overview of BOC exam preparation tools.

Exam References

The exam reference list represents the materials used to support the exam items, as determined by the subject matter experts of the BOC Exam Development Committee. Every item is referenced twice to ensure a consensus exists on each item.

Exam References 2024-2025

Self-Assesment Exams

Log Into Your BOC Profile

Online self-assessment exams are available to students preparing for the BOC exam or ATs seeking an assessment of their continuing education (CE) needs.

• The BOC offers self-assessment exams in Study and Test modes. Each self-assessment exam includes 80 questions that are representative of the question types on the BOC exam, including multiple-choice, multi-select, drag-and-drop, hot spot and focused testlets.
• Although the content areas of the self-assessment exams are comparable to those of the actual BOC exam, the questions included in the self-assessment exams will never appear on a future exam.
• The self-assessment exams are available via the internet 24 hours a day, seven days a week. After purchasing a self-assessment exam voucher, you will have 365 days to start a self-assessment exam. Once a self-assessment exam has been started, you will have seven days to complete the self-assessment exam and 12 cumulative hours to view and answer questions within the self-assessment exam.

When you are ready to take a self-assessment exam, simply create a BOC profile (or log into your existing account) and click Take Self-Assessment Exams. You will be prompted to fill out your self-assessment exam profile, and then you may begin purchasing vouchers to use on self-assessment exams.

Your performance on this self-assessment exam does not predict your performance on the certification exam.

The self-assessment exam items are copyrighted property of the BOC and may not be copied, reproduced, discussed or distributed in any manner. Unauthorized copying or distribution of any portion of these exams may be subject to civil liability for copyright infringement and disciplinary action pursuant to Code 3.9 of the “BOC Standards of Professional Practice.”

If you have additional questions or experience technical difficulties with the self-assessment exam(s), please contact the BOC.

Download BOC Exam Candidate – Self-Assessment Exam Platform Tutorial

Download Program Director – Self-Assessment Exam Platform Tutorial

Study Mode

In Study mode, you are provided with the correct answer and a reference by clicking on the “View Solution” link located on the bottom left-hand side of the screen for each question. Therefore, no final score is given and no report is available in Study Mode. This is due to the answer and reference being provided within each individual question.

• After purchasing a self-assessment exam voucher, you will have 365 days to start a self-assessment exam.
• Once a self-assessment exam has been started, you will have seven days to complete the self-assessment exam and 12 cumulative hours to view and answer questions within the self-assessment exam.
• Your performance on this self-assessment exam does not predict your performance on the certification exam.
• The self-assessment exam items are copyrighted property of the BOC and may not be copied, reproduced or distributed in any manner. Unauthorized copying or distribution of any portion of these exams may be subject to civil liability for copyright infringement and disciplinary action pursuant to Code 3.9 of the “BOC Standards of Professional Practice.”

NOTE: The questions within each version in Study mode are identical to the questions within the same version in Test mode.

Self-assessment exam voucher purchases are final. No refunds or exchanges will be given after purchase.

Log Into Your BOC Profile

Test Mode

In Test mode, you will receive your score and brief descriptive report at the domain level immediately after you take a self-assessment exam.

• You may edit the privacy settings on your self-assessment exam profile to determine if your program director has access to your results.
• After purchasing a self-assessment exam voucher, you will have 365 days to start a self-assessment exam.
• Once a self-assessment exam has been started, you will have seven days to complete the self-assessment exam and 12 cumulative hours to view and answer questions within the self-assessment exam.
• Candidates cannot re-enter the self-assessment exam once it has been submitted for scoring.
• Your performance on this self-assessment exam does not predict your performance on the certification exam.

The self-assessment exam items are copyrighted property of the BOC and may not be copied, reproduced or distributed in any manner. Unauthorized copying or distribution of any portion of these exams may be subject to civil liability for copyright infringement and disciplinary action pursuant to Code 3.9 of the “BOC Standards of Professional Practice.”

NOTE: The questions within each version in Test mode are identical to the questions within the same version in Study mode.

Self-assessment exam voucher purchases are final. No refunds or exchanges will be given after purchase.

Log Into Your BOC Profile

Download Sample Results Page

Bulk Vouchers

Bulk vouchers can be purchased at a discount. Program directors have the ability to assign vouchers to students directly within the system.

Single Voucher (Study or Test Mode)

• $35

Bulk Vouchers Pricing

• 10+ vouchers: 10% off
• 15+ vouchers: 15% off

Order Vouchers

Sample Questions

The BOC has prepared sample items that represent each exam question type to familiarize candidates with the look and feel of the computer interface and its navigation tools. You will not receive scores for the sample questions. If you have any questions, please contact the BOC

Before You Begin

• The BOC recommends using the latest version of Chrome or Firefox. If you are currently running Internet Explorer 10 on Windows 8, then you must first switch to Desktop Mode before accessing any self-assessment exams.
  Please note: You may need to load additional plug-ins (Java, Flash) and allow pop-ups.
• The sample questions are a tool to familiarize you with how these questions will work and appear on the certification exam. This is not a study guide.
• The sample questions are 25 multiple-choice, multi-select, drag-and-drop and hot spot as well as one focused testlet comprised of five questions that reference a common scenario. Make sure to utilize the help button located on the left menu.

View Sample Exam Questions

Practice Analysis

The purpose of the BOC certification program is to establish that individuals have the knowledge and skills necessary to perform tasks critical for the safe and competent practice as an entry-level Athletic Trainer through the exam and continuing competence requirements. The BOC Practice Analysis identifies essential knowledge and skills for the athletic training profession and serves as a blueprint for exam development and continuing competence programming.

Get Your Copy

By purchasing a document from the BOC Store, you indicate your understanding of the product being purchased. The PA is an electronic file that will be available for download immediately upon completion of online payment. Purchasers must download and save the file using the link provided on the order completion page, as the document will not be sent via email or mail.

Practice Analysis, 8th Edition (PA8)

Full Version: $18.95 (non-refundable)

Purchase PA8

BOC Exam: PA8 is effective for BOC exams beginning March/April 2023.
Certification Maintenance: PA8 is effective for continuing education beginning January 1, 2024.

Free PA8 Documents:

The accompanying PA8 documents are available for download at no cost:

Download Content Outline for PA8

Download PA8 Comparison to PA7

How to Use the Practice Analysis

Download Crosswalk Comparing PA8 and CAATE 2020 Standards

Exam Development

Questions for the certification exam are prepared by a committee made up of BOC Certified Athletic Trainers (ATs). Each question is validated by a panel of independent judges in item writing groups, referenced to current resources from the literature on or related to athletic training and repeatedly edited by ATs for clarity and content. Questions satisfy the exam specifications of the current BOC Practice Analysis.
Questions are developed to assess your knowledge on subject matter from the five domains of athletic training. Each question is also subjected to editing for grammar and technical adequacy by experts from the BOC’s testing agency. Thus, content experts write the questions and validate their appropriateness for the exam, and experts in testing review the questions to ensure that the questions perform as intended.

Purpose

The purpose of the BOC exam is to assess your knowledge in the five domains of athletic training as defined by the current BOC Practice Analysis:

• Domain 1: Risk Reduction, Wellness and Health Literacy
• Domain 2: Assessment, Evaluation and Diagnosis
• Domain 3: Critical Incident Management
• Domain 4: Therapeutic Intervention
• Domain 5: Health Administration and Professional Responsibility

The questions are written, validated and reviewed by a panel of content experts in coordination with psychometricians. Each question is referenced to at least two textbooks that can be found in the BOC Exam References section above

Format

The BOC certification exam is an internet-based exam administered in secure and proctored professional testing centers. The exam contains a combination of 175 scored and unscored (experimental) items including:

Stand-Alone Items

• multiple choice
• multi-select
• drag-and-drop
• hot spot

Focused Testlets

• A focused testlet consists of a scenario followed by key/critical items related to that scenario
• Each focused testlet may include multiple choice items and/or any of the previous types.

You will not know which questions are experimental.

Following login, you are presented with an entry screen in to the exam. You can select to view a demo or enter the exam. When you have completed the exam, you will submit it for scoring.

You have the ability to move forward or back throughout the entire exam.

You have a total of four hours to complete the exam.

Download 2023-2024 Exam References

Scoring

Exam results are posted in the candidate’s BOC profile within two-four weeks from the last day of the exam window. Once exam results have been posted, candidates are sent an email with directions for accessing their electronic exam results.

Candidates Who Pass the BOC Exam

Candidates who were successful on the BOC exam will see a status of “Certified” or “Certification Eligible” in their BOC profile. If a candidate’s status is “Certification Eligible,” use of the ATC® credential is strictly prohibited until a candidate’s file is complete and the BOC has granted certification.

Candidates who pass the BOC exam will not receive an exam score on their exam result letter. Once the passing standard (score of 500) has been met, the score becomes irrelevant. The exam is designed to identify individuals who have met a specific threshold, therefore; it would be inappropriate to use an exam score to compare passing candidates (e.g., a candidate who scores a 600 is not necessarily more qualified or competent than a candidate who scores a 550 when the passing standard is 500).

Candidates Who Have Not Passed the BOC Exam

Candidates who were unsuccessful on the BOC exam will see a status of “Exam Eligible” in their BOC profile. The BOC recommends candidates register for the next exam window as soon as possible.

Scores for candidates who are unsuccessful on the exam are reported on a scale from 200 to 800, and the minimum passing score for the exam is 500. Score reports include a basic descriptive report of domain level performance in comparison to a reference group of candidates receiving a passing score.

Review of Exams and Appeal of Questions

For security reasons, exam material is not available for review. Candidates who have comments about an exam question should mail their comments to:

Board of Certification
Attn: Credentialing
1411 Harney St Ste 100
Omaha NE 68102

When item writing committees meet to revise the exam, they will have available to them information provided by candidates. The BOC, however, will not respond to comments individually.

Resources

BOC Exam Style Guide
The style guide was developed to assist BOC item writers and other stakeholder.

Download BOC Exam Style Guide

Item Analysis Explanation
This statistics primer summarizes the qualifying criteria for an exam item.

 Download Item Analysis Explanation

BOC Practice Analysis & CAATE Standards Crosswalk
The crosswalk analysis serves to illustrate that the content for the BOC exam is incorporated into accredited athletic training programs.

Download Crosswalk Comparing PA8 and CAATE 2020 Standards