How to prepare for a physical therapist interview (the short answer)
The fastest path is: pick six clinical moments from your DPT affiliations and any prior tech or aide experience (one each for a complex eval, a patient who didn't progress, a red-flag referral-out, a non-adherent patient turned around, a PTA delegation moment, and a productivity-quality tradeoff), draft them in STAR with specific impairments, outcome measures, and interventions named, then practice them out loud against a behavioral coach until each lands in 60-90 seconds. Most candidates over-prepare clinical-knowledge questions and under-prepare the behavioral and patient-management half — that's the half the clinic director decides on. Plan for 1-2 weeks of daily 15-30 minute practice for staff PT roles, 2-3 weeks for new graduates and setting transitions (acute to outpatient ortho, ortho to neuro), and 3+ weeks for ABPTRFE residency interviews and clinic director or rehab manager positions. If the role includes a working interview (common for outpatient ortho), spend an extra week rehearsing your eval-to-intervention flow out loud.
