ARRT Radiography Exam Requirements
To sit for the ARRT Radiography exam, you need an ARRT-verified radiography program, ARRT's required didactic and clinical competencies, an associate degree or higher, and compliance with ARRT's ethics requirements. Then you apply, receive an exam window, and pass the examination with a scaled score of 75.
This covers ARRT certification and registration in Radiography — R.T.(R) — through ARRT's primary eligibility pathway. State-license-only exams follow different rules. If you test on or after March 1, 2027, a new Radiography exam outline and a new underlying passing standard apply.
Eligibility checklist
Work down the list. These are the main requirements ARRT expects you to satisfy before you earn the credential.
| # | Requirement | What counts | If not yet |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Radiography program | You completed, or are completing, an ARRT-verified educational program in Radiography. Check it using ARRT's recognized-program resources. | Finish an ARRT-verified program. ARRT does not accept work experience in place of the required professional education. |
| 2 | Didactic and clinical competencies | Your program verifies that you completed the required classroom coursework and clinical competencies. Radiography clinical competencies must be directly observed in person under ARRT's rules. | Complete the requirements through your program. Your program director or authorized program personnel handle ARRT verification. |
| 3 | Degree | An associate degree or higher, in any subject, from an institution accredited by an agency ARRT recognizes. | The degree must be conferred before you test, and you must earn it no more than three years after completing your Radiography program. |
| 4 | Ethics | You answer ARRT's ethics questions accurately and complete any ethics review ARRT requires. | Disclose the issue as ARRT instructs. If appropriate, an optional $100 Ethics Review Preapplication can give you an earlier decision. |
| 5 | Application on time | You submit the application within the three-year education deadline, and ARRT establishes your eligibility and issues a Candidate Status Report. | You may apply up to 90 days before you finish your program or degree, whichever comes later. ARRT says applications received fewer than 30 days before the end of the three-year period will not be processed. |
| 6 | The exam | You earn a passing scaled score within ARRT's three-attempt, three-year limit. | If you do not pass on the first or second attempt, you must reapply and pay the current reapplication fee before another attempt. |
Don't test early. If you sit for the exam before your program and degree requirements are complete, ARRT says it will permanently cancel the score, count the examination as an attempt, and not refund the fee. See ARRT Examination Requirements, §3.01.
Find your deadlines
ARRT uses two different clocks, and mixing them up causes a lot of confusion:
- Education/eligibility clock: You have three years after completing your Radiography program to earn the degree and establish eligibility for ARRT certification and registration.
- Exam-attempt clock: Once your first exam window opens, you have three years and no more than three attempts to pass.
- Individual exam window: Your Candidate Status Report gives the exact dates of the exam window. ARRT's current certification-and-registration window is 365 days.
Your Candidate Status Report controls your actual dates.
Worked example
A student finishes her Radiography program and degree on May 15, 2026 and submits an early application.
| Milestone | Date or timing | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Earliest application date | Feb. 14, 2026 | Up to 90 days before the later of program completion and degree conferral |
| First exam window can begin | May 15, 2026 | If ARRT has already processed the application, the window begins when both education requirements are complete |
| Individual exam window | 365 days | Exact opening and closing dates appear on the Candidate Status Report |
| Content outline if she tests Feb. 26, 2027 | Current outline | Applies through Feb. 28, 2027 |
| Content outline if she tests Mar. 2, 2027 | 2027 outline | Applies on or after Mar. 1, 2027 |
| End of three-attempt period | Three years from the opening date of the first exam window | The period does not reset after a missed appointment or failed attempt |
| Latest reapplication timing | ARRT must receive it at least 30 calendar days before the three-year eligibility period ends | Applies when a new window is needed within the same eligibility period |
The rules behind those dates are in the 2026 Primary Eligibility Pathway Handbook, especially the education, deadline, exam-window, and reapplication sections.
- The three-year education clock starts when you finish your Radiography program. Your degree and your application must fall within that period.
- You can apply up to 90 days early, counted from whichever comes later: program completion or degree conferral.
- If ARRT processes your application before you finish, your first exam window can begin when the program and degree requirements are complete.
- The certification-and-registration exam window is 365 days.
- Three attempts, three years. The three years start when your initial exam window opens. After a third unsuccessful attempt or when that period expires, your eligibility ends and you must regain eligibility under ARRT's current rules.
Which ARRT documents apply to you
ARRT updated its Radiography examination content specifications and its didactic and clinical competency requirements effective March 1, 2027. The transition rules are not identical.
| What you're checking | The date that decides it | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| What's on your exam | Your exam date | Through Feb. 28, 2027: use the current Radiography content specifications. On or after Mar. 1, 2027: use the 2027 specifications. |
| Which competency document your program may use | Your program completion date | Candidates completing their educational program during 2027 or 2028 may use either the 2022 or 2027 Radiography competency requirements. Candidates completing after Feb. 28, 2029 must use the 2027 requirements. |
ARRT's 2027 competency document does not expressly state which version applies to candidates whose programs finish in January or February 2029. If that timing applies to you, use your program director and ARRT's current document as the authority rather than guessing.
Both versions are linked from ARRT's Radiography page.
ARRT also announced a new underlying passing standard for the Radiography examination effective March 1, 2027. ARRT still reports results on its scaled-score system, where a reported score of 75 is the passing score; 75 does not mean 75% correct. See ARRT's August 27, 2026 passing-standard update and score-report guidance.
Education requirements
Do I need an associate degree?
Yes. You need an associate degree or higher from an institution accredited by an agency ARRT recognizes. It does not have to be in radiologic science. You can earn it before, during, or after your Radiography program, as long as it is conferred before you take the exam and no more than three years after you finish the program. See ARRT Education Requirements.
The degree rule applies to candidates who completed professional education on or after Jan. 1, 2015.
What counts as an approved program?
You need a formal Radiography educational program that ARRT verifies through an accreditation mechanism ARRT accepts. Check the program through ARRT's recognized-program resources and the applicable accreditor rather than relying only on a school brochure.
There are no work-experience shortcuts. ARRT states that candidates educated outside the United States still must meet its education requirements and that work experience does not substitute for the required professional education. See ARRT International Inquiries.
What are the didactic and clinical competencies?
Didactic requirements are classroom coursework covering the knowledge areas ARRT requires for Radiography. Clinical requirements are procedures you must demonstrate during your formal education. For Radiography, ARRT requires direct in-person observation by the program director or designee; remote observation does not satisfy the clinical verification rule.
The current and 2027 requirements differ:
| Clinical requirement | 2022 requirements | 2027 requirements, effective Mar. 1, 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| General patient care requirements | 10 total: CPR/BLS certification plus 9 procedures | 8 total: BLS or ACLS certification plus 7 procedures |
| Mandatory imaging procedures | 36 | 35 |
| Elective imaging procedures | 15 selected from 34 | 17 selected from 36 |
| Electives from the head section | At least 1 | At least 1 |
| Electives from fluoroscopy studies | 2 | 2 |
| Imaging procedures you may simulate | Up to 10 | Up to 10 |
| Limit per patient | No daily maximum stated in the 2022 document | No more than 3 competencies on the same patient per day |
Sources: 2022 Radiography Didactic and Clinical Competency Requirements, pp. 1–3; 2027 requirements, pp. 1–3.
Other 2027 changes include removal of venipuncture and temperature from the general patient-care list, addition of BLS-or-ACLS wording, and changes to the imaging-procedure lists. Use the official document for the complete procedure-by-procedure requirements.
Ethics requirements
Every applicant must meet ARRT's Standards of Ethics. ARRT decides what a disclosure means for your eligibility; this section explains what the current application asks.
The 2026 Primary Eligibility Pathway Handbook uses three ethics questions covering:
- Criminal matters: certain misdemeanor or felony charges and convictions, including specified pleas, court conditions, military courts-martial, and some traffic offenses involving drugs or alcohol.
- Regulatory matters: specified actions by a regulatory authority or certification board other than ARRT, such as denial, suspension, revocation, probation, voluntary surrender, or other disciplinary action.
- Honor-code matters: certain withdrawals, suspensions, dismissals, or expulsions from an educational program used to meet ARRT requirements.
ARRT also identifies circumstances that generally do not require a "yes" answer to the criminal question, including juvenile-court matters, ordinary speeding or parking tickets that were not misdemeanors or felonies and did not involve drugs or alcohol, charges dismissed without court conditions, and qualifying sealed or expunged records when you have documentation.
Not sure how to report something? Review the ARRT Ethics Review Preapplication. The preapplication is optional and currently costs $100. ARRT's current guidance says students who are more than eight months from completing their program may consider the preapplication; candidates closer to completion generally report the potential violation on the full application.
ARRT's 2026 handbook reports that it completed about 1,309 ethics reviews in 2024 and that close to 98% resulted in the ability to become or remain certified and registered. That is not a prediction for any individual case.
If a potential ethics violation occurs after you apply, ARRT requires notification within 30 calendar days.
How to apply
- Set up your ARRT account through your program. Your program director provides instructions and approves the account.
- Apply online up to 90 days before you finish your program or degree, whichever date is later. The current primary application fee for Radiography is $225. See ARRT Application Fees.
- Request testing accommodations on the application if you need them. ARRT says accommodation requests can increase processing time.
- Your program verifies completion of your educational program, competencies, and qualifying degree.
- Check your Candidate Status Report. ARRT says it normally posts the report within two business days after an online application is processed, except when additional review is needed. It contains your exam-window dates.
- Wait 24 hours after submitting the primary application before scheduling with Pearson, then use the instructions on the Candidate Status Report.
ARRT advises candidates to allow at least 30 calendar days for application processing, and more when accommodations or an ethics review are involved. Applications received fewer than 30 days before the end of the three-year education deadline will not be processed.
If you do not pass on the first or second attempt, ARRT's current primary reapplication fee is $200, not the initial $225 application fee.
Your ID must match. ARRT currently requires two acceptable forms of identification. The first must be a valid government-issued photo ID with your signature; the second must be current and include your printed name and signature. Your name must match the Candidate Status Report. Review the current handbook before test day because ID and test-center policies can change.
The exam
| Item | ARRT Radiography exam |
|---|---|
| Total questions | 230 |
| Scored | 200 |
| Unscored pilot questions | 30, not identified |
| Test time | 230 minutes |
| Full appointment | 250 minutes |
| To pass | Scaled score of 75 |
| Where | Pearson test centers |
| Calculator | Test-center/on-screen options under ARRT's current rules; do not bring your own calculator |
Source: 2026 Primary Eligibility Pathway Handbook, exam-format section; ARRT score guidance.
ARRT uses several computer-based item formats. A scaled 75 is not 75% correct: ARRT converts raw performance to a common reporting scale so different exam forms can be compared fairly.
Starting in November 2026, Pearson is adding wand screening at check-in for ARRT candidates. ARRT says candidates with an implanted device sensitive to magnets may request a medical waiver, which can take up to five business days. See the ARRT examination FAQ.
What's on it: now vs. March 1, 2027
| Content category | Scored questions through Feb. 28, 2027 | Scored questions from Mar. 1, 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Patient Care | 33 | 31 |
| Patient Interactions and Management | 33 | 31 |
| Safety | 50 | 46 |
| Radiation Physics and Radiobiology | 21 | 21 |
| Radiation Protection | 29 | 25 |
| Image Production | 51 | 51 |
| Image Acquisition and Evaluation | 26 | 26 |
| Equipment Operation and Quality Assurance | 25 | 25 |
| Procedures | 66 | 72 |
| Head, Spine, and Pelvis | 18 | 20 |
| Thorax and Abdomen | 20 | 22 |
| Extremities | 28 | 30 |
| Total scored | 200 | 200 |
Sources: current Radiography content specifications, p. 1; content specifications effective March 1, 2027, p. 1.
ARRT's May 1, 2026 update identifies several content changes for the 2027 specifications, including removal of computed-radiography content, "digital detectors" replacing "image receptors," added patient-protection material, and changes to procedure topics. Use the specifications that match your actual test date.
Retaking after March 1, 2027? Compare the specifications for your new exam date with the version you studied previously. ARRT warns that retakers may face updated content.
What counts as an attempt
| What happened | Counts toward your 3 attempts? |
|---|---|
| You took the exam and did not pass | Yes |
| ARRT canceled your score for a rule violation that ARRT treats as an examination attempt | Yes |
| You missed your appointment or canceled too late | No, but your window closes and you lose the applicable fee |
| You arrived late and Pearson turned you away | No, but you must obtain a new window and pay again |
| You did not accept the nondisclosure agreement in time | No, but you must obtain a new window and pay again |
| Your window expired before you tested | No, but you must reapply and pay again |
The three-year attempt period does not reset because a window closes or an appointment is missed.
ARRT certification vs. a state license
They are separate systems. ARRT certification and registration is a national credentialing process; state permission to practice is controlled by state law and the applicable state entity.
Passing the ARRT certification exam does not by itself mean you may work in every state, and a state license does not by itself establish eligibility for ARRT certification and registration. See ARRT's state licensing overview.
Three traps:
- State-candidate attempts can count. If you take an ARRT-administered exam as a state licensing candidate and later apply for ARRT certification and registration in the same discipline, those attempts count toward ARRT's three-attempt limit. A passing state-candidate score cannot be converted into ARRT certification.
- State-candidate windows differ. ARRT's standard state-candidate window is 90 days, although some states provide longer eligibility periods and extension rules. Follow the dates on the state Candidate Status Report and the applicable state rules.
- Limited Scope of Practice in Radiography is a different exam. ARRT administers it for state licensing purposes; it does not award the R.T.(R) credential.
Educated outside the U.S. or in the military
ARRT still requires the primary-pathway education requirements. International candidates must have qualifying education evaluated as ARRT directs and must complete an ARRT-verified professional program. See ARRT International Inquiries.
Military-trained candidates should review ARRT's current guidance for U.S. military educational programs.
Quick answers
Can I schedule the exam before I graduate?
Yes, after your Candidate Status Report is available and ARRT's scheduling wait has passed. But you cannot sit for the exam until the required program and degree requirements are complete.
I finished my program more than three years ago. Can I still apply using that program?
If you did not establish eligibility within ARRT's applicable three-year period, ARRT says you must requalify by completing the professional education requirements again.
How much does it cost?
The current primary application fee for Radiography is $225. If you do not pass on your first or second attempt and need to reapply, the current primary reapplication fee is $200. The optional Ethics Review Preapplication is $100. Pearson may also charge separate rescheduling fees. Check ARRT's current fee page before paying.
Does ARRT recommend a study guide?
ARRT does not endorse a specific exam-prep product. Its examination FAQ points candidates to the official content specifications as a preparation guide.
When do I get my results?
You receive a preliminary score at the end of the exam, but it is not final. ARRT says that within about 10 business days it will email you when the official result is available in your online account. Its credential-verification page generally reflects certification and registration status within about four weeks of the exam.
What happens after I pass?
ARRT registrants have ongoing requirements, including annual renewal and continuing education. Review ARRT's current maintenance rules after certification rather than relying on an exam-prep page for future deadlines.
How many people pass?
ARRT's 2025 Annual Exam Report lists an 85.8% first-time pass rate for Radiography among 14,070 first-time candidates. For program-level rates and what they measure, see ARRT Radiography exam pass rates by program.
Current report version (October 27, 2026): The earlier 2025 report quoted above lists 14,070 first-time Radiography candidates. ARRT's current Exam Statistics page links to a newer version of the 2025 report listing 14,072 first-time candidates; the national first-time pass rate remains 85.8%. These national exam figures do not measure an individual school's performance.
Official next steps
- ARRT Radiography: current and March 2027 content specifications and competency documents
- 2026 Primary Eligibility Pathway Handbook
- ARRT Education Requirements
- ARRT Ethics Review Preapplication
- ARRT Examination FAQ
- ARRT Application and Reapplication Fees
- ARRT state licensing information
Sources
The consequential rules on this page were checked against ARRT's current public materials. Last verified: October 27, 2026.
- ARRT, 2026 Primary Eligibility Pathway Handbook
- ARRT, Examination Requirements for Obtaining Certification and Registration
- ARRT, Radiography Examination Content Specifications: through February 28, 2027 and effective March 1, 2027
- ARRT, Radiography Didactic and Clinical Competency Requirements: 2022 requirements and effective March 1, 2027
- ARRT, Updated Radiography Documents, May 1, 2026
- ARRT, Radiography passing-standard update, Aug. 27, 2026
- ARRT, Three Attempts in Three Years
- ARRT, Application and Reapplication Fees
- ARRT, Examination FAQ
- ARRT, Annual Exam Report — 2025
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 VUE. Exam and credential names identify their subjects, and trademarks belong to their respective owners. This page explains ARRT's published requirements; ARRT makes official eligibility decisions, and its current handbook and your Candidate Status Report control.