R exam guide
About the Radiography (R) exam
The ARRT Radiography examination assesses patient care, safety, image production, and procedures across the skeletal, thoracic, abdominal, fluoroscopic, and mobile imaging practice. Preparation should integrate anatomy and pathology with positioning, exposure, receptor response, quality evaluation, dose reduction, and patient-specific adaptation.
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.
R exam format at a glance
- Questions
- 230
- 200 scored; 30 unscored
- Time
- 230 minutes of test time within a 250-minute appointment
- Delivery
- Computer-based testing at Pearson VUE test centers
Knowledge to review for the R exam
These foundations support the practical tasks in the official examination matrix.
Patient care and safety
- Identification, history, assessment, communication, consent, transfers, infection control, lines and tubes, medications, contrast, emergencies, and ethics
- Radiation biology, dose, pregnancy, pediatrics, fluoroscopic and mobile protection, shielding, collimation, monitoring, and regulations
Image production
- X-ray production, circuits, interactions, technique factors, grids, geometry, scatter, receptors, digital processing, histograms, exposure indicators, and artifacts
- Quality control, equipment, displays, PACS, image analysis, repeats, resolution, noise, contrast, distortion, and dose-image tradeoffs
Radiographic procedures
- Chest, abdomen, upper and lower extremities, shoulder and pelvic girdles, spine, skull, facial bones, bony thorax, and fluoroscopic studies
- Anatomy, positioning, centering, collimation, breathing, evaluation criteria, pathology, trauma, mobile, surgery, and special populations
R 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.
16.5%
Patient Care
Provide safe, ethical, communicative, and clinically responsive care before, during, and after imaging.
- Verify patient, order, history, symptoms, pregnancy, labs, allergies, and contraindications
- Apply communication, consent, transfer, positioning, infection-control, oxygen, tube, line, medication, and contrast principles
- Recognize deterioration, reaction, extravasation, injury, and emergency priorities
25%
Safety
Apply radiation biology, protection, monitoring, equipment, fluoroscopic, mobile, pediatric, and pregnancy safety.
- Relate exposure to biologic effect, dose quantities, risk, and patient education
- Use justification, collimation, shielding where appropriate, distance, time, geometry, technique, filtration, and monitoring
- Protect patients and personnel during fluoroscopy, surgery, mobile imaging, pediatrics, and pregnancy
25.5%
Image Production
Control x-ray production, exposure, geometry, receptors, digital processing, quality, and artifacts.
- Relate kVp, mAs, distance, focal spot, filtration, grids, AEC, and geometry to receptor exposure and image quality
- Interpret exposure indicators, histograms, processing, windowing, resolution, noise, contrast, distortion, and artifacts
- Evaluate equipment and images, troubleshoot errors, and reduce repeats without compromising diagnostic value
33%
Procedures
The largest area applies anatomy, positioning, projections, evaluation criteria, pathology, contrast, and adaptation across examinations.
- Position and evaluate thoracic, abdominal, extremity, girdle, spine, skull, facial, and bony-thorax images
- Perform fluoroscopic, mobile, surgical, trauma, and special-population procedures
- Modify projections and techniques for pathology, habitus, pain, injury, devices, mobility, and clinical question
How to use this R diagnostic
The diagnostic samples all four currently effective areas. For each miss, distinguish patient-care reasoning from radiation protection, exposure and digital imaging, anatomy and positioning, image evaluation, fluoroscopy, mobile or surgical work, and adaptation for trauma or limited mobility.
High-yield R study priorities
Priority 1
Study images, not position names
For every projection, predict anatomy shown, centering, collimation, rotation, breathing, exposure, and the visible sign of an error.
Priority 2
Link technique to receptor outcome
Practise how kVp, mAs, distance, grid, AEC, collimation, patient size, processing, and repeats affect exposure, noise, contrast, and dose.
Priority 3
Adapt without losing the objective
Use trauma, wheelchair, stretcher, pain, postsurgical, pediatric, geriatric, and mobile cases to preserve anatomy and safety.
Priority 4
Make safety universal
Apply identification, pregnancy screening, infection control, transfer safety, line protection, contrast readiness, collimation, and exposure optimization in every case.
R exam FAQ
How many questions are on the ARRT Radiography examination?
The current examination format contains 230 questions: 200 scored questions and 30 unscored pilot questions. Pilot questions are mixed into the examination and are not identified.
How long is the Radiography examination?
230 minutes of test time within a 250-minute 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 16.5%, Safety 25%, Image Production 25.5%, Procedures 33%. 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 Radiography?
Procedures is the largest scored content area at approximately 33%. 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: K. D. Jameson
Exam format and matrix information were checked against the ARRT Radiography credential page and examination content specifications. Source reviewed October 15, 2026.
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