RD Exam
The Commission on Dietetic Registration (credentialing agency for the American Dietetic Association) offers the Registered Dietician (RD) examination for certification purposes. Candidates must meet specific academic and work experience eligibility requirements before taking this test. The test has been created to assess what a beginning RD would need to know and do in order to succeed in this field.
This computer-based assessment ranges in length, but it will have at least 125 questions. Of these, 100 are used for the raw score. The remaining 25 are not scored; these are pre-trial items which may be used on future exams. If a candidate has 145 items (the most possible), then 120 will be used for the score and 25 are for pre-trial. Candidates will not know which items are scored and which are not. The entire test will take 3 hours, but of that time, thirty minutes is used for the directions. The time for the actual testing portion will be 2½ hours, and there is a clock on the computer so that candidates can keep track of the time. The clock can be hidden if the candidate does not want to see it. A basic calculator will be provided (candidates cannot use their own).
The substance of the test is broken down as follows:
- Food and nutrition - 15%
- Clinical and community nutrition - 40%
- Education and research - 7%
- Food and nutrition systems - 18%
- Management - 20%
For this test, candidates must provide an answer to every question before they can move on to the next one. Candidates cannot go back to change or re-assess any preceding items. All candidates will get their results at the end of the test. The raw score (the number answered correctly) will be converted to a scaled score in the 1-50 range. The minimum passing scaled score is 25.
Commercial Resources for the RD Exam (provided for information only, no endorsement implied)
RD Exam Study Guide from Mometrix Media
RD Exam Flashcards from Mometrix Media
