1.1 ARRT CT Exam Facts, Format & Scoring

ARRT Computed Tomography CT

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1 Introduction & Exam Overview

1.1 ARRT CT Exam Facts, Format & Scoring 1.2 How to Study & Test-Taking Strategy for the CT Exam

2 Patient Assessment, Communication & Safe Handling

2.1 Pre-Scan Assessment — Scheduling, History, Lab Values & Communication 2.2 Patient Education, Consent, Ergonomics & Positioning for the Scan 2.3 Patient Monitoring, Accessory Devices, Medications & Infection Control

3 Contrast Media & Injection Procedures

3.1 Contrast Media Types, Properties & Special Considerations 3.2 Venipuncture, Administration Routes & Power Injection Techniques 3.3 Contrast Timing, Reactions & Postprocedure Care

4 CT Radiation Physics

4.1 X-ray Production & Target Interactions 4.2 X-ray Beam Characteristics & Geometry 4.3 Photon Interactions with Matter & Tissue Attenuation

5 Radiation Protection & Dose Management

5.1 Minimizing Patient Dose — Technical Parameters & Modulation 5.2 Shielding & Patient-Specific Dose Considerations (Pediatric/Adult/Pregnancy) 5.3 Dose Measurements, Reporting & Personnel Protection

6 CT Scanner Components & Imaging Parameters

6.1 CT Unit Components — Gantry, Detectors & Data Acquisition System 6.2 Core Imaging Parameters — kVp, mAs, Pitch & Collimation 6.3 Slice Thickness, Scan Planes & Field of View

7 Data Acquisition Modes & Image Reconstruction

7.1 CT Acquisition Modes — Sequential, Helical & Volumetric Scanning 7.2 Cine/Shuttle Acquisition & Dual-Energy CT 7.3 Reconstruction Algorithms — Filtered Backprojection vs. Iterative Reconstruction 7.4 Reconstruction Parameters — Slice Thickness, Interval & Interpolation

8 Postprocessing, Image Display & Informatics

8.1 Postprocessing — MPR, 3D Rendering & Quantitative Analysis 8.2 Image Display Fundamentals — Pixels, Matrix & Field of View 8.3 Windowing & Measurement Tools — W/L, W/W & Region of Interest 8.4 CT Informatics — PACS, DICOM, Networking & Downtime Procedures

9 Image Quality & Artifacts

9.1 Image Quality Metrics — Resolution, Noise & Uniformity 9.2 CT Number, QA/QC & Accreditation 9.3 Patient-Related Artifacts — Beam Hardening, Motion, Metal & Edge Gradient 9.4 Equipment Artifacts — Rings, Streaks, Tube Arcing & Cone Beam

10 Head CT Procedures

10.1 Brain & Cranium CT — Routine and Perfusion Imaging 10.2 Temporal Bone, Orbit & Sinus CT 10.3 Maxillofacial, Mandible & TMJ CT

11 Spine & Musculoskeletal CT

11.1 Spine CT — Cervical, Thoracic & Lumbosacral Protocols 11.2 CT Myelography & Postmyelogram Imaging 11.3 Extremity CT — Upper & Lower Extremity, Postarthrogram 11.4 Shoulder, Bony Pelvis & Hip CT

12 Neck & Chest CT

12.1 Neck CT — Larynx/Airway & Soft Tissue 12.2 Cardiac CT — Coronary Angiography, Calcium Scoring, Gating & TAVR 12.3 Chest CT — Mediastinum, Airway, Chest Wall & Esophagram 12.4 HRCT, Lung Nodules & Low-Dose Lung Cancer Screening

13 Abdominal CT Procedures

13.1 Multiphase Liver, Pancreas & Adrenal CT 13.2 Renal CT — Multiphase Kidney, Urogram & Stone Protocol 13.3 GI Tract CT & Spleen Imaging

14 Pelvic CT Procedures

14.1 Pelvis CT — Bladder, Cystogram & Reproductive Organs 14.2 CT Colonography & Colorectal Imaging

15 Vascular, Interventional & Trauma CT

15.1 CT Angiography & Vascular Procedures — CTA, CTV, Runoff, Dissection & PE 15.2 CT-Guided Interventional Procedures — Biopsy, Drainage & Aspiration 15.3 CT Trauma Protocols & Surgical Planning

1.1 ARRT CT Exam Facts, Format & Scoring

Key Takeaways Explain This Topic AI

The ARRT CT exam has 195 total items: 165 scored plus 30 unscored pilot questions you cannot identify.

Passing requires a scaled score of 75 on a 1-99 scale — ARRT's 2025 data shows this corresponds to roughly 66% correct for CT, not 75% correct.

Scored items split into Patient Care 21 (12.7%), Safety 21 (12.7%), Image Production 52 (31.5%), and Procedures 71 (43.0%) under the blueprint effective September 1, 2026.

The postprimary application fee is $225 (or $450 using NMTCB as a supporting credential); ARRT allows up to three attempts within three years.

Postprimary candidates get a 365-day exam window to schedule and take the exam through Pearson VUE.

Last updated: October 2026

What the ARRT CT Credential Certifies

The ARRT Computed Tomography (CT) examination is a postprimary credential exam offered by ARRT (The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists) . Unlike ARRT's primary-pathway exams (such as Radiography), CT is not an entry point into the profession — it is an additional certification for technologists who already hold an ARRT-recognized primary credential (most commonly R.T.(R) in Radiography) or, in some cases, an approved credential from the Nuclear Medicine Technology Certification Board (NMTCB) . Passing adds a "(CT)" suffix to your existing ARRT designation — for example, R.T.(R)(CT) — and certifies that you have the entry-level knowledge and cognitive skills to perform CT procedures safely and competently. The exam is delivered by computer at Pearson VUE test centers only. There is no remote or online-proctored option, so you must present two forms of government-issued photo ID, respond to a nondisclosure agreement within a 2-minute window, and store personal belongings in a locker before your appointment clock starts.

Question Count, Timing, and Delivery

Per ARRT's Examination Content Specifications for Computed Tomography (board approved July 2025, implementation date September 1, 2026 ), the exam totals 195 items: 165 scored questions plus 30 unscored pilot questions that ARRT is field-testing for future forms. You are never told which items are pilot questions, so treat every question as if it counts toward your score. Candidates get 195 minutes of test time inside a 215-minute (3 h 35 min) appointment — the extra 20 minutes cover the 8-minute tutorial, the 2-minute nondisclosure agreement and a 10-minute survey. That works out to about one minute per item on average, though pilot items are mixed in unpredictably, so pacing discipline matters (covered in 1.2). Every item is single-best-answer with four options — there are no multi-select, ordering, or fill-in-the-blank formats on this exam.

Fact Value
Credential added (CT) suffix — e.g., R.T.(R)(CT)
Total items 195 (165 scored + 30 pilot)
Test time 195 minutes inside a 215-minute appointment
Format 4-option multiple choice, single best answer
Delivery Pearson VUE test center only (no remote option)
Passing score Scaled score of 75 (scale 1-99)
Standard exam fee $225 (postprimary pathway)
2025 first-attempt pass rate 74.7% (ARRT Annual Exam Report)
How ARRT Scoring Actually Works

ARRT does not report raw percent-correct. Performance converts to a scaled score from 1 to 99 , and the pass mark for CT — like every ARRT exam — is a scaled score of 75 . Scaling equalizes slightly different exam forms, so a 75 earned on a harder form represents the same demonstrated competency as a 75 on an easier one. This is the single most misunderstood fact about ARRT exams: a scaled score of 75 does not mean 75% of items answered correctly. ARRT's own 2025 Annual Exam Report shows the "approximate percent correct to pass" for CT was 66% — meaning the typical passing candidate answered roughly two-thirds of items correctly, not three-quarters. The same report lists a mean scaled score of 79.3 for CT candidates — only about four points above the passing standard, which tells you this is a tightly clustered, unforgiving exam where a handful of missed items can separate a pass from a fail. Your official score report also breaks out section-level performance for each of the four content categories (reported on a narrower 0.1-9.9 scale), pinpointing exactly which domain cost you the pass if you fail.

The Four Content Categories (Effective September 1, 2026)

ARRT's CT blueprint divides the 165 scored items into four categories. The board-approved specification takes effect September 1, 2026 and restructures the prior seven-subcategory model into four scored domains:

Content Category Scored Items Weight
Patient Care 21 12.7%
Safety 21 12.7%
Image Production 52 31.5%
Procedures 71 43.0%

Procedures alone is nearly 43% of the scored exam — imaging protocols for head, spine, musculoskeletal (MSK), neck, chest, abdomen, and pelvis, plus the cross-cutting "Additional Procedures" focus (vascular CTA/CTV, biopsy, drainage, trauma, and surgical planning). Procedures and Image Production together are 74.5% of the scored test — nearly three-quarters. Patient Care and Safety are tied at 12.7% each, together contributing barely a quarter, but each is still 21 scored items — enough to swing a borderline result.

Eligibility, Fees, and Retakes

CT uses ARRT's postprimary eligibility pathway , meaning you cannot walk in cold. You must already hold an ARRT-recognized supporting credential (typically R.T.(R) ) or an approved NMTCB credential, complete 16 hours of CT-specific structured education — with at least one credit in each major content category — within the 24 months before you apply, document the required CT clinical experience procedures within that same 24-month window, and satisfy ARRT's Ethics Requirements . The standard postprimary application fee is $225 ; if you use an NMTCB credential as your supporting category, the fee is $450 . ARRT permits up to three attempts within three years of your first exam window opening, and each attempt requires a brand-new application and fee — there is no unlimited-retake option.

Scheduling and the Testing Window

Once approved, your Candidate Status Report (CSR) posts to your ARRT account (usually within one business day) with an assigned testing window. Postprimary candidates get a generous 365-day window to schedule and sit for the exam through Pearson VUE (primary-pathway candidates also get a one-year window). Don't let that length breed procrastination: popular test centers fill up, so schedule early rather than waiting until the window is nearly closed.

After You Pass: Maintaining the Credential

Passing CT does not end your obligations. Like all ARRT credentials, you must renew your registration annually and complete 24 continuing-education (CE) credits every two years . Separately, ARRT credentials are subject to Continuing Qualifications Requirements (CQR) — a structured self-assessment on a 10-year cycle — which is independent of the biennial CE requirement. A handful of professional-practice items on the exam itself test whether you understand this maintenance framework, and all of it governs your real CT career once the (CT) designation is on your badge.