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Prep Course for the COTA® Exam
TherapyEd’s one-day Prep Class creates a social learning atmosphere that is individual, responsive, immediate and dynamic. Our expert instructors motivate students to prepare for the COTA® exam and provide the best tools and resources to implement an efficient and successful study plan.
TherapyEd’s Exam Preparation Course for the NBCOT®‘s COTA® Exam
The COTA® exam is the most important exam of your career and TherapyEd’s course is the best way to prepare for it.
Fully up-to-date for the current exam, the course is offered throughout the year on-campus and online, across the country. Whether taking the exam for the first time, or repeating it, our intensive one-day course will help direct and focus your preparation to help you pass the exam.
Dates & Locations
Course Agenda
Instructors & Authors
OTA Review & Study Guide
OTA Prep Course
$230.00
Click on Course below to Register
7:30 AM – Sign In and Welcome
Morning 8:00 AM – Noon
- Introduction, Exam Format, and Content
- Reasoning Through COTA® Exam Items
- Assessing Your Strengths and Weaknesses
- Physical Disabilities Evaluation & Intervention
- Pediatrics Evaluation & Intervention
Noon – 1:00 PM
- Lunch
Afternoon 1:00 PM – 4:30 PM
- Developing Your Study Plan
- Psychosocial Evaluation & Intervention
- Professional Standards and Responsibilities
- Combination Questions
- Exam Procedures
- Course Wrap-up and Q & A
- Course Evaluation
Amy E. Bryant M.Ed., OTR/L

Amy Bryant is an Instructor for TherapyEd and has been an occupational therapist for 32 years. She has served as the OTA program director at Keiser University in Pembroke Pines, FL and at Middle Georgia State University in Cochran, GA. She received her Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy from the University of New England in 1990, and her Master’s in Adult Education from the University of Georgia in 2007. She has completed one year of the Ed.D program at the University of St Augustine. She has spent the majority of her career in OTA education serving as a faculty member, academic fieldwork coordinator, and as a program director. She is passionate about assisting students in their preparation for the certification exam, both in regards to content and for issues related to test taking skills and test anxiety. Currently she remains active in OT/OTA education through consulting and guest lectures, and uses all her OT skills while teaching ESL classes to adults.
Paula Carey OTD,OTR/L

Dr. Paula D. Carey, OTD, OTR/L has been an instructor for TherapyEd for over 18 years and has been an occupational therapy educator for over 30 years at Utica College. She served as the weekend coordinator and as the program director for occupational therapy at Utica College, but has now retired from full-time teaching. She earned her Post-Professional Doctorate in Occupational Therapy from Chatham University, Master of Science in Adult Education from Syracuse University, Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy from Utica College, and Associate degree in Occupational Therapy Assistant from Herkimer College. She is invested in facilitating exam candidates’ successful preparation for the occupational therapy and the occupational therapy assistant certification examinations. Her primary research interests relate to occupational therapy education and productive aging in the areas of driving and stress management and coping.
Donna M. Costa DHS, OTR/L, FAOTA

Dr. Costa is an Instructor for TherapyEd and formerly an Associate Professor and Program Director at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Donna was also formerly the Chair of the Occupational Therapy Program at Stony Brook University in New York and also served on the faculty of the University of Utah. She earned a doctorate from the University of Indianapolis in Occupational Therapy, as well as a Master’s degree in Health Care Administration from the New School of Social Research in NY, and dual baccalaureate degrees in Occupational Therapy and Psychology from the University of Buffalo. Dr. Costa is a Fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association and has served on the AOTA’s Board of Directors. She is the author of three books on fieldwork education published by AOTA Press, as well as numerous articles which have appeared in OT Practice. Donna serves on the editorial review boards of the American Journal of Occupational Therapy and Occupational Therapy in Health Care.
Regina M. Lehman M.S., OT/L

Regina Lehman is an Instructor for TherapyEd and a Professor and Program Director at LaGuardia Community College, CUNY in New York. She earned her Masters of Science degree in occupational therapy at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. In addition to directing and teaching in the OTA Program, Ms. Lehman is the Faculty Co-Director of Assessment and Institutional Learning for LAGCC. She is a contributor to TherapyEd’s National OTA Certification Exam Review & Study Guide with expertise in Cardiovascular and Pulmonary System Disorders.
Ms. Lehman has been an occupational therapist for over 35 years and an occupational therapy educator in both OT and OTA programs for over 30 years. Her areas of expertise include adult, geriatric, and pediatric rehabilitation; health care and rehabilitation administration; outcomes assessment; and education. Prior to joining the faculty at LAGCC as the OTA Program Director, she was an Assistant Vice President and Director of Rehabilitation at St. Barnabas Hospital in New York City. Ms. Lehman is a long-standing advocate of occupational therapy assistant education and practice. She serves on the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) Task Force to examine barriers to practice for OTAs. She has published multiple scholarly works in journals and occupational therapy texts.
Heather Panczykowski D.H. Sc., OTR/L

Dr. Panczykowski is an Instructor for TherapyEd and an Associate Professor and Program Director at Jamestown Community College, SUNY in Jamestown, NY. She received her doctorate in Health Sciences from Nova Southeastern University, her Master’s from the State University of New York at Buffalo and her Bachelor’s in Occupational Therapy from Keuka College. She serves as the Vice-Chairperson of the Academic Leadership Council of the AOTA, and has worked in a variety of health-care settings including in-patient rehabilitation, school systems, early intervention, and in-home health. She continues her clinical practice while teaching, believing that to be a good teacher she needs to continue to be in the practice environment.
Jeanine Stancanelli OTD, MPH, OTR/L

Jeanine Stancanelli is an Instructor for TherapyEd and an Associate Professor in the Graduate Occupational Therapy Program at Mercy College in New York. She received her B.S. in Occupational Therapy from Quinnipiac University, her Master’s of Public Health from Southern Connecticut State University, and her Doctor of Occupational Therapy degree from the University of St. Augustine. She has over 21 years of clinical experience and has been teaching in higher education for almost 15 years. She has worked in all facets of adult physical rehabilitation including acute and sub acute rehabilitation, acute care, home health care, and outpatient rehabilitation. Her teaching focuses on adult rehabilitation, geriatrics, and neuroscience and her research is related to healthy aging, health promotion, and driving.
Toni Thompson DrOT, OTR/L, C/NDT

Dr. Thompson received her undergraduate degree in Occupational Therapy at the University of Illinois and earned her DrOT from Nova Southeastern University. She also earned a Master’s degree in Business Administration and Management from Webster University in St. Louis. Dr. Thompson was formerly a Team Leader of Occupational Therapy and Speech Pathology at the Shriners Hospital for Children of Tampa, FL and her work experience includes service with the Peace Corps in Ecuador and Venezuela. She has significant experience in SI and NDT-Pediatrics, and has written numerous articles for a variety of Occupational Therapy and Orthopedic publications. Her areas of concentration include health care programs for Hispanic populations and the role of occupational therapy in human trafficking. She has been an instructor for TherapyEd for over 20 years and has provided individual tutoring to students as well. In 1995 she received the Award of Excellence from the Florida Occupational Therapy Association.
Testimonials
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“We did it! We passed. Dr. Toni Thompson and I were an excellent team. I was just about to give up when a friend told me to go to TherapyEd. There were several people involved in me passing but it was Dr. Thompson who finally was a perfect fit. Her focus was on me the student and she wasn’t ironing or cooking while she was tutoring me. She taught me how to clinically reason. What helped the most was we took the most challenging questions I got wrong and while I understood the rationale, we went through the question to really analyze it further. Through those discussions other weaknesses were brought up and we discussed those weaknesses. Its very difficult for a person to go back to a center after failing an exam even if it is due to a few points. Since I associated the center with a very negative experience, Dr. Thompson suggested I go past the testing center again, bring a friend and get some lattes and sweets, and after talking to a few people at the center it became a less negative experience. During my 1 1/2 process I envisioned a hero. For me the hero was Rocky. The day of the test I wore my Rocky tee shirt and a Rocky sweatshirt. I sat in my car for 30 minutes and listened to his fight songs and other motivational tapes. I took several Rocky quotes with me such as “Going in one more round when you don’t think you can. That’s what makes all the difference in your life.” Also, “You, me, or nobody is going to hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward, how much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done.”
I was with one company before and I lost thousands with promises and passing guarantees. The tutor used Quizlet questions and old NBCOT questions. TherapyEd was the one company that did not insist on selling me on spending money on packages. They did not threaten to take me out of the classes if I did not buy packages and if I did not take their tutoring classes. Only TherapyEd and one other company I used did not pressure me to buy packages. Nor did they take advantage of a person who was just simply trying to join a field they loved and was interested in since age 18. They also let me take the class twice. Which by the way is excellent. If I had only gone to TherapyEd from the beginning I could have saved myself a ton of money and heartache.
Thank you TherapyEd for being an ethical and professional company. I highly recommend Toni Thompson as a tutor and I will be a return customer when I go for my OTR boards.”– Debra Alessio, COTA® -
“Our students value the TherapyEd Review course because they learn test taking techniques and tips, in addition to reviewing content. We provide the course after level II fieldwork is completed and the feedback students give us is very positive. They state that the review course pulls together everything they learned in their courses and on fieldwork, which they believe contributed to passing the board exam. We know it is a good sign when the class is asking us if the TherapyEd Review course has been scheduled yet! Our current students do not graduate until May 2022 and they having been asking me already (November 2021)!
”– Nicole Scheiman, DrOT, MHS, OTR/L, CLT-LANA, CES, CKTP, CEES-Advanced, CSST, CDCS, CORE Department Chair/Program Director/ Associate Professor -
“I had to take the time to write you and let you know that I am so grateful for the course! I took my COTA® exam 2 times and failed by 9 pts. Then I took the TherapyEd course with Toni Thompson (truly an amazing instructor) 3 days before my exam and raised my score by 31 points!! On the day I took my test I didn’t feel as much anxiety and left unsure as usual, however I knew that I used the methods I had been taught in the course during testing and THAT is what guided me to passing. I have celebrated every day since I passed doing what I absolutely love; as a pediatric COTA®! Ms. Thompson was right when she said “All the studying and all the hard work, this is what it takes to be a COTA®”. Those words ran through my mind over and over and encouraged me to do this for myself! On scoring day when I passed she was one of the first people I notified! I can’t thank her enough!”– Shelby Hall, COTA®
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“Just wanted to let you know how pleased we were with the results of the OTA exam prep course last year. NBCOT® scores for our students were higher than in previous years. The average score for our previous year’s graduates was 478. The average score for last year’s graduates, who had the TherapyEd OTA exam prep course, was 495! Thanks for helping us maintain our 100% pass rate!”– Elizabeth Olivier OTR/L, MHS Department Chair, Occupational Therapy Assistant Program, Tyler Junior College
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“I took the course yesterday with Paula Carey and I have to let you know she was phenomenal!! She really cared about OTAs and student success. I figured beforehand I would be bored to tears. I wasn’t at all. I was interested and captivated all day long!! Thank you for providing a wonderful resource for study guidance with your courses!!”– Jillian Orsi – Quinsigamond Community College
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“Hello, my name is Heather Smith and I wanted to email you to share my success story with TherapyEd. The first three times of taking my exam and failing all three with the score of 437, I used the purple book, Pass the OT, and AOTA PDFs and none of those materials helped me to pass. I was very intimidated by the TherapyEd book but knew for certain that I would have to study it to achieve my goal. I re-took the TherapyEd course with Toni Thompson and then spent 2-3 sessions with her tutoring me one-on-one. She told me this: “It is better to prepare for a 10K and show up to find out it is a 5K than to prepare for a 5K and show up to find out it is a 10K.” That was the example she gave about TherapyEd and it stuck with me. She told me to study questions and use a highlighter to highlight important key words and use the strike out method. She told me I knew what I was doing and I knew the material and to just practice questions. So that is what I did. I went through every exam in the back of the TherapyEd book and every Rationale. I took my exam on May 3, 2019 and found out that I was Heather Lynn Smith, COTA/L on May 8, 2019. My score increased 40 points following Toni Thompson’s advice and studying questions and rationales in the back of the TherapyEd book. Toni is a jewel and a great asset to TherapyEd and I know that you all are very proud to have her as I feel very blessed to have had her as a tutor. I hope this testimonial will help someone else who is struggling to pass this exam.”– Heather Smith, COTA/L, Kershaw Health
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“This course is very helpful, I learned a lot. – Ashley U; Very helpful. I am not a good test taker and I feel this course helped me to process the test questions. – Kristin R; Relieved my stress for preparing for the exam. – Allyson H”– Students of Allegany College of Maryland
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“Great Information, the book is very helpful. – Sasha C; It helped me realize that I need to get serious about my study schedule. – Madison H; Very beneficial and I feel it prepared me very well to start my study plan. – Elisa A”– Students of Caddo Kiowa Technology Center
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“I feel the course was very educational and helpful in preparing me for the NBCOT®. – Ashley Love; Loved the questions throughout the course and the discussion that followed. – Lauren Rothrock; Great information on strategies. – Jacque Lee”– Students of Green River Community College
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“Hey TherapyEd! I relied heavily on the TherapyEd COTA Review and Study Guide to pass my NBCOT exam by a *wide* margin on my first attempt. I was extremely well prepared; the exam itself felt much easier than the TherapyEd Practice Exams. THANK YOU for an awesome product!!!”– Jennifer Kennedy – Chattahoochee Technical College (GA)
About the Course
TherapyEd’s OTA Exam Prep class creates a social learning atmosphere that is individual, responsive, immediate, and dynamic. The course stresses developing critical reasoning skills within the context of the exam and active learning is emphasized. Practice in reading, interpreting, and answering questions like those on the COTA® exam help assess individual strengths and weaknesses, and the guided learning format helps develop students’ critical reasoning skills. At the heart of the course, instructors motivate and teach students to breakdown and analyze questions to understand the best answer choice. Appropriate tools and resources to implement a successful study plan are provided, and actual exam behaviors are replicated to better develop the reasoning abilities needed to be successful. Our exam prep courses are taught by leading educators with years of experience helping students. They use their collective knowledge and diverse practice backgrounds to help students prepare and do their best on exam day.
Course materials include TherapyEd’s best-selling National OTA Certification Exam Review & Study Guide and the TherapyEd OTA Course Manual, available only in the course.
TherapyEd Guarantee
Our goal at TherapyEd–our mission–is to help students pass the NBCOT®‘s COTA® exam the first time. Although most students who take our course pass the first time, sometimes life, unfortunately, intervenes and a student is not successful. We know this is difficult, disappointing, disheartening–and expensive!
If you take our course and do not pass the NBCOT®‘s COTA® exam, you can take the TherapyEd Exam Preparation course again, anywhere, anytime, FOR FREE. Just look at the schedule of upcoming courses, pick one out, contact us, and we will register you for the course at no charge.
With our course guarantee, our Online Office Hours, the best-selling Review & Study Guide, and rigorous practice questions, our commitment is to help students pass the exam and begin their professional careers. We hope all this will give you the confidence of our experience.