The MBLEx is the Massage & Bodywork Licensing Exam. It is the test that massage therapists take in order to get a license to practice therapeutic massage in the United States (at least in most states). In addition to taking the massage licensing exam, therapists must also apply for their massage state license directly at the massage board or other regulatory agency in the state in which they wish to practice. The license itself is issued by the individual state. Currently 46 states require a license to practice massage therapy. 48 states recognize the MBLEx and include it as a requirement for licensure. The MBLEx is an entry-level licensure examination. This means that the questions are limited to the core content that beginning massage therapists needs to know to do their job. Even though there are no questions that require advanced specialty training, the MBLEx is still considered by many new therapists to be a challenging exam. This is because it is a comprehensive exam and covers a large volume of content. The overall MBLEx pass rate is 67.0 percent.  The purpose of requiring massage therapy license applicants to pass the MBLEx is to ensure that they meet or exceed the minimum standards of knowledge in order to provide safe, competent and effective therapeutic massage services to the public.