Exams are stressful, right? I know; I was under immense pressure during my finals at university. But it need not be that way. Planning and preparing for exam questions can be a great way to score and pass your ARRT Radiography Exam.
One of the best ways to prepare is by focusing on sections that carry more weight on the final score.
Are you excited to take the radiography exam but unsure of the scope and number of questions that are part of the exam?
In this article, you will learn about the ARRT Radiography Exam questions, their scope, and all the information required for you to ace them.
What’s the Number of Scored Questions on the ARRT Radiography Exam?
The Radiography exam consists of 200 questions. These are split across 4 major sections and 8 subsections. The purpose of the exam is to test your basic understanding of concepts outlined in the sections of the content category. They include:
- Patient care (33 questions).
- Safety (50 questions).
- Image production (51 questions).
- Procedures (66 questions).
Let’s dive in and see how the questions are spread across each section and inside their subsections.
Patient Care
This major section has only one subsection: Patient Interactions and Management, which has 33 questions and makes up 16.5 % of the radiography exam.
The subjects covered include:
- Ethical and legal aspects of patient care
- Interpersonal communication
- Ergonomics and monitoring
- Medical Emergencies
- Infection Control
- Handling and disposal of toxic or hazardous material
- Pharmacology
Safety
The safety section includes 2 subsections and 50 questions in total: Radiation Physics and Radiobiology (21 questions) and Radiation Protection (29 questions). Which combined covers 25% of the radiography exam.
The subjects covered under Radiation Physics and Radiobiology:
- Principles of radiation physics
- Biological effects of radiation
The subjects covered under Radiation Protection:
- Minimizing patient exposure to radiation
- Personnel protection against radiation
Image Production
The image production section has 2 subsections and 51 questions in total: Image Acquisition and Evaluation (26 questions) and Equipment Operation and Quality Assurance (25 questions). They make up 25.5% of the radiography exam.
The subjects covered under Image Acquisition and Evaluation:
- Factors affecting the radiographic quality
- Technical charts
- Automatic exposure control (AEC)
- Digital Imaging characteristics
- Image identification
- Criteria for image evaluation
The subjects covered under Equipment Operation and Quality Assurance:
- Imaging equipment
- Image processing and display
- Quality control of imaging equipment and accessories
Procedures
The procedures section has 3 subsections with 66 questions in total: Head, Spine, and Pelvis Procedures (18 questions), Thorax and Abdomen Procedures (20 questions), and Extremity Procedures (28 questions). It makes up 33% of the radiography exam.
The topics assessed under the procedures section for all the subsections:
- Positioning
- Anatomy
- Procedure adaptation
- Evolution of the displayed anatomical structures
These 4 topics are related to each subsection under the procedures section. For example, “Positioning” of the head, spine, and thorax region. Or the “Procedural Adaptations” you need to make as a technologist when considering different variables such as the patient’s age and body mass index during the operation.
Wrapping Up
Passing the ARRT Radiography Exam is a milestone. Doing so allows for many opportunities within the medical industry. And due to its significance, it’s okay to be stressed about the outcomes of the exam. Yet, no need to worry; your success depends on practice and preparation.
When learning, it’s best to prioritize sections that have a higher allotment of marks, as you can score more. If you’re excited to take the exam, you can try our free ARRT Radiography Practice Test to gauge your skills and see where you stand.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is the ARRT Radiography Exam Hard? And What’s the Passing Score?
How difficult the exam depends on many factors, such as your educational background, the preparation for the exam, and the source materials you use for studying. But it is a guarantee that the exams are competitive because of these reasons:
- The ARRT board monitors results and uses statistics from individual questions and answers to assess the difficulty of their exams each year.
- They constantly update and remove outdated questions and include content based on recent advances in the healthcare industry.
- To keep things balanced and just, the ARRT uses a scaling score that ranges from 1 to 99. And the passing score is set at 75. This number is not based on a fixed percentage, but depending on the difficulty of the exam, you need a set amount of correct answers to obtain the same score of 75.
- For example, let’s say the ARRT has decided that the year 2022 exam version was easier compared to the year 2021. They might set the scaled score of 75 for correctly answering 131 out of 200 questions for the 2022 version. In contrast to the 130 out of 200 questions for the same score (75) the previous year because this current paper was easy compared to 2021.
What Are the Requirements for the Radiography Exam?
The ARRT outlines three requirements to earn their certification: education, ethics, and examination. And offer two pathways, the primary and post-primary based on your needs.
The General Process and Requirements To Obtain ARRT Certification Looks Like This:
- If it’s your first ARRT credential application, you can apply using the primary pathway and should complete the ARRT educational program based on your preferred discipline.
- Then, adhere to ARRT’s code of ethics.
- And finally, after meeting the above requirements, you need to pass the Radiography Exam or an exam in your chosen discipline to earn your credential.
The post-primary pathway is for professionals who are already certified and are looking to obtain more certifications. Most of the applicants use the primary pathway, which is covered above in this article.
How Can You Prepare for the Radiography Exam?
You can start your preparations once you understand the exam syllabus and structure. Don’t forget to focus on subsections that contribute more points towards the final score.
Again, feel free to use our free resources, such as the ARRT Radiography Practice Test, and test your progress. I’m also inviting you to check out our ARRT Hero Comprehensive Study Guide, which can help you study more efficiently and achieve great results, thus eliminating unnecessary stress.
