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ARRT Exam Retake Policy: 3 Attempts in 3 Years and What to Do Next

For ARRT certification and registration, you get three attempts to pass within three years of the date your first exam window opens. Use all three, or let the three years run out, and your eligibility ends until you requalify.

The rules that decide your next move

  • The clock doesn't reset. Failing, reapplying, or getting a new exam window doesn't restart your three years. (ARRT: Three Attempts in Three Years)
  • To retake after attempt 1 or 2: log in to your ARRT account, click Reapply, and pay the $200 reapplication fee. ARRT issues a new exam window, but every attempt still has to fit inside the same three-year eligibility period. (What if I Fail, Fees, ARRT FAQ)
  • No general 90-day waiting period is published in ARRT's current certification materials. Your actual timing depends on reapplication processing, your new Candidate Status Report, appointment availability, and how much of your three-year eligibility period remains.
  • The 30-day cutoff: ARRT must receive your reapplication and fee at least 30 calendar days before your three-year eligibility period ends. Later than that, ARRT says you must requalify before you can take another ARRT exam. (2026 Primary Handbook, p. 57)
  • After a third fail: primary-pathway candidates must regain eligibility through the primary pathway; postprimary candidates must repeat the required clinical experience and structured education.

Last verified against ARRT's website, fee page, Examination Requirements, and 2026 handbooks: October 26, 2026.

What happened? Find your row

What happened? Find your row: situation, whether it counts as an attempt, fee and window, and what to do next
What happened Counts as one of your 3 attempts? Fee and window What to do next
Failed attempt 1 Yes That attempt is used Read your section scores, then click Reapply in your ARRT dashboard ($200). Book when your weak sections are better prepared, not just when a seat opens.
Failed attempt 2 Yes That attempt is used Reapply ($200). Check how much of your three years is left and whether your retake falls on a new content-spec version (Radiography changes March 1, 2027).
Failed attempt 3 Yes — eligibility ends — Your dashboard gives requalification information. See what happens after a third fail.
Missed your appointment or cancelled too late No Fee forfeited; window closes Reapply ($200) before you can schedule again. Your three-year clock keeps running.
Let your exam window expire without testing No Fee forfeited; window closes Reapply ($200), provided ARRT can receive the reapplication and fee at least 30 days before your three years end.
Didn't accept or respond to the nondisclosure agreement within two minutes No Exam ends; fee forfeited Reapply ($200).
Arrived 15+ minutes late and Pearson forfeited the appointment No Fee forfeited; new window requires reapplication Reapply ($200).
Turned away because of an identification problem No Fee forfeited; window closes Reapply ($200). Your three-year clock keeps running.
Took an ARRT-administered state licensing exam Counts toward ARRT's three-attempt limit if you later apply for ARRT certification and registration in the same discipline State rules control state retake eligibility Ask your state licensing entity about its retake rules. See state licensing candidates.
Fewer than 30 days remain before your three-year eligibility period ends — ARRT says a late reapplication won't be processed in time You must requalify before another ARRT certification/registration exam attempt.

Sources: ARRT FAQ; 2026 Primary Handbook, especially pp. 14, 30, 39, 42, 50 and 57; ARRT State Licensing Exam.

The "doesn't count" rows can still cost you. A missed appointment, late arrival, NDA refusal/nonresponse, expired window, or ID turn-away can close the window and cost the fee while the same three-year clock keeps running.

How to retake the ARRT exam

  1. Wait for your official score report. The score you see at the test center is preliminary. ARRT says your official score report is posted to your account about 10 days after the exam, and it emails you when the report is ready. (ARRT application overview)

    Results timing: ARRT's application page says “about 10 days,” while its Exam Scoring page says “within about 10 business days.” Neither is a guaranteed posting date; watch for ARRT's email and official report.

  2. Confirm your attempt number and your three-year end date in your ARRT dashboard or Candidate Status Report. Don't work from memory.
  3. Click Reapply and pay $200. The current reapplication fee is $200 for primary, postprimary, and R.R.A. candidates. (Fees)
  4. Read the new Candidate Status Report. ARRT exam windows are normally 365 days, but that does not give you more than the underlying three years to complete your three attempts. (2026 Primary Handbook, pp. 29–31)
  5. Schedule with Pearson inside the dates ARRT gives you and before your three-year eligibility period ends.

How soon can you retake?

As soon as the reapplication and scheduling process allows and you are ready to test. ARRT's current certification and registration materials reviewed for this page do not publish a general 90-day waiting period between failed attempts.

What actually controls your timing is:

  • when your official result posts;
  • when ARRT processes your reapplication;
  • the dates on your new Candidate Status Report;
  • Pearson appointment availability; and
  • how much time remains in your three-year eligibility period.

If you've seen "wait 90 days" or "wait six months" elsewhere, check your current ARRT account and handbook rather than treating that as the national ARRT certification rule.

When does the three-year clock start and end?

It starts on the date your first ARRT exam window opens. That date appears on your Candidate Status Report.

Worked example. Maya's first Radiography window opens June 15, 2026.

Worked example of Maya's three-year clock: when and what happens
When What happens
June 15, 2026 First window opens. Three-year clock starts.
August 2026 Attempt 1: not passed. She reapplies. The same three-year clock continues.
February 2027 Attempt 2: not passed. She reapplies again. A retake on or after March 1, 2027 will use the 2027 Radiography specifications.
May 16, 2029 Thirty calendar days remain before the three-year period ends. ARRT must have received any reapplication and fee by this point.
June 15, 2029 Three-year period reaches its end date. Any unused attempt does not carry forward.

Use the exact dates in your account rather than relying on this example.

A separate, earlier eligibility rule can also matter on the primary pathway: candidates generally must establish eligibility within three years of completing their educational program. That is separate from the three-attempt clock that begins when the first exam window opens. (ARRT: Three-Year Rule)

Other things that can cost you an attempt

Beyond sitting the exam and not passing, ARRT says some score cancellations still count as an attempt. Examples include:

  • Leaving the test center building before you finish. (2026 Primary Handbook, p. 42)
  • Using or retrieving a prohibited electronic device, removing study materials or another unapproved item from your locker, or leaving the building before the exam is complete. ARRT says these actions result in score cancellation and the exam counts as an attempt. (2026 Primary Handbook, p. 50)
  • Testing when ARRT later determines that you were ineligible. In the circumstances described in the handbook, ARRT can cancel the score and count the exam as one of the three attempts. (2026 Primary Handbook, pp. 19, 24, 55)

These are different from a no-show, late arrival, NDA refusal/nonresponse, expired window, or ID turn-away, which can cost the fee and close the window without counting as an exam attempt.

What happens after a third unsuccessful attempt?

Your eligibility ends until you requalify. There's no fourth attempt inside the same eligibility period, and simply waiting for time to pass does not restore another attempt. The same requalification problem applies if the three-year period expires before you complete a remaining attempt.

Regaining eligibility after a third unsuccessful attempt: pathway and how to regain eligibility
Pathway How to regain eligibility
Primary (Radiography, Nuclear Medicine Technology, Radiation Therapy, MRI, Sonography, Vascular Sonography) ARRT says you may regain eligibility by enrolling in and completing the same or a different educational program in the discipline, then meeting the current primary-pathway requirements and applying again. See ARRT's recognized educational programs.
Postprimary (Mammography, CT, MRI, Bone Densitometry, and others) Repeat the required clinical experience and structured education. ARRT's 2026 handbook requires a new set of clinical experience requirements and 16 new structured-education credits; the current postprimary materials require the qualifying clinical/education work within the applicable 24-month period before the new application. (2026 Postprimary Handbook, p. 28)
Reinstatement by examination Reinstatement has its own current handbook and requirements. If this is your situation, use ARRT's current handbook index rather than assuming the primary/postprimary route applies unchanged.

Sources: ARRT: Three Attempts in Three Years; What if I Fail.

That's a hard outcome, and it's why attempt three deserves a deliberate plan rather than a quick rebook.

Retaking Radiography in 2027? Check which version you'll get

If your Radiography retake falls on or after March 1, 2027, ARRT's updated Radiography content specifications take effect. ARRT has also approved an updated Radiography passing standard effective that date. ARRT says the standard-setting update is not intended to make the examination easier or harder. (Radiography credential page, ARRT standard-setting update)

Radiography scored items by test date: tests through Feb. 28, 2027, tests on or after Mar. 1, 2027, and change
Scored items Tests through Feb. 28, 2027 Tests on/after Mar. 1, 2027 Change
Patient Care 33 31 −2
Safety 50 46 −4
Image Production 51 51 0
Procedures 66 72 +6
Total scored 200 200 —
Unscored pilot items 30 30 —

See ARRT's current content-specification index for the version tied to your test date.

Procedures gains six scored items and Safety loses four under the 2027 Radiography specification. If either was a weak area on your previous score report, use the specification that matches your next test date rather than an old study outline.

Other disciplines can change too. For example, ARRT's updated CT passing standard applies to tests on or after September 1, 2026, and ARRT has announced 2027 content or passing-standard changes for additional disciplines. Check your discipline's current ARRT page before you rebook. (ARRT CT update)

Use your score report to aim the retake

Your report shows a total scaled score from 1 to 99, where 75 passes, plus section scaled scores from 0.1 to 9.9. A scaled score is not a percentage correct.

ARRT says a section score can be read roughly like a total scaled score with the decimal shifted — for example, an 8.1 can be thought of as roughly equivalent to an 81 if that section were the whole exam. But section scores are based on fewer items, are less reliable than the total score, and should be used to compare your relative strengths and weaknesses, not as standalone pass/fail cutoffs. (How to Interpret Your Score Report)

Sonography is the exception with explicit section minimums: you need a total score of 75 and at least 7.5 in both Abdomen and OB/GYN. (How to Interpret Your Score Report)

Before you rebook, check these five things:

  1. Your official score report, section by section.
  2. Your attempt number and three-year end date in your dashboard or Candidate Status Report.
  3. That ARRT can receive your reapplication and fee at least 30 days before that end date.
  4. The current content specification for your discipline on your planned test date.
  5. A study plan rebuilt around your relative weak sections, rather than running the same materials again unchanged.

A simple way to set priorities (our editorial method):

  1. Identify the sections that are weakest relative to your own other section scores.
  2. Check how much of the exam each section represents in the content specification for your test date.
  3. Give the most study time to sections that combine weaker performance with larger exam weight.
  4. Use the content outline inside those sections to choose specific topics to review.

Worked example (Radiography, 2022 specs): Patient Care 7.9, Safety 6.8, Image Production 7.2, Procedures 7.0. Safety and Procedures are the two lowest sections and also make up large parts of the exam, so they are sensible first priorities. Image Production follows. This is a study-priority method, not a prediction of whether the next attempt will pass.

Can you appeal instead of retaking?

Only for a specific problem. An appeal isn't a route to a pass simply because the score was close.

  • Scoring appeal ($25): if you think your exam score is wrong, ARRT allows a score review through its Eligibility Appeal Request process. For a paper request, the 2026 Primary Handbook says it must be postmarked within 14 calendar days of the date the score report became available online. ARRT says it will rescore only the most recent attempt and provide findings within 60 business days after receiving the request. (2026 Primary Handbook, p. 56; Fees)
  • Test-administration appeal: if you believe your exam administration substantially differed from normal testing procedures, ARRT says to send the appeal within two business days of the exam. Ordinary test-center noise is not enough by itself. (Eligibility Appeal Request) Deadline: ARRT must receive a test-administration appeal within two business days after the exam; mailing it within that period is not enough.

A practical warning: ARRT says an Eligibility Appeal Request and a reapplication/reinstatement application in the same discipline cannot be in process at the same time. Follow ARRT's current appeal instructions before submitting both.

State licensing candidates

ARRT administers some states' licensing exams, but the state decides whether you passed and whether you can retake. Each state has its own eligibility rules. (ARRT State Licensing Exam)

Two ARRT rules still matter:

  • An attempt on an ARRT-administered state licensing exam counts toward ARRT's three-attempt limit if you later apply separately for ARRT certification and registration in the same discipline.
  • Passing as a state licensing candidate does not make you ARRT certified and registered, and the state-exam result cannot simply be converted into ARRT certification.

If you're retaking for state licensure, ask the relevant state licensing entity for the retake rule. Do not use ARRT's certification retake policy as a substitute for your state's rule.

Is ARRT changing the three-attempt limit?

Not in ARRT's published policy as of October 26, 2026.

A July 2026 AuntMinnie report described a petition with more than 10,000 signatures asking ARRT to allow more attempts. ARRT told the publication that its Board of Trustees planned to review the concerns. (AuntMinnie, July 16, 2026)

ARRT's current policy page still states three attempts in three years, and no replacement rule appeared on the ARRT news page when checked October 26, 2026. Plan around the current rule unless ARRT publishes a change with an effective date.

ARRT retake costs

ARRT retake costs: fee and amount
Fee Amount
Reapplication after a first or second failed attempt (Primary, Postprimary, R.R.A.) $200
Primary or Postprimary application $225
Postprimary application using NMTCB or ARDMS as the supporting category where ARRT lists that option $450
Scoring appeal $25

ARRT's fee page also notes that additional Pearson fees may apply in some circumstances. Fees can change, so verify the current ARRT fee schedule before paying.

Quick answers

Can ARRT extend my exam window?
ARRT's 2026 handbook tells candidates that it cannot extend a normal exam window and that an expired window requires reapplication. It also has an Eligibility Appeal process for certain severe, documented circumstances. Treat an appeal as an exception process, not as extra time you can plan on. (2026 Primary Handbook, pp. 31, 35)

Does the passing standard change because it's a retake?
No special retake passing score is published. The applicable standard is tied to the discipline and the exam version/effective date, not to whether it is your first, second, or third attempt.

Looking for pass-rate data rather than retake rules?
Our ARRT Radiography exam pass rates by program page covers ARRT and JRCERT program data.

Sources

Attempt limits and retakes

Fees, scoring, and appeals

Exam versions and state licensing

Policy review

Last verified: October 26, 2026. We checked ARRT's attempt-limit, failed-exam, FAQ, score-report, fee, state licensing, Radiography, appeal, handbook, and news materials; the March 2026 Examination Requirements; and the 2026 Primary and Postprimary handbooks. We did not log in to an ARRT account, inspect an individual Candidate Status Report, submit a reapplication, or test Pearson scheduling. Your ARRT account and ARRT's current materials control your individual eligibility, attempt count, and deadlines.

Written by the Castleport Test Prep Editorial Team. This page was researched and drafted with AI assistance and checked against the official sources linked above. How we verify exam claims · Editorial standards · Report an error

Castleport Test Prep is an independent exam prep publisher. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or approved by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) or Pearson. Exam and credential names are used only to identify their subjects; trademarks belong to their respective owners.