MR exam guide
About the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MR) exam
The ARRT Magnetic Resonance Imaging examination assesses patient care, MR safety, image production, and procedures. Strong preparation connects magnetic behavior, pulse sequences, parameters, signal, contrast, artifacts, gating, anatomy, pathology, and rigorous zone and implant safety.
MedPorium is an independent education platform and is not affiliated with or endorsed by The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT). Exam details can change; confirm them with the official source before applying.
MR exam format at a glance
- Questions
- 220
- 200 scored; 20 unscored
- Time
- 210 minutes of test time within a 230-minute postprimary appointment
- Delivery
- Computer-based testing at Pearson VUE test centers
Knowledge to review for the MR exam
These foundations support the practical tasks in the official examination matrix.
Patient care and MR safety
- Screening, history, consent, monitoring, sedation, renal function, gadolinium, reactions, emergencies, infection control, and communication
- Static, gradient, and RF field hazards; zones; projectile risk; implants; devices; burns; SAR; hearing; cryogens; pregnancy; and emergency procedures
MR physics and image production
- Magnetism, precession, resonance, relaxation, gradients, spatial encoding, k-space, coils, signal, contrast, and pulse sequences
- TR, TE, TI, flip angle, bandwidth, field of view, matrix, slice, averages, acceleration, gating, artifacts, quality control, and post-processing
MR procedures
- Neuro, spine, musculoskeletal, body, breast, cardiac, vascular, pelvic, and special procedures
- Cross-sectional anatomy, pathology, positioning, coils, planes, sequence selection, contrast timing, angiography, spectroscopy, diffusion, perfusion, and protocol adaptation
MR examination matrix
The percentages below are the approximate exam-score weights published by The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT). Use them to allocate study time, then adjust for your own weak areas.
8%
Patient Care
Assess, prepare, communicate with, monitor, and support patients, including safe contrast administration.
- Review history, indication, prior imaging, renal function, pregnancy, allergies, medications, and communication needs
- Position, monitor, protect, and support patients with anxiety, pain, sedation, or physiologic compromise
- Administer gadolinium safely and respond to reaction, extravasation, NSF concern, or emergency
10.5%
Safety
Control magnetic, gradient, RF, acoustic, cryogen, implant, and zone hazards for patients and personnel.
- Screen people and equipment and maintain zone, access, and projectile controls
- Evaluate implant and device conditions using authoritative safety information
- Prevent burns, peripheral nerve stimulation, acoustic injury, excessive RF exposure, and unsafe emergency response
53%
Image Production
The dominant area covers MR physics, sequences, contrast, parameters, k-space, artifacts, gating, coils, quality, and processing.
- Relate spin behavior, relaxation, gradients, spatial encoding, and k-space to signal and contrast
- Select sequences and adjust TR, TE, TI, flip angle, bandwidth, FOV, matrix, slice, averages, and acceleration
- Recognize and correct motion, flow, wrap, chemical shift, susceptibility, truncation, zipper, shading, and equipment artifacts
28.5%
Procedures
Apply anatomy, pathology, positioning, coil and plane selection, sequence design, and contrast timing across MR examinations.
- Plan neurologic, spine, musculoskeletal, body, breast, cardiac, pelvic, and vascular protocols
- Identify normal anatomy, variants, and common pathology in multiple planes and weightings
- Apply diffusion, perfusion, angiography, gating, dynamic contrast, and special techniques when indicated
How to use this MR diagnostic
The diagnostic uses the current 200-scored-question outline and the postprimary appointment format. Review misses as patient or contrast care, magnetic or RF safety, physics and sequence selection, parameter tradeoff, artifact, anatomy, pathology, or protocol design.
High-yield MR study priorities
Priority 1
Make physics predictive
Practise predicting how each parameter changes signal, contrast, resolution, time, artifacts, SAR, and diagnostic value.
Priority 2
Treat safety as a workflow
Follow screening, zone control, implant verification, positioning, communication, monitoring, and emergency removal step by step.
Priority 3
Build sequence families
Compare spin echo, fast spin echo, inversion recovery, gradient echo, echo planar, diffusion, perfusion, and angiographic sequences by purpose and tradeoff.
Priority 4
Plan protocols from the question
Choose coils, planes, coverage, weighting, suppression, gating, contrast, and optional sequences based on anatomy and suspected pathology.
MR exam FAQ
How many questions are on the ARRT Magnetic Resonance Imaging examination?
The current examination format contains 220 questions: 200 scored questions and 20 unscored pilot questions. Pilot questions are mixed into the examination and are not identified.
How long is the Magnetic Resonance Imaging examination?
210 minutes of test time within a 230-minute postprimary appointment. ARRT's appointment time also includes the tutorial, nondisclosure agreement, and survey where applicable.
How is the content outline weighted?
The currently effective specification is approximately Patient Care 8%, Safety 10.5%, Image Production 53%, Procedures 28.5%. These percentages are calculated from ARRT's scored-item counts, so rounding may prevent the displayed values from totaling exactly 100%.
What should I prioritize for Magnetic Resonance Imaging?
Image Production is the largest scored content area at approximately 53%. Give it the largest share of practice, but continue sampling every area because the examination blueprint is broad.
What score is required to pass an ARRT examination?
ARRT reports examination results on a scaled score from 1 to 99, and a scaled score of 75 is required to pass. A 75 scaled score is not the same as answering 75% of questions correctly.
Does this diagnostic predict whether I will pass?
No. A 15-question diagnostic is a low-confidence baseline, not a validated pass prediction. Review every rationale and use larger mixed and content-specific sets to build a more stable readiness estimate.
Is MedPorium affiliated with ARRT?
No. MedPorium is an independent education platform and is not affiliated with or endorsed by The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists.
Review and official source
Clinical reviewer: W. A. Victor
Exam format and matrix information were checked against the ARRT Magnetic Resonance Imaging credential page and examination content specifications. Source reviewed October 15, 2026.
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