How Hard Is ARRT Certification?

Are you considering a career in radiology? If you are, then you may have heard of the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) and its certification process. But how difficult is it to get an ARRT certification, and what steps do you need to do to take it? Fortunately for you, you will find all your questions answered here. 

How Can I Get an ARRT Certification?

Before we explore how to get certified, you should first know why it’s important. The ARRT certification and registration recognizes an individual’s qualifications and professional standards in medical imaging, interventional procedures, or radiation therapy. It is considered as the basis of employers, state licensing agencies, and even federal regulators, when they are judging your professional qualifications. While there may be a few companies that do not require this, it is certainly a must if you are interested in furthering your career in radiology. This will help you stand out among the job candidates and show your commitment to high-quality patient care.

In order to obtain the ARRT certification, you will need to fulfill certain requirements first.  These include education, ethics, and examination requirements. You must have a degree in radiologic technology and complete an ARRT-approved educational program specific to the credential that you want to obtain. For example, if you are seeking to get an ARRT certification in nuclear medicine technology, you need to have those credits met. As for the ethical requirements, the ARRT actually requires you to have a good moral character, which will be demonstrated by an ethics review pre-application. If all these requirements are met, you can then apply for the ARRT certification exam.

At Pulse Radiology, we always get the question of how hard the exam is. The answer to this is, like all exams, it all depends on the person taking the exam and how prepared they were. The exam will basically test your knowledge and expertise on your chosen field of study. There will be 220 multiple-choice questions that will test your knowledge on patient care and safety, image production and evaluation, procedures, and radiation protection. This is why the exam can be challenging as it will require a significant amount of study and preparation. Candidates will have four hours to complete the exam, which is also computer-based.

Fortunately, there are exam preparation guides that you can follow that will help refresh your knowledge and skills, as well as get access to study guides and practice exams. If you enlist in our online ARRT structured education programs, you can certainly feel well prepared for the exam as we spend weeks teaching you all you need to know in your chosen discipline. 

ARRT certification is not an easy process, but it truly becomes a worthwhile investment in the long-run. Anyone who is considering a career in the radiologic sciences can definitely benefit from this certification. Not only does it demonstrate your knowledge and skills, but it also improves your chances of employment as well as your leveraging power.