Getting ready for the ARRT Board Exam Registry doesn’t have to feel like a trek up Mount Everest. Yes, it’s a significant professional milestone, filled with a dizzying array of topics and intricate details, but don’t let the magnitude intimidate you.
Embrace the challenge with open arms and equip yourself with an arsenal of proven scientific study methods. In this article, we’ll embark on a journey together, navigating the vast terrain of ARRT board exam preparation, demystifying the process, and breaking it down into digestible, manageable pieces.
Using science as our guide, we will explore evidence-based techniques that have been instrumental in helping countless candidates scale the heights of exam success.
So, strap on your learning boots, fill your mental backpack with curiosity, and get ready to conquer the ARRT Board Exam with confidence and proficiency.
There is a Method to the Madness (and it works!)
NOTE: If you would like to see this in a YouTube video version, leave a comment below. If enough people comment, I’ll make one.
Xray school was a long, arduous process culminating in a big, comprehensive national exam. An exam you have to pass or you can’t get a job so… no pressure . I felt pretty confident with what I had learned during my two years of didactic studies. Shout out to Pima Medical Institute at the old Mesa Campus…woot-woot! Clinicals were immensely gratifying in that my clinical instructors went above and beyond to force me to learn the material needed to be a great radiographer. Thank you, Sheri (who went on to become an RPA and then a PA!) and Captain Jim (who taught me x-ray AND CT on my clinical rotation!). Nevertheless, the “boards” still had me extremely nervous.
I’m not alone…
Most people find the ARRT board exam extremely nerve-wracking. 220 hard, multiple-choice questions while sequestered in a sterile room devoid of any sound. You go through a maximum security prison-type entrance, complete with fingerprints, handprints and leaving all personal belongings behind. Hopefully, your driver’s license name matched your exam reservation name or you’ll be excommunicated from the radiology world. I’m joking, of course…a little. Truth be told, it’s quite a challenge on its own. It’s even worse if you’re not well prepared.
Even the legendary John Wayne said it like this: “Life is hard…it’s harder if you’re stupid.” If you don’t educate yourself properly and with discipline, everything is much harder to deal with… especially exams. The prize for passing this exam is earning the coveted title Licensed Radiologic Technologist. You, therefore, need to be put in some serious work in preparation. It’s a foregone conclusion that you went to an accredited program and were taught the appropriate lessons. This article will focus on how to summon up all you have learned (and maybe just a little bit more) and pack it into your brain for exam day.
If you’d like to see the video, click below:
The Art of Taking Difficult Board Exams
Now there are HUNDREDS of ways to study for a test. I’m not saying what I did is the best out there. I’m just saying it worked for me and I’m sharing it with you. I’ve successfully passed the radiography and computed tomography by ARRT board exam. You have to find what works for YOU. Unlike what most people think, it is not about how many hours you put in but rather how well you use the time. So how do you study effectively for this exam? How do you do more in less time? That’s what we’re here to discuss.
From personal experience and testimonies from hundreds of people I know who have passed the exam, passing is hinged on three things:
- The Right Study Technique
- The Right Study Guide
- The Right Routine on Exam Day
So consider these the three necessary “positioning pads” you need to put yourself in the best position for passing your ARRT certification exams (see what I did there?).
I. The Right Study Technique
The right study technique is all about being organized, focused, and getting the most out of your study time. Maximizing the time you have by using force multipliers. A force multiplier is a military term used for combining multiple things so that the sum of using them together is more advantageous than the use of them individually. I”m going to show you how to use different study techniques together so that the outcome is better than if you had done each technique separately.
What really matters at the end of the day is what you can remember from everything you studied. The study techniques discussed here allow you to remember more while spending fewer hours studying. It is based on scientific evidence (thank you Hermann Ebbinghaus) of the capabilities of your brain and therefore proven to be highly effective. You will also enjoy studying as opposed to viewing it as a huge hurdle in your daily schedule.
Radiography requires a high level of analysis and critical thinking in order to understand the concepts and remember on a long term basis. Achieving this requires the ultimate study mashup: Spaced Repetition meets the Pomodoro technique.
A. Mastering Spaced Repetition
For a long time now, spaced repetition has remained the most powerful way for people to remember what they study. It is perhaps one of the best-kept secrets of memorizing difficult concepts. In case you are wondering what it means, it’s basically adding progressively longer and longer intervals of time in between your study sessions. Sounds weird, right?
In other words, this study method involves paying close attention to the memory cycle as a whole. It is based on Ebbinghaus’ Forgetting Curve that showed after a steep initial decline in learning time between the first and second memorization session, the curve leveled off progressively with subsequent efforts. It has even been replicated by the good folks at the National Institute of Health for further proof of its efficiency. The goal here is to tailor your learning around scientifically proven points in time between when you start studying and when you begin to forget what you’ve learned.
1. How It Works
The basis of this method uses the spacing effect where adequate timed resting intervals between studying a concept allows your brain to form better neural connections. These resting intervals range from 20 minutes to 31 days. This calculated spacing will help you remember things more accurately and you will retain the information longer. Remember from your Nervous System class how the brain forms memory by making new neural connections? Spacing allows these new neural connections to solidify and move memories from the hippocampus (short term memory “bank”) to the neocortex (long term memory “bank.”)
Take for instance, if you were trying to master the anatomy of the vertebral bodies. If you read them over and over without spacing, it will only take you a longer time period to master and causes study fatigue. On the flip side, if you read through the notes and checked out the images for a set period of time and then went through again the following day, you will be able to remember better and spend a shorter time actually studying. Going through the notes again after four days and then 7 days and so on while progressively increasing the interval between the study sessions will help you master it in relatively lesser (cumulative) time than if you tried to cram it within a short time.
2. Advantages of Spaced Repetition
- Allows you to use less actual study time
- You will remember more of what you study
- Prevents exhaustion and fatigue that limits your brain performance
- Allows you to cover more content within a given period
3. How to Best Use Spaced Repetition
Now that you know how useful this method is for your performance, its time to see how you can put it in practice. It will work for you whether you do your studies offline using flashcards and paperback books or electronically on your computer or phone. The best way so far to use spaced repetition is by using the Leitner System. This is your first force multiplier. We will use flashcards via the Leitner System and pair it with spaced repetition.
The Leitner system starts by dividing the topics/flashcards into 5 groups. Get five boxes of any size (shoebox, macaroni box, etc) and label them as follows:
- Box 1 “Reviewed Daily” and covers concepts that you are not good at.
- Box 2 “Reviewed Every Other Day” and will have topics that you slightly understand.
- Box 3 “Reviewed Once a Week” and covers the topics you moderately understand.
- Box 4 “Reviewed bi-weekly” and is made of topics you understand well over 75% but not fully memorized.
- Box 5 “Reviewed right before the test” and these topics are those you know well.
Basically, every card you are studying starts out in Box 1. When you get a card right, it graduates to the next box. If you get a card wrong, it goes all the way back to Box 1 – no matter where it was. In this way, you ensure that you’re studying the material that challenges you often. In addition, you will use a designated spaced repetition time in between each box as labeled above (daily, every other day, once a week, bi-weekly, and once before the test.)
For instance, if Patient Care material is in Box 4 and you score 100% on the practice questions or cards, it is moved to group 5. However, if your performance drops, it is moved to Box 1 to be studied daily.
4. Applications
The other way of using the Leitner System is through applications designed with an algorithm that determines how often you should revise a concept. They allow you to create flashcards or download created ones about the concepts you are studying. Then the software app assesses the time you take to remember what the flashcard is all about, as a basis for determining how often you will see it. The apps allow you to even include images on your flashcards and thus aid in memorizing key concepts. Using images is another force multiplier by allowing word-image association and increases retention.
You can try one of the following free applications:
B. Force Multiplier: Add in the Pomodoro Technique
1. How It Works.
You now know WHAT subject matter you are going to be studying on WHICH days. But what about the distractions that haunt you? The social media notification sounds that are pulling your attention towards your cell phone. The yummy IHOP breakfast sitting in your fridge from last night’s post-event binge… how do you stay focused on the task?
In steps the Pomodoro Technique. Francesco Cirillo coined the term after using the technique in the early 1990s while studying as a university student. The Pomodoro was the tomato-shaped timer he used to track his work. Here’s it is on Amazon for cheap if you are interested. This method capitalizes on short bursts of hyper-focus for 25 minutes followed by rest and relaxation for five minutes. Every four rotations or “Pomodoros” you take a longer break… like 15 to 30 minutes. This force multiplier helps you power through distractions while allowing frequent breaks to combat study fatigue.
2. Advantages
- great for times when you don’t have long periods of time to study
- keeps you on a time schedule so that you stay focused and get work done
- improves attention span and concentration
- frequent breaks keep you motivated and bolsters creativity
3. How to Best Use
- Choose the flashcard Leitner box to be studied.
- Set the timer (Pomodoro) to 25 minutes
- Work on the flashcards until the Pomodoro rings, then return the unseen flashcards to their original box
- Take a short break (5 minutes or so)
- Return to the same flashcard box, set your timer for 25 minutes and pick up where you left off.
- Every 4 Pomodoros take a longer break
4. Apps
Just like everything else, there are phone apps for the Pomodoro timing. Just go to your app store and do a search for Pomodoro.
C. 8 Bonus Tips to Maximize your Study Time
Now that I’ve shown you the methods to maximize your brainpower, let’s work on some tips and tricks to maximize your study environment. Spaced repetition, Leitner and Pomodoro techniques will only work for you if you are actually focused on your study sessions.
Often, you may find yourself struggling to start reading, get easily distracted, have to stop before the planned time and feel really frustrated when the session is not fruitful. It all emanates from a wrong approach to individual study sessions that then becomes a habit. Here are 9 essential tips to help you get more from your study sessions as you prepare to be certified as a rad tech and join the ASRT. (You do plan to join the ASRT, right?!)
1. Choose Your Sanctum
One of the first things I do when studying for one of these exams was to secure a quiet place to study. I have six daughters and there is no such thing as peace and quiet at my house. You may be able to study with noise and commotion but I certainly can’t. I went to my nearby community college and found a study room in the student library.
It was a closed room with a table in the center. There were enough chairs to seat about six people, although I recommend studying solo at first. It had a large whiteboard that I use to write and re-write concepts and questions as a visual means to memorize.
I also create checklists to visualize how much of the total material I am mastering. You need to pick a place that is calm and soothing. Minimal distractions are best with your phone on silent. Take snacks and drinks, hidden in your bag of course. You wouldn’t want to get in trouble with the Librarian. Having everything you need prevents you from running out to eat on a whim. I planned several hours in this room each day that I studied.
2. Single Target of Focus
Being overambitious may be the reason why you don’t get much out of your study sessions. A common mistake is having too much to study in each individual session. Rather, plan to cover one single area of study for a single session and focus on it. You can schedule the other areas in different sessions. Follow the techniques I laid out and don’t try to cram more than is necessary into one day.
When you have a lot of things to study, your brain opts for one of the following:
- Feels overwhelmed and initiates a mental block that will make it hard to start studying or to even understand the simple concepts
- Optimizes for an overview which may allow you to quickly go over the material but remember virtually nothing (hippocampus, not neocortex)
The outcome is that you may take too long to start reading, easily get distracted, feel fatigued early, doze off or read through everything and yet remember very little the next day. Once you go through one of the above for several days, it becomes a habit and therefore all future sessions end up fruitless.
Having a single target of focus allows you to study faster and remember more. You will be able to adequately cover the topic of study without ending up super-exhausted. You may need to look through all the areas you have to cover and schedule them accordingly.
3. Right Tools
It is said that studying is like cooking, without the right tools, you will end up with an awful meal, frustration and a lot of time wasted. You, therefore, need to have the right tools for each of your study session. A study guide, widely covered in Section II, is one of those indispensable tools that will make your study more productive. If flashcards help you study better, then its time you brought some of them with you to your study spot. You can also use the apps mentioned earlier to create or use readymade flashcards. Pens, pencils, markers, papers, notebooks, a laptop, and other tools are very helpful.
For food, I like to bring beef jerky and water. Simple but effective. Gum also helps to keep the mandible busy while not consuming unnecessary calories. Determine what you like that isn’t full of sugar and carbs otherwise, you’ll suffer from the sugar rush/ insulin crash and get the brain fog (a reference to Joe Versus the Volcano on Amazon.) But seriously, don’t eat garbage. I’m a big believer in the adage “Garbage in – Garbage out.” Eat healthily and your brain will function better. After you pass the test… all bets are off.
Getting all your tools to your study spot before you start studying will enable you to concentrate better and avoid breaking the memorization once you begin studying. Carefully assess the tools you will need and have them with you prior to your session.
4. Keep Study Sessions Sacred
When it comes to how the brain works, interruptions take its performance down from the peak to ground zero. As you start studying, the ability to understand continuously rises to a peak level. Any disruption takes it back to zero and makes it harder to reinitiate. You, therefore, need to put away anything that distracts you. One of the common distractors is your phone. You will have to either put it away or exercise the highest level of discipline in case you are using it to study.
Of course, you already know how it goes when you log into social media during a study session. It’s a labyrinth that is best avoided if you want to get the best out of your study session. Postpone checking your emails and social media updates until that Pomodoro break.
Although you may feel the urge to eat as you study, it is also a distraction that will decrease how much you retain from the study session. You may think that you are good at multi-tasking until you find yourself reading a concept over and over without understanding it.
5. Practice & Discipline
By now you have heard the sage “practice makes perfect” countless times. It is as true as it was many years ago. Remaining focused during the entire period of your study session is a habit that needs to be practiced over and over. You have to be willing to push yourself to focus intensely even when you don’t feel like it. Giving in to distractions only strengthens the negative habit and so is pushing yourself hard. With time, it will become easier and actually enjoyable. Your brain will register that whenever you hit your study table, its time for business.
Remember, motivation is fleeting but discipline gets the job done. Remember your goal and all the work you’ve done to get here.
6. Time for Recovery
If you are going to study for a long time, for instance, an entire day, divide the available time into sessions with intervening breaks. This is where the Pomodoro technique comes into play. Utilize breaks that range from 5 minutes to 45minutes to recover. After intense focus, a break allows your brain and body to recover. The brain is reenergized to perform at a peak level during the next study block.
During this recovery time, you can watch something on your phone, take a walk, eat, play or do anything that takes your mind of studies. Ensure it is not too long as you may have difficulties resuming your studies.
7. Interest
Perhaps the most dependable pre-requisite to getting the best out of your ARRT board exam preparation studies is interesting. When you are interested in what you are studying, you won’t have to struggle with distractions or feeling fatigued. You will actually enjoy your study sessions and look forward to the next one.
You, therefore, have to do whatever you can to spark that interest in your studies. Think of all the reasons why you became a radiologic technologist and why you have to get certified and then let that motivate you to study. Set a reward for yourself upon passing the ARRT board exam. Print out a picture of the reward and post it in your study room.
When you are interested in what you are studying, your brain is activated better allowing you to concentrate intensely, understand better and recall what you study with ease.
8. Study Alone
Studying in a group is very important, however, to get more out of a given period, studying alone has proven to be better. You are able to focus more and cover a larger part of the area of interest. There are also fewer chances of you getting distracted. When you study with a partner especially a friend, you may tend to drift off and actually spend less time constructively studying.
Reserve group study sessions for revision of what you have covered to reinforce what you already know. If they are better in imaging procedures while you understand the physics behind the machines better, you will be able to help each other better through the studies.
II. The Right Study Guide
To effectively prepare for the ARRT board exam, you will need a good study guide. They cover all the areas of the board exam and have questions presented in a board exam-style to acquaint you with the real exam. Most people who have used the right study guides find the actual exam less daunting and at times even easier than the questions they used during preparation, a perfect recipe for passing the exam.
The two study guides that I hear used the most by both those who passed and educators are:
- Appleton and Lange Review
- Mosby’s Competitive Review
So, what makes these two study guides efficient for your exam preparation?
A. Appleton and Lange Review for Radiography Exam
This study guide (found at Amazon here) is one of the most popular guides that has helped countless rad techs get impressive scores on the ARRT board exams. It was prepared by Dorothy Saia who has over 40 years of experience in radiography education.
Some of the reasons why you need to use this study guide in your preparation for the exam include:
1. ARRT Board Exam Content Outline
Although there are countless study guides out there that you can rely on, only a few actually use the content outline given by ARRT board exam. The Appleton and Lange study guide uses the ARRT content outline and thus enables you to focus on the areas that will be examined. You will be able to dedicate more energy to the subject areas that actually count.
The content is also arranged according to topic areas which enables you to identify the subject areas that need more effort. You can easily choose the topic that is most challenging for you and uses less time in those areas that you are already good at in your studies. This organization also correlates nicely with the spaced repetition Leitner system as you can assess your strengths in each topic and schedule your studies.
2. Large Question Bank
In this study guide, you have access to over 1400 exam-type questions for your practice. This large variety of questions allows exposure to all kinds of angles on which each subject area can be examined which adequately prepares you for the actual exam. Most people who have used the guide find the real exam questions familiar and easier to tackle.
The questions are accompanied by concise answers and explanations. You, therefore, don’t have to go digging into course textbooks to understand the concept covered in the question.
3. Comprehensive Practice Tests
The study guide comes with two complete practice tests that are reflective of the ARRT certification exam. Each of them contains 200 questions. These tests are designed to let you assess your preparation level if you were to take the ARRT board exam at that moment.
You will need to simulate the actual exam as much as possible when you take each of these tests. You can take one after you adequately cover the required content and then take the last one a week or several days before the exam date. Find out which areas are still wanting and dedicate your time to sorting them out.
In case your scores are not as impressive as expected, don’t worry, the study guide has been designed to be harder than the ARRT board exam. You will, therefore, score higher in the actual exam (in theory.)
4. Test Taking Strategies, Tips, and Hints
The study guide does not stop at only the subject matter but goes further in preparing you for the exam through strategies, hints, and tips for taking the test. From experience, the author knows exactly how you can boost your performance and shares it within the guide.
The tips and hints shared in the study guide have been proven invaluable for most people who put them into practice. Always look at how best you can adapt the strategies to your own program and available resources.
5. Bonus CD-ROM
In case you are not the paperback type, then the electronic format of the guide that comes in the bonus CD-ROM will be perfect for you. You will be able to access all the questions and answers covered in the book through this CD-ROM.
NOTE: The CD-ROM is only compatible with PCs and won’t function on any other device.
B. Mosby’s Comprehensive Review of Radiography
The other highly trusted study guide among radiologic technologists is Mosby’s study guide. You can find it on Amazon here. The key features that make it an excellent study guide include the following:
1. Used in Conjunction with A & L
I have found using it alongside the Appleton and Lange study guide for cultivating the best results. It was authored by William J. Callaway who is a notable radiographer and educator. You can use just one study guide and be successful in passing the boards. But for a little extra money and study time, you can be uber prepared.
2. Key Review Points – ARRT Content Outline
In every chapter, the study guide has an ARRT board exam outline-style review of the major topic areas that you need to know. They are nicely organized and summarized as key review points that you can easily grasp. The organization of this initial part of the chapter offers you high yield information on the subject matter and thus the study guide can be used independently without referring to any other book. There are also well-labeled diagrams in these key review points to help you understand better and recall easily what is covered.
After the content is presented, a set of questions follows to help you further understand. For instance, the topic of Safety starts with a summary of the subject followed by 53 questions to assess your comprehension of the topic. The answers are provided and the rationale given in the appendices.
Colorful designs are used where important information is highlighted which makes it easier for you to read, understand, memorize and recall.
3. Larger Question Bank
It comes with over 1400 online review questions that are set in the ARRT board exam style. An interesting aspect of these questions is that they can be randomly combined and hence can generate a limitless number of practice exams. You will, therefore, be highly familiar with the real exam when you take it.
When the book and online question bank are combined, you have a total of over 2400 review questions! The format of these questions is Multiple Choice which mimics the actual ARRT board exam format.
4. Mock ARRT Board Exams
Like the Appleton and Lange counterpart, this study guide has two ARRT mock exams which you can use to gauge how well prepared you are for the exam. You can do the first mock exam earlier in your preparation just after covering the key subject areas. The next one can be done about a week before the real exam
When you don’t perform well on questions from a certain topic, you will need to go back to that subject matter, go through the key review points and take the practice questions under that topic until you feel comfortable with the subject area. Use the Spaced Repetition Leitner cards with a Pomodoro timer for maximum efficiency.
5. Electronic Flashcards
If mastering content is a bit challenging for you then the electronic flashcards offered as part of this study guide will be your best shot. They are available online and will help you to memorize some things like formulas and key concepts. Print them out and use them as discussed previously.
They allow you to train your brain to think fast. The larger the variety of the flashcards the better you learn.
6. Regular Updates
One of the most impressive features of Mosby’s study guide is the regular updating to make it reflective of the latest ARRT board exam trends. The questions and styles used by the ARRT are continuously changing to ensure that certified radiologic technologists are up to date with current industry requirements. This manual attempts to keep up with those changes.
7. Career Planning Advice
The study guide is taken to a whole new level by the career planning advice that it contains. It is for this reason that it is used by people all the way from those who are thinking of starting the rad tech training to those about to take the ARRT board exam. It offers career guidance including:
- How to write a resume and cover letter
- What employers expect
- Interviews
- Negotiation of salaries
- Career advancement
- Submission of applications online
III. Right Exam Day Routine
How you approach the exam day is as high a determinant of your success as the preparation. You would have worked hard to get to this point and therefore the least you can do is to finish strong on exam day. When you get to the examination center, you will check-in, get a number after identification has been confirmed and then wait to be called in. You will leave your phone, wallet, keys and anything else in a locker and only get in with the locker key. The exam is done on the computer and you will be given a pair of noise-canceling headphones, a marker, and a laminated sheet.
Here are several tips to help you perform well:
A. Failing to Prepare is Preparing to Fail – Plan ahead
1. The Military Calls it Recon
Recon is short for reconnaissance, which means to scout out the area before you plan to be in the area. Too many times students fail to do this one easy step. Then, on the day of the test, they are driving around and are not able to find the testing center. If you are late, you’re done. There’s no leeway here. You should find the testing center before the test day. It can be the day before, a week or a month. Just make sure you know EXACTLY where the testing center is located.
2. Prepare for the Day
Take a few minutes to lay out a plan. What are you going to wear? What time are you going to leave your place and head to the testing center? Does your car need gas? Do you need to eat before you go? Take care of all these things the day before your test. The only thing you want to be occupying your mind on test day is the test itself. NOT where are my lucky socks?!
B. The Big Day
1. Arrive 15-30 Minutes Early
Remember to set your alarm so that you wake up at a time that leaves you plenty of room for the prep items we discussed. If you live far away from the examination center, remember to factor in possible delays on your way so that you don’t arrive too late for the exam. You may have scouted the area early but was it at a different time of day? Don’t worry, the knowledge you have learned over the past two years is not going to leak out during the last 30 minutes while you wait to take your test. The anxiety that will be caused if you show up late will be much more detrimental.
Arriving early allows you to be composed during the exam and hence better recall of what you have studied.
2. Relaxation
It’s normal to feel tensed for the exam, however, try your best to relax. Take deep breaths and convince yourself that it is just like those practice exams you were acing. Avoid panicking as much as possible as it causes a mental block and may result in failure.
3. Use the Provided Headphones (if it helps.)
Every time I have taken a board exam, I have opted to use the headphones. I’ll never forget the time I was taking an exam and someone else in the room kept clearing their throat. It was driving me insane because it was so distracting. But that’s just me. Hopefully, these types of noises don’t concern you. Just know that the headphones are there to help you focus. A word of warning, you will be able to hear your own breathing with them on. At least, I did, and it was kind of weird at first. But I would much rather hear that than some snotty dude huckin’ his mucous from the back of his throat.
4. Make Good Use of the Scratch Pad
There are lots of formulas rolling around in your head. Be prepared, as soon as you sit down, to BRAIN DUMP those formulas on the sample scratchpad they give you. It might be a dry erase board or it could be a notepad and pen. Dumping this all from memory allows you to “forget” about it temporarily and focus on the questions. Then you can revert back to the pad if you need to reference the stuff you dumped. This also gives you just a little bit of stress relief to know you don’t have to keep that stuff bottled up in your head while you go through 220 questions.
5. Flag the Questions you Can’t Immediately Answer
Instead of getting stuck on a question that you don’t seem to remember, you can flag it and proceed to answer the others. Time is precious during this exam. You will be able to come back and answer the flagged questions. This method allows you to avoid wasting time and also lets you answer better subsequent questions that you know. As you answer the ones you are familiar with, your memory is gradually activated and you might be able to answer the difficult questions you flagged earlier.
6. Return to the Flagged Questions
As you go through your answers, avoid changing your original answers unless you are sure about the question. Sometimes you can find answers to questions within other questions. Take the time to read through all the questions. Once you have marked them all, complete the exam and submit. This is where it asks you, like, ten times: “Are you sure you want to end the exam?” “Are you SURE you want to end this exam?!?” I swear it’s trying to tell me I missed something and to go back and review! But it isn’t. That’s just how this testing process works.
What is the Passing Score for the ARRT Exam?
The ARRT Board exam uses what is known as a “scaled score” on this board exam. Scaled scores are obtained by statistically adjusting and converting raw scores onto a common scale to account for differences in difficulty across different types of exams. Although standard “percent-correct” scores are easy to calculate and easy to understand, they are often misinterpreted, especially in circumstances where more than one edition of a test exists. For the ARRT Radiography exam, a score of 75 or better is considered passing.
How Many Questions Are on the ARRT Board Exam?
Conclusion
The ARRT Board exams may be challenging but good preparation guarantees you an excellent chance at passing. Spaced repetition is a powerful study technique that will allow you to do more within less time. When combined with force multipliers and a good study guide like Appleton and Lange Review and Mosby’s Comprehensive Review, you can be assured of high scores if you study appropriately. Congratulations, you’ve come a long way. All the best as you prepare to join the ASRT.
If you find this helpful, please leave a comment. If you have other successful methods to share, please leave a comment.
