ARRT Exam Pass Rate 2026: How Hard Is Radiography?

Is the ARRT exam hard?

ARRT calls its exams intentionally rigorous, built to check that you’re ready to give safe, effective patient care. The figures show what that means in practice. ARRT’s 2025 report puts the share of right answers needed to pass Radiography at about 67%, and first-time candidates averaged a scaled score of 82.7.

Year	First-time	Mean score	Passed
2023	11,489	82.0	84.4%
2024	12,665	82.9	85.2%
2025	14,072	82.7	85.8%

Radiography, first attempts only, from ARRT’s Annual Exam Reports for 2023, 2024 and 2025. The mean score is the average total scaled score.

ARRT: Exam statistics ↗ARRT: Annual Exam Report 2025 (PDF) ↗Pass rates for each accredited program →

What is the ARRT exam pass rate in other disciplines?

Only Mammography had a higher first-attempt pass rate than Radiography in 2025. By discipline:

Exam	Passed
Mammography	91%
Radiography	86%
Breast Sonography	78%
Radiation Therapy	77%
Computed Tomography	75%
Magnetic Resonance Imaging	75%
Radiologist Assistant	75%
Vascular Sonography	72%
Bone Densitometry	67%
Nuclear Medicine Technology	65%
Vascular Interventional	61%
Sonography	55%
Cardiac Interventional	53%

Rounded figures for all 13 exams in the summary table of ARRT’s 2025 report. Sonography also requires section scores of 7.5 or more in two sections, explained under the passing score.

ARRT CT certification →ARRT MRI certification →

What is the ARRT exam passing score?

A total scaled score of 75, on a scale from 1 to 99, for every ARRT exam. It isn’t a percentage. ARRT gives an example: on one version you might need 131 right out of 200 to reach 75, and on a slightly harder version 130. Scaling makes a 75 mean the same standard on every version. ARRT’s Board of Trustees sets the passing score for each discipline with advice from a panel of experts.

Your score report also shows a section score for each content area, from 0.1 to 9.9. A section score of 8.1 is roughly what a total of 81 would be if that section were the whole exam. Sections differ in length, so averaging them won’t give your total. The Sonography exam adds a rule: 7.5 or more in both the abdomen and the obstetrics and gynecology sections.

When do ARRT exam results come?

You see a preliminary scaled score on screen the moment you finish. Only you see it, you can’t print it, and it isn’t your final result. Within about 10 business days, ARRT emails you that your official score report is in your online account. If you passed, a packet with your certificate arrives by mail about two weeks after that email.

Results can be held for up to six months, or canceled, if your application information or fees are incomplete. If you think your score was calculated wrongly, you can ask for a scoring appeal, for a fee, with ARRT’s Eligibility Appeal Request form; a paper form must be postmarked within 14 calendar days of your score report going online. ARRT replies within 60 business days.

ARRT fees, including the scoring appeal →Checking your status on ARRT’s Verify Credentials page →

If you fail the ARRT exam

You get three attempts within three years, counted from the day your first exam window opens. After a first or second failed attempt, a Reapply button appears on your ARRT dashboard, and each attempt needs a new application and fee. After a third failed attempt, or once the three years are up, your eligibility ends and your dashboard explains how to requalify, which means completing an educational program again.

To prepare for a retake, ARRT suggests using your section scores to pick the areas to study and checking the content specifications for changes from your last attempt. Attempts as a state licensing candidate count toward the three if you also apply to ARRT in the same discipline.

Which content specifications to study →ARRT: Three attempts in three years ↗State licensing exams and your attempts →

Sources: ARRT and 7 more. Checked October 2026.