What Is A RRA?

The Plain Definition: A Registered Radiologist Assistant

A Registered Radiologist Assistant, officially styled R.R.A., is an advanced-practice radiography professional who has earned a credential from the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT). The role sits above the staff radiographer: the R.R.A. works under radiologist supervision and extends the radiologist's reach in patient assessment, management, and selected procedures.

If you have landed here because the acronym appeared in a job posting or a program brochure, note that "RRA" is shared by several unrelated credentials in other fields. This article covers only the radiology credential. For quick-reference versions of the same question, see our shorter explainers on what RRA is and what RRA stands for.

What an R.R.A. Does and Where They Work

The exam content tells you a great deal about the job. The credential is organized around patient management, pharmacology, radiation protection and equipment operation, and the anatomical sections a radiologist works through: abdominal, thoracic, musculoskeletal and endocrine, and neurological, vascular, and lymphatic. A candidate is expected to assess patients, understand contrast and other medications, protect patients and staff from radiation, and reason through imaging cases the way a clinical colleague would.

Employers are the places where radiologists practice: hospitals, health systems, and imaging departments or practices that benefit from an advanced-practice colleague who can handle patient-facing and procedural workload alongside the supervising radiologist. Specific duties vary by employer, state rules, and the supervising radiologist's delegation, so treat any single job description as one example of the role rather than a universal definition. For a closer look at the market, see our overview of RRA jobs and our RRA salary guide.

Who Issues the Credential and How the Exam Is Delivered

ARRT administers the R.R.A. examination, and testing is delivered at Pearson test centers. You apply through ARRT, receive approval, and then schedule within an administration window. The exam is a computer-based test, and ARRT's handbook sets the rules of the testing room: no personal reference materials and no personal calculator, though an approved supplied or on-screen calculator is available.

For a broader orientation to the credential itself, our pages on RRA certification and what RRA certification is cover the same ground from different angles.

The Path to Eligibility

Eligibility is where the R.R.A. differs most from a typical imaging exam. You do not simply register and sit. The standard route requires all of the following:

• Current ARRT Radiography certification and registration.
• Completion of a recognized Radiologist Assistant program.
• Graduate-degree requirements. For program completion on or after January 1, 2023, a master's or doctoral degree is required. Earlier degree exceptions exist but are separate from the current graduate-degree route.
• Clinical experience. For completion on or after January 1, 2025, two years of full-time, patient-care-related medical-imaging experience after earning Radiography credentials is required, and it cannot be earned concurrently with RA-program activities. The published pre-2025 exception was one year, with concurrent experience permitted.
• A clinical portfolio documenting required clinical work.
• Current ACLS certification.
• Compliance with ARRT ethics requirements.

There is also a clock: under the ordinary route, eligibility, including degree completion, must be established within three years of completing the professional program.

For a full walkthrough, see our RRA requirements guide.

How the Exam Is Built

The examination is split into two sessions, and the structure matters for pacing.

Testing time totals six hours. The handbook describes a full appointment of 410 minutes once the break and non-testing activities are included, and it labels the overall total at approximately 280 questions. Because the pilot allocation in Session 2 varies, do not expect a fixed item count there. The 2026 handbook table shows 30+ scored and 20+ pilot items.

Two format details deserve attention. First, case-study responses are objectively scored; the essay format used before January 2023 is gone. Second, Session 1 cannot be reopened after Session 2 begins, so you cannot return to earlier answers once you move on.

The Eight Reporting Categories and What They Demand

ARRT's 2025 annual exam report publishes eight whole-exam reporting categories with weights. These are the weights this site uses. They are distinct from the 2023 content specification, which organizes selected-response objectives under Patient Care (56 scored items), Safety (28), and Procedures (116). Those item counts are not percentage weights, so do not mix the two frameworks when you plan your study. Our complete guide to all eight RRA content areas goes deeper on each.

What the Weights Tell You

Case Study is the largest separately reported weighted category at 25%. Among the procedural categories, Abdominal Section is largest at 16%. Within the selected-response content, Procedures is the biggest parent category. Together, the four anatomical sections account for 43% of the exam, which makes procedural knowledge the backbone of your preparation even though case studies carry the single heaviest weight.

Scoring, Pass Rate, and Attempt Limits

The passing standard is a scaled score of 75 on a 1-99 scale. This is not 75% correct. Scaled scoring adjusts for form difficulty, so a raw percentage cannot be converted into a pass or fail prediction. Details are in our RRA passing score guide.

ARRT's 2025 annual report shows a calendar-2025 first-time pass rate of 75.0% among 24 first-time candidates. Keep the sample size in mind: with a cohort that small, one or two candidates shift the percentage noticeably, and the 37 total administrations that year are not the first-time cohort. Our RRA pass rate analysis treats the figure with appropriate caution, and how hard the RRA exam is covers the difficulty question beyond a single statistic.

You are allowed three examination attempts within three years. That is a real cushion, but it is not a license to treat the first attempt as practice, since each attempt costs a fee and months of waiting.

Fees and Dates You Can Plan Around

No member/nonmember exam fee differential is listed. The annual renewal fee covers the registrant's ARRT credentials rather than charging separately for each discipline. See the RRA certification cost breakdown for the full picture, including costs outside ARRT's fee schedule, and our ROI analysis for how the credential weighs against the investment.

On timing, ARRT announced an additional October 2026 administration. The next published window after October 14, 2026 is January 13-16, 2027, with an application postmark deadline of November 11, 2026. Check our RRA exam dates page and the ARRT site before committing, since windows and deadlines can change.

Keeping the Credential Active

Earning the R.R.A. is the start of an ongoing obligation. Annual renewal is normally due by the end of your birth month, and the supporting Radiography credentials must be maintained. Continuing education runs on a biennial cycle and totals 50 credits, with two overlapping conditions: at least 25 must be Category A+, and at least 35 must be RRA-relevant. These are overlapping requirements, not additive totals, so a single well-chosen credit can count toward both. All RRA credentials have ten-year CQR.

Sequencing Your Preparation Around the Exam's Weights

Because Case Study draws on every other category, it makes sense to build foundations first and finish with integrated scenarios. One workable arrangement, tied to the weights above:

The actual length of your plan will depend on your clinical background and schedule. For a full approach, see our RRA study guide and the one-page RRA cheat sheet, and for program-level preparation, our notes on RRA training. When you are ready to test yourself under exam-like conditions, take a set on our RRA practice test, and use the question bank to find weak categories before test day.

Frequently Asked Questions