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How to prepare for your ARRT exam

As you’ll know when you’ve taken the free ARRT practice exam, the real exam isn’t easy! Even if you’ve completed an ARRT  educational program or logged hundreds of hours of work experience, you should not expect to just show up on the day and be able to pass.

Many people go into the exam totally unprepared…which is why nationwide around 80% of people pass!

But don’t worry: the exam isn’t impossibly difficult. The problem is that most students aren’t told how to prepare properly, and they’re given giant textbooks that are impossible to memorize.

We were sick of seeing people waste hundreds of dollars on making multiple attempts to pass their ARRT exam, and being unable to start their career as a radiographer.

Taking online quizzes is a good start, but it’s an inefficient form of exam practice.

That’s why we put togetther ARRT Hero, which tells you exactly what you need to know and gives you all the tools we need to prepare. It’s so good, our students’ pass rate is 99% – and if you don’t pass first time, we’ll give you a full refund!

We’ll tell you more about ARRT Hero after you’ve taken the practice test. Taking free ARRT practice tests is a great place to start, because the practice questions you get right and wrong will give you an idea of which content categories you need to focus on.

Common questions about the radiography exam

What is the format of the ARRT exam?

The ARRT exam is a computer-based exam with 230 questions – 200 of which are scored, and 30 of which are unscored. Unscored questions are placed randomly throughout the exam, and you won’t know which ones they are. Most questions are multiple-choice with one best answer. Some might ask you to
select multiple answers from a list or to use your mouse to sort options into order.
A few might ask you to use your mouse to select an image on the screen. Others
might ask you to answer a multiple-choice question after viewing a short video clip.

Which topics are covered on the ARRT RAD?

The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists created questions categorized across four content categories. Questions are randomly distributed throughout the exam – i.e. they are not presented in the order of the content category below.

The four content categories are: 

• Patient Care (33 questions of the exam’s content)
• Safety (50 questions)
• Image Production (51 questions)
• Procedures (66 questions)

Important: if you see any study guides or practice tests that mention different numbers or content categories, they are outdated and should not be used.

How long is the ARRT exam? 

You’ll have three hours and 50 minutes to answer the questions, although the entire exam is four hours and 10 minutes long. This is because you’ll be given ten minutes at the start to read the tutorial and there will be ten minutes at the end for a post-exam survey.

How is the ARRT exam scored?

Not everyone who takes the ARRT exam in the same year will receive the same exact set of questions. The exam is designed to test the same content, but the number of “difficult” questions can fluctuate. As a result, the ARRT is scored using a “scaled scoring system,” which takes the exam variability into account.

Exam scoring scale ranges from 1 to 99, and you’ll need a total score of 75 to pass the exam. This isn’t a percentage; the number of correct answers necessary to obtain a scaled score of 75 may vary. For example, on some exam versions, you might need to correctly answer 131 of 200 questions to receive a scaled score of 75. On more “difficult” exam versions, you might need only to answer 130 of 200 questions correctly to receive a 75 scaled score.

What happens if I fail my ARRT exam?

You may make three attempts within three years to pass.

The three-year period begins with the starting date of your initial ARRT exam window. After three unsuccessful exam attempts or three years—whichever comes first—your eligibility ends.

You may regain eligibility by enrolling in and completing the same or a different educational program in the discipline.

What is Pearson Vue?

Pearson Vue is the company that administers the ARRT. They run the test centers that you’ll attend to take your exam, and you’ll need to book your exam through them too.

How long should I take to study for the ARRT exam?

We’ve heard of people passing with as little as a week of study, but a more realistic amount of time to allow is 1-2 months. Allowing longer to prepare will make the experience less stressful, and you’re also more likely to retain the knowledge and be a better pharmacy technician as a result!

After taking this free ARRT practice test, you’ll have a better idea of your strengths and weaknesses to guide your study sessions.

Of course, students who use ARRT Hero make more productive use of their study time because our study guide ensures you cover just the material that’s likely to come up on the exam in the most efficient way.