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Annual Report of Exams: Primary Eligibility Pathway - 2020 Page 1 of 15
Annual Report of Examinations: Primary Eligibility Pathway 2020
Introduction
The ARRT offers two eligibility pathways for certification and registration: primary and postprimary. This report summarizes the results of examinations taken through the primary eligibility pathway in 2020 for Radiography (RAD), Nuclear Medicine (NMT), Radiation Therapy (THR), Sonography (SON), and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). This report uses an annual cycle from January to December that aligns with updates to the content specifications and clinical competency requirements for these exams. During the reported cycle, both the Sonography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging exams could be taken through either the primary or postprimary eligibility pathway. Only results for those taking the exams though the primary eligibility pathway are reported here.
This report summarizes exam volume, first-time candidate exam performance, individual percentile ranks, and school percentile ranks for each examination separately. Each following section presents a brief content outline for the exam and the number of items in each category. Specific results for 2020 are presented including mean scaled section scores, mean total scaled scores, and pass rates as well as charts with historical pass rates and candidate volumes for each exam. Finally, a map detailing first-time candidate volume, mean scaled score, and percent passing for educational programs in each state is included.
Data in this report are not intended to be used as the sole source for educational program evaluation. When interpreting performance at the educational program or state level, it is important to acknowledge that these results are sensitive to multiple factors. These factors may include but are not limited to the number of candidates upon which the means are computed, characteristics of those candidates, educational program admissions criteria, and the emphasis of an educational program’s curriculum.
Interpretation of Scores
Total Scaled Score: The ARRT uses scaled scores to report exam results. Total scaled scores can range from 1 to 99.
Scaled scores are desirable because they account for any differences in difficulty between two or more versions of an exam. The use of scaled scores adjusts for differences in exam difficulty such that a given scaled score corresponds to the same level of performance regardless of exam form and permits comparison of exam results over time. Using scaled scores also ensures that those taking different forms are not penalized for taking a slightly more difficult exam.
Scaled scores are sometimes mistaken for percent correct scores. This confusion likely arises because ARRT scaled scores and percentages share a similar range of values. However, a scaled score of 75 does not mean that a candidate correctly answered 75% of the test items.
Section Scores: Scaled scores are used to report performance on each section of the exam. The primary purpose of the section scores is to provide general information to candidates regarding their strengths and weaknesses in particular content categories. Section scores can range from 0.1 to 9.9 and are reported in one-tenth point intervals (e.g., 8.1, 8.6). Section scores are intentionally placed on a narrower scale because they are often based on a small number of test
Annual Report of Exams: Primary Eligibility Pathway - 2020 Page 2 of 15
items. Therefore, section scores are not as reliable as the total scaled score and should be interpreted with some caution.
Passing Score: A total scaled score of 75 is required to pass all ARRT exams. This pass-fail point, called the “cut score,” is established by ARRT’s Board of Trustees through a process called standard setting. During the standard setting process, the Board receives input from a panel representing a broad constituency of radiologic technologists. The cut score represents the performance standard required to obtain certification and registration; those who meet or exceed the standard pass the exam. Beginning in 2013, the Sonography exam also requires a section scaled score of 7.5 or greater in both the Abdomen and OB/GYN sections.
Readers interested in more detailed reporting, such as an explanation of ARRT’s scaling procedures, or past years’ reports are encouraged to visit the exam statistics page on the ARRT website.
Updates
On January 1, 2020, ARRT began using a new cut score for the NMT examination. Although ARRT will continue to report the exam’s cut score as a scaled score of 75, the new cut score requires passing candidates to answer a few more questions correctly than they had to in the past.
Updated content specifications were implemented for the MRI examination on January 1, 2020.
During 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused disruptions to ARRT’s contracted assessment provider, Pearson VUE. For several weeks, there were no exam appointments in most Pearson Professional Centers. For most of 2020, Pearson Professional Center locations could offer only limited capacity for assessment appointments. Please keep this in mind when interpreting the statistics in this report.
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Summary Statistics
Exam Volume
Exam First-time
Candidates Repeat State Reinstatement Total
Radiography 10849 1342 31 280 12502
Nuclear Medicine 285 33 0 1 319
Radiation Therapy 787 126 1 16 930
Sonography 326 93 0 0 419
Magnetic Resonance Imaging 435 80 0 4 519
Note: The “State” category includes non-ARRT candidates who take an exam only for state licensure. The “Reinstatement” category includes all reinstatement by re-examination candidates.
First-time Candidate Exam Performance
Exam Approximate % Correct to Pass
Mean Scaled Score
Pass %
Radiography 68 83.3 88.2
Nuclear Medicine 63 82.5 84.6
Radiation Therapy 68 81.8 84.2
Sonography* 67 79.5 68.1
Magnetic Resonance Imaging 66 79.8 74.0
*The Sonography exam requires a passing candidate to achieve a scaled score of 75 or greater on the whole exam, and in addition, achieve section scaled scores of 7.5 or greater in both the Abdominal and OB/GYN sections.
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Individual Performance Percentiles (First-time Candidates)
Percentile Rank
Scaled Score
RAD NMT THR SON MRI
95 93 94 92 92 93
90 92 91 90 90 91
85 91 90 89 89 90
80 90 89 88 88 89
75 89 88 87 86 87
70 88 87 86 85 86
65 87 86 85 84 85
60 86 85 85 83 83
55 85 84 84 82 82
50 84 83 83 81 82
45 83 82 82 80 80
40 82 82 81 79 79
35 81 81 80 77 77
30 80 79 79 76 76
25 79 78 78 75 74
20 77 77 76 73 72
15 76 74 74 71 70
10 74 72 72 68 65
5 70 67 68 62 61
Note: This percentile rank indicates the percentage of candidates scoring below a specified scaled score. Exams with fewer than 60 candidates are reported with fewer percentile categories.
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Educational Program Mean Performance Percentiles (First-time Candidates)
Percentile Rank
Scaled Score
RAD NMT THR SON MRI
95 89 90 88 91 92
90 88 89 87 88 91
85 87 88 86 87 90
80 87 87 86 86 88
75 86 86 85 84 87
70 86 86 84 82 86
65 85 86 84 82 86
60 85 85 84 81 84
55 84 84 83 80 83
50 84 83 82 80 82
45 83 83 82 80 82
40 83 82 81 80 82
35 82 82 81 77 80
30 82 79 80 77 79
25 81 79 79 76 78
20 80 77 78 75 77
15 79 77 76 72 76
10 78 74 75 67 74
5 76 73 73 62 69
Note: This percentile rank indicates the percentage of educational programs below a specified scaled score. Exams with fewer than 60 educational programs are reported with fewer percentile categories.
Annual Report of Exams: Primary Eligibility Pathway - 2020 Page 6 of 15
Exam Performance for Radiography
Content Categories and First-time Candidate Scores
Content Categories # Items Mean Score
Patient Care: Patient Interactions and Management 33 8.4
Safety: Radiation Physics and Radiobiology 22 8.4
Safety: Radiation Protection 31 8.3
Image Production: Image Acquisition and Technical Evaluation 21 8.3
Image Production: Equipment Operation and Quality Assurance 29 8.2
Procedures: Head, Spine, and Pelvis 18 8.4
Procedures: Thorax and Abdomen 21 8.3
Procedures: Extremity 25 8.5
Total 200 83.3
Pass Rate: 88.2%
Radiography Number of First-time Candidates, Mean Scaled Score, and Percentage Passing*
Annual Report of Exams: Primary Eligibility Pathway - 2020 Page 7 of 15
207
83.1
93.7%
201
82.0
84.6%
14482.6
90.3%
70485.6
94.2%
175
85.3
94.9%
347
82.3
81.3%
78
85.8 92.3%
526
82.1
86.1%
237
84.8 92.4%
146
83.7
91.8%
116
85.2
96.6%
228
83.9
90.8%
149
81.5 83.9%
249
84.8
94.4%
38
84.2
92.1%
96
82.1 86.5%
78
84.9
92.3%
80
84.7
88.8%
28
86.9
92.9%
427
82.9
88.1%
130
82.1
84.6%
114
86.9
97.4%
416
82.0 85.1%
5984.7
89.8%
1002
82.1
81.8%
152
86.2
93.4%
175
85.0
91.4%
233
85.7 94.4%
26
84.0 96.2%
3
75.3
66.7%
42
84.1
95.2%
173
83.0 87.3%
37
83.2 97.3%
152
84.1
91.4%
245
83.5
91.0%
28
87.6
100.0%
147
83.4 89.8%
DC9
78.1
55.6%
802
81.5
81.0%
201
83.4 92.5%
336
85.2
94.6%
251
83.7
89.6%
10181.8
90.1%201
82.8
89.6%
286
83.6
92.3%
582
83.2
86.8%
176
83.5 90.9%
70
82.9
94.3%
311
84.2 90.0%
22
81.5
86.4%
15
90.2
100.0%*Results are based on educational program location and are not reported when fewer than three candidates from a state took the examination.
Annual Report of Exams: Primary Eligibility Pathway - 2020 Page 8 of 15
Exam Performance for Nuclear Medicine
Content Categories and First-time Candidate Scores
Content Categories # Items Mean Score
Patient Care: Patient Interactions and Management 20 8.4
Safety: Radiation Physics, Radiobiology, and Regulations 22 8.2
Image Production: Instrumentation 38 8.0
Procedures: Radionuclides and Radiopharmaceuticals 24 8.2
Procedures: Cardiac 24 8.4
Procedures: Endocrine and Oncology 28 8.3
Procedures: Gastrointestinal and Genitourinary 20 8.5
Procedures: Other 24 8.2
Total 200 82.5
Pass Rate: 84.6%
Nuclear Medicine Number of First-time Candidates, Mean Scaled Score, and Percentage Passing*
Annual Report of Exams: Primary Eligibility Pathway - 2020 Page 9 of 15
0
NA
NA
1
NA
NA
885.5
100.0%
2685.4
92.3%
0
NA
NA
8
77.4
62.5%
0
NANA
12
79.1
75.0%
1
NANA
3
88.0
100.0%
1
NA
NA
3
90.7
100.0%
7
88.6100.0%
6
83.8
83.3%
0
NA
NA
0
NANA
10
82.1
90.0%
3
89.7
100.0%
0
NA
NA
8
77.0
62.5%
1
NA
NA
19
87.9
100.0%
8
84.4100.0%
0NA
NA
33
83.0
87.9%
15
82.5
93.3%
0
NA
NA
0
NANA
0
NANA
0
NA
NA
0
NA
NA
7
84.4 85.7%
4
86.5100.0%
0
NA
NA
0
NA
NA
1
NA
NA
1
NANA
DC0
NA
NA
25
79.3
76.0%
7
85.0100.0%
17
73.8
58.8%
1
NA
NA
2NANA
0
NA
NA
8
74.0
50.0%
20
78.9
65.0%
2
NANA
0
NA
NA
16
87.0100.0%
0
NA
NA
0
NA
NA*Results are based on educational program location and are not reported when fewer than three candidates from a state took the examination.
Annual Report of Exams: Primary Eligibility Pathway - 2020 Page 10 of 15
Exam Performance for Radiation Therapy
Content Categories and First-time Candidate Scores
Content Categories # Items Mean Score
Patient Care: Patient Interactions 25 8.4
Patient Care: Patient and Medical Record Management 22 8.0
Safety: Radiation Physics, Equipment, and Quality Assurance 20 7.8
Safety: Radiation Protection 29 7.9
Procedures: Treatment Sites and Tumors 26 8.3
Procedures: Treatment Volume Localization 18 8.2
Procedures: Prescription and Dose Calculation 24 8.0
Procedures: Treatments 36 8.5
Total 200 81.8
Pass Rate: 84.2%
Radiation Therapy Number of First-time Candidates, Mean Scaled Score, and Percentage Passing*
Annual Report of Exams: Primary Eligibility Pathway - 2020 Page 11 of 15
6
86.7
100.0%
0
NA
NA
1484.2
100.0%
3085.4
96.7%
0
NA
NA
41
75.6
51.2%
0
NANA
39
83.5
87.2%
20
82.7 90.0%
6
84.0
100.0%
36
84.4
94.4%
25
83.8
96.0%
0
NANA
8
81.6
75.0%
0
NA
NA
8
83.5 87.5%
8
84.8
100.0%
0
NA
NA
0
NA
NA
20
85.1
95.0%
11
78.8
72.7%
10
88.5
100.0%
24
80.8 87.5%
581.2
100.0%
56
80.9
83.9%
27
78.4
70.4%
9
84.3
88.9%
20
87.2100.0%
0
NANA
8
80.6
87.5%
6
84.7
100.0%
24
77.6 54.2%
0
NANA
17
85.5
100.0%
14
83.3
92.9%
0
NA
NA
11
78.5 72.7%
DC2
NA
NA
75
76.6
68.0%
5
87.6100.0%
33
80.3
78.8%
34
84.2
97.1%
488.5
100.0%3
77.0
66.7%
35
79.3
71.4%
61
84.7
95.1%
0
NANA
0
NA
NA
22
83.4 90.9%
0
NA
NA
0
NA
NA*Results are based on educational program location and are not reported when fewer than three candidates from a state took the examination.
Annual Report of Exams: Primary Eligibility Pathway - 2020 Page 12 of 15
Exam Performance for Sonography
Content Categories and First-time Candidate Scores
Content Categories # Items Mean Score
Patient Care: Patient Interactions and Management 29 7.8
Image Production: Basic Principles of Ultrasound 50 7.5
Image Production: Image Formation 44 7.8
Image Production: Evaluation and Selection of Representative Images
21 8.5
Procedures: Abdomen 75 8.0
Procedures: OB/GYN 109 8.2
Procedures: Superficial Structures and Other Sonographic Procedures
32 7.7
Total 360 79.5
Pass Rate: 68.1%
Sonography Number of First-time Candidates, Mean Scaled Score, and Percentage Passing*
Annual Report of Exams: Primary Eligibility Pathway - 2020 Page 13 of 15
16
80.9
87.5%
44
80.5
75.0%
0NA
NA
10978.0
60.6%
0
NA
NA
0
NA
NA
0
NANA
5
74.4
20.0%
11
84.6 90.9%
1
NA
NA
0
NA
NA
0
NA
NA
0
NANA
0
NA
NA
0
NA
NA
0
NANA
0
NA
NA
0
NA
NA
0
NA
NA
0
NA
NA
2
NA
NA
0
NA
NA
2
NANA
0NA
NA
71
79.8
64.8%
0
NA
NA
0
NA
NA
0
NANA
0
NANA
0
NA
NA
0
NA
NA
0
NANA
0
NANA
0
NA
NA
1
NA
NA
0
NA
NA
0
NANA
DC0
NA
NA
43
78.3
69.8%
0
NANA
3
83.0
100.0%
10
83.0
90.0%
0NANA
3
81.7
66.7%
0
NA
NA
4
90.0
100.0%
0
NANA
0
NA
NA
0
NANA
1
NA
NA
0
NA
NA*Results are based on educational program location and are not reported when fewer than three candidates from a state took the examination.
Annual Report of Exams: Primary Eligibility Pathway - 2020 Page 14 of 15
Exam Performance for Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Content Categories and First-time Candidate Scores
Content Categories # Items Mean Score
Patient Care: Patient Interactions and Management 18 7.6
Safety: MRI Screening and Safety 20 8.1
Image Production: Physical Principles of Image Formation 39 7.9
Image Production: Sequence Parameters and Options 36 8.1
Image Production: Data Acquisition, Processing, and Storage 30 8.0
Procedures: Neurological 25 8.2
Procedures: Body 15 7.8
Procedures: Musculoskeletal 17 8.0
Total 200 79.8
Pass Rate: 74.0%
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Number of First-time Candidates, Mean Scaled Score, and Percentage Passing*
Annual Report of Exams: Primary Eligibility Pathway - 2020 Page 15 of 15
0
NA
NA
23
72.2
43.5%
686.0
100.0%
17577.0
63.4%
0
NA
NA
0
NA
NA
0
NANA
41
79.4
73.2%
4
89.2100.0%
0
NA
NA
0
NA
NA
0
NA
NA
4
89.8100.0%
4
75.2
50.0%
0
NA
NA
5
85.2100.0%
1
NA
NA
0
NA
NA
0
NA
NA
30
82.4
93.3%
0
NA
NA
0
NA
NA
18
86.6 94.4%
0NA
NA
35
84.9
94.3%
2
NA
NA
0
NA
NA
0
NANA
0
NANA
0
NA
NA
0
NA
NA
15
82.0 86.7%
7
90.9100.0%
0
NA
NA
5
81.4
100.0%
0
NA
NA
0
NANA
DC0
NA
NA
10
76.9
60.0%
0
NANA
13
86.6
92.3%
0
NA
NA
582.6
100.0%0
NA
NA
25
78.1
68.0%
0
NA
NA
0
NANA
0
NA
NA
0
NANA
0
NA
NA
0
NA
NA*Results are based on educational program location and are not reported when fewer than three candidates from a state took the examination.