March 9, 2015

Radiography Exam

The Radiography Exam is a challenging and comprehensive assessment for men and women looking to enter this rewarding and rapidly growing field of health care. The exam is developed by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists in consultation with an expert team of test administrators.


The test consists of 220 multiple-choice questions, 20 of which are pretest items used to develop future versions of the exam. Pretest questions do not contribute to the final score but are impossible to identify. The exam takes four hours in total, with one half-hour spent in orientation.

The Radiography Exam is divided into five content categories:

    1. The radiation protection content category (40 questions, 20 percent of the test) covers subjects such as the biological aspects of radiation, minimizing patient exposure, personnel protection, and radiation exposure and monitoring.
    2. The section on equipment operation and quality control (24 questions, 12 percent) addresses principles of radiation physics, radiographic equipment, and quality control of radiographic equipment and accessories.
    3. In the image production and evaluation content category (50 questions, 25 percent), questions relate to the selection of technical factors, image processing and quality assurance, and criteria for image evaluation.
    4. The radiographic procedures content category of the Radiography Exam (60 questions, 30 percent) addresses procedures for dealing with the following parts of the anatomy: thorax, abdomen and GI studies, urological studies, spine and pelvis, cranium, extremities, and other (e.g., arthrography, myelography).
    5. The section on patient care and education (26 questions, 13 percent) covers ethical and legal aspects, interpersonal communication, infection control, physical assistance and transfer, medical emergencies, and contrast media.

The raw score of the Radiography Exam (the number of questions answered correctly) is converted into a score on a scale of 1 to 99, taking into account the relative difficulty of the test version. The minimum scaled passing score is 75.

Radiography Study Guide

Start learning how to be successful on your Radiography exam. Our Radiography study guide is guaranteed to help you get the results you deserve on your Radiography test. Some test takers prefer to study using flashcards and so we have created the best Radiography flashcards that cover everything you need to know for the Radiography exam. Note that using multiple study aids will help you maximize the benefit from your study time.

Radiography Study Guide
Radiography Flashcards

ARRT Registry Review - Radiography Exam - General Components and Structure