(Updated for 2024) The Massage & Bodywork Licensing Examination (MBLEx) is the most often required test of entry-level massage therapist competency in the US. This article provides an outline and content breakdown of the MBLEx content areas that you can expect to see on the massage exam. You will also learn about the MBLEx application requirements and find links to helpful resources to help you prepare for the massage licensing exam. Currently 46 states regulate the massage profession at the state level. Of these, 44 states (plus DC and Puerto Rico) utilize the MBLEx exam in their massage license application process.
The Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB) created and administers the test. The FSMTB is a non-profit organization that was established in 2005. Its mission is to support member state boards by simplifying and standardizing the licensing process, and ensuring the competency of massage license applicants.
The MBLEx was developed by a collaboration of content experts, testing experts, and thousands of practicing professionals. The FSMTB continues to improve the MBLEx to reflect changes in the massage and bodywork industry as well as changes in job and state licensing requirements. This massage exam is a 100-question multiple-choice test. It is often the most difficult component of the licensing process for many applicants. Massage license applicants usually have additional requirements to fulfill before receiving their license. We’ve provided answers to questions about state license requirements as well as answers to frequently asked question about the MBLEx.
States already require successful completion of an approved massage program. So what’s the point of another exam? The main purpose comes down to ensuring public safety. Professions in which a practitioner’s lack of competency could cause harm to the public will usually involve some sort of standardized licensing exam. This includes virtually every career in health care, as well as professions like architecture, engineering, accounting, teaching and law.
All health and public service regulatory agencies have a primary function of protecting the public from harm that can occur from a practitioner who is not adequately trained. By protecting the public from practitioners who are inadequately trained, the FSMTB is also protecting the industry and image of the massage therapy profession. The MBLEx exam serves as a standardized assessment tool, that ensures a minimum competency level regardless of which school the applicant attended or which state a therapist is in.
The FSMTB is the organization that created the MBLEx. Their function is to work with state licensing boards to maintain a test that most accurately demonstrates a massage license applicant’s understanding of the practice of therapeutic massage. There is a team of people working with the FSMTB organization that are involved with developing and continuously improving the exam.
It is continually improved to reflect industry changes and new developments in testing methods and the knowledge base needed for massage therapists. The work of the FSMTB not only takes some of the burden off the individual state boards, but helps massage school curriculum developers and teachers know what information to focus on in their training programs.
The MBLEx is much more than just an anatomy and physiology test. Content on the exam is based on what an entry-level massage therapist needs to know to provide safe and effective treatments for their massage and bodywork clients. The MBLEx massage exam consists of 100 multiple-choice questions with four possible answers for each question. According to the FSMTB, each of the possible answers is plausible. However there should be only 1 correct answer for each question.
The MBLEx is a computer adaptive test (CAT). This means that the difficulty of the exam and the questions that are presented to the test-taker will vary based on which questions are answered correctly or incorrectly. For example, as you start answering questions correctly, the testing program will present you with more difficult questions. In order to pass the exam, the test-taker must pass a set number of questions at a certain difficulty level. So if you start seeing more difficult questions, that’s a good sign because it means that you are answering questions correctly. *It is the difficulty of the questions that you answer correctly, in addition to the overall number of correct answers, that determines whether you pass or fail.
Another thing about computer adaptive tests is that taking a CAT exam doesn’t really feel any different from taking any other type of multiple choice exam. The reason is that, like all tests, some questions will seem easy and some questions will seem harder. It’s all subjective based on your own understanding and knowledge gaps. A question that seems harder to a test writer may be easy for you, and vice versa.
*There’s no evidence that using computer adaptive tests to study is any better than using other types practice tests to study. In fact, non-adaptive tests (like those on MBLExGuide) can be a more effective study tool because you can repeat a specific exam later to see if your scores improve. You cannot re-take the same computer adaptive exam because the exam changes based on the answers you choose.
One question that we often hear at MBLExGuide is “how hard is the MBLEx?” According to the FSMTB, the average pass rate for first time test takers is 73.4%. The pass rate for those who have to re-take the exam drops to about 40%. Note: Test takers no longer receive a score report. Before leaving the Pearson VUE testing center you will receive a results summary printout from the test proctor that indicates “Pass” or “Fail”.
The content on the MBLEx is based on “what an entry-level massage therapist needs to know to provide safe and effective treatments”. The massage test contains a specified number of questions from each content area. However, it does not separate and label what category each question falls under. Therefore many questions will require knowledge of the material from several content areas.
For example, a question like, “A new client with osteoarthritis demonstrates decreased active range of motion during right shoulder flexion while standing. Which specific joint is most effected?” [Answer: glenohumeral]. This question is primarily a kinesiology question, but it includes elements of the pathology section (because you have to know something about osteoarthritis) and clinical reasoning (client assessment) section.
From this example you can see that although a specific section may only be 11% – 14% of the exam, you must still have a thorough understanding of each content area in order to pass.
The FSMTB has created a detailed content outline that you can print out and use to guide your studies. This MBLEx breakdown & content outline was used as the guide when creating our MBLEx practice tests as well as our new MBLEx Course (see below). We also offer a few free practice quizzes for each category on the MBLEx massage exam too. Our practice tests allow you to get a feel for the type of questions and level of difficulty that you can expect to see on the actual massage licensing exam.
Since the MBLEx is a 100-question exam, these percentages equal the number of questions on the test in that specific category. The questions on the actual massage exam will be randomized (shuffled), just like they are on the full-length and mini exams you will find here on MBLExGuide. You will have 2 hours to complete the MBLEx.
Questions on the MBLEx are multiple-choice, with four possible answers (some have three possible answers). The incorrect answer options (also called distractors) are plausible, but are incorrect for a specific reason. All questions are based on information that can easily be found in common massage therapy educational books. You can expect a few questions to involve an image, such as a picture of a muscle or joint for example, but most questions will not include any images.
From the MBLEx content outline, you can see that passing the exam requires much more than just memorizing muscle insertion points, skin pathologies, and names of massage techniques. The FSMTB strives to make sure that new massage therapists have the necessary foundation of knowledge to make informed decisions that affect a client’s treatment plan, and the ability to correctly apply massage techniques.
