RTN Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows

What the 2025 Data Actually Reports

The single most reliable figure for this credential comes from the ARRT Annual Exam Report for 2025: 64.7% of first-time candidates passed, with n=439. That is the number to anchor on. It describes Registered Technologist - Nuclear Medicine Technology candidates testing through the ARRT's primary eligibility pathway, the discipline ARRT designates as Nuclear Medicine Technology (N). It is not a description of the separate NMTCB CNMT credential, which is a different certification from a different body with its own exam and its own statistics.

If you are still orienting yourself on what this credential is and how it differs from similarly named certifications, start with What Is RTN? and What Does RTN Stand For?. On this site, "RTN" is an abbreviation we use for the ARRT Nuclear Medicine Technology credential; it is not ARRT's own discipline designation. The pass-rate figure above belongs only to that ARRT discipline.

Beyond the headline number, we are deliberately cautious here. The only published figures we cite are the first-time pass rate and the sample size. We will not manufacture repeat-candidate rates, year-over-year trend lines, or school-by-school comparisons that the source material does not provide. For a broader read on difficulty that builds on this figure, see How Hard Is the RTN Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026.

Reading a 64.7% First-Time Figure Responsibly

A pass rate is a statement about a group, not a prediction about you. A few interpretive points matter before you decide how worried to be.

The sample is small

With 439 first-time candidates, the pool is modest compared with the largest imaging disciplines. Small cohorts can swing from year to year for reasons unrelated to exam difficulty: a few programs with unusually strong or weak graduating classes can move the aggregate. Treat 64.7% as a useful benchmark, not a precise constant.

First-time and overall are different measures

The figure we have is specifically for first-time candidates. First-time rates generally describe the cleanest comparison group, because every candidate is taking the exam for the first time under the same conditions. Do not conflate it with a cumulative "eventual pass" rate, which the reviewed source does not give us.

The candidate pool is already filtered

Nobody sits for this exam off the street. Candidates must have completed an ARRT-verified nuclear medicine technology educational program with its didactic and clinical competencies and hold an associate degree or higher. That means the people in the denominator are program graduates, so a roughly two-in-three first-attempt pass rate among a trained group says something real about the exam's rigor. It is a credential that takes preparation seriously, which is why a structured plan, like the one in the RTN Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt, pays off.

The February 2025 Cut-Score Revision

One factor that affects how you interpret any pass-rate data is that ARRT put a revised examination cut-score standard into effect on February 1, 2025. This was announced in advance through ARRT's cut-score notice for the discipline. Two clarifications keep this from being misread:

• The reported passing score remains 75 on the scaled range. Candidates do not see a different "magic number" on their score report.
• What changed is the underlying standard that determines how raw performance maps onto the scaled score, which is a psychometric matter handled by ARRT, not something you can reverse-engineer from a single year's pass rate.

Because the 2025 report year spans the effective date, it is reasonable to expect that comparisons with earlier years should be made carefully, if at all. We are not asserting any directional change, since the source does not state one. The practical takeaway for candidates is simple: prepare for the content, and let ARRT's standard-setting be ARRT's job.

For the full explanation of how scores are reported and what the passing mark means in practice, read RTN Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass.

Why 75 Is Not 75% Correct

This is the most common misunderstanding among nuclear medicine students, and it directly affects how you read pass-rate data. ARRT reports results as a scaled score on a 1-99 range, with a passing score of 75. Scaled scoring exists so that exam forms of slightly different difficulty can be compared fairly. A 75 does not mean you answered 75% of questions correctly.

The practical consequence: because 30 of the 230 questions are unscored pilot items and you cannot tell which, you must treat every question as if it counts. Do not spend emotional energy trying to guess which items are "throwaways."

Where the Points Live: Four Domains, 200 Scored Items

The controlling blueprint for examinations through January 31, 2027 is the Nuclear Medicine Technology Examination Content Specifications, effective January 1, 2022. The four official major content categories, with their scored-question counts out of 200, are below. We present them as counts because that is how the specifications state them; we are not converting them into inferred official percentages.

The lopsidedness is the whole story. Procedures alone accounts for 118 of the 200 scored questions, which is more than the other three domains combined (82). If a pass rate of 64.7% reflects anything about where candidates stumble, a reasonable inference is that deep procedural and radiopharmaceutical knowledge separates passers from non-passers, though the report does not break results down by domain, so we frame that as a study-planning logic rather than a data finding. For a content-area walkthrough, see RTN Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 4 Content Areas.

Exam Format and Pacing

Understanding the mechanics removes avoidable stress and lets you pace yourself. The exam is computer-based and delivered at Pearson VUE test centers. You get 230 minutes of examination answering time across 230 questions, which works out to a little under one minute per item. The full appointment is 250 minutes, because the tutorial, nondisclosure agreement, and survey take additional time outside the answering clock.

• Question types: primarily single-best-answer multiple choice, with possible alternative item formats and image-based questions. The ARRT handbook also describes multiple-response and ordered-response formats, so be prepared to select more than one answer or sequence steps in order.
• Closed book: no reference materials.
• Calculators: basic and scientific on-screen calculators are available, and Pearson can supply a basic four-function calculator on request. Personal calculators are prohibited.
• Navigation: you must answer each item before advancing, but you may flag questions and revisit them later.

If you want to test your timing against realistic item styles before exam day, the RTN practice tests are built for exactly that kind of repetition.

How Eligibility Filters the Candidate Pool

The pass rate only makes sense in light of who is allowed to sit. Primary eligibility requires an associate degree or higher from an ARRT-recognized accredited institution (the degree may be in any major and must be conferred before the exam), completion of an ARRT-verified nuclear medicine technology educational program with its didactic and clinical competencies, and compliance with ethics requirements.

The clinical component is substantial: eight general patient-care activities (including CPR certification), five quality-control activities, and 25 different diagnostic/therapeutic procedures, with no more than five procedures simulated. The program director or designee must verify competency through in-person direct observation; remote or virtual observation is not accepted. By the time a candidate reaches the exam, they have already demonstrated hands-on competence, which is part of why failing the exam is a meaningful signal about knowledge gaps rather than clinical ability. For the complete prerequisites, see RTN Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.

Attempts, Fees and the Three-Year Clock

Because roughly a third of first-time candidates in 2025 did not pass, the retake rules matter. Here is how the mechanics work.

Two separate three-year clocks exist and candidates often confuse them. The first is the deadline to apply: you must have your degree and submit the application within three years of completing your program. The second is the window to use your attempts: three examination attempts within three years of the opening of the initial examination window. They are independent, so passing the first does not extend the second. For the cost picture in full, including renewal, see RTN Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown, and for scheduling logistics see RTN Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling.

Scheduling Your Prep by Domain Weight

Rather than a generic study calendar, allocate time in proportion to where the scored questions are. This is a four-week skeleton you can stretch to fit your timeline; it assumes you are working from the 2022 content specifications, which remain the controlling source for exams through January 31, 2027.

The logic is straightforward: front-load the heaviest content while your energy is highest, then use the final week to integrate and rehearse under realistic timing. Our RTN Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts is a good companion for the last few days. And do not blend in material from the separate 2027 specifications, which become effective February 1, 2027; stick with the 2022 version if you are testing in 2026.

After You Pass: Renewal and Continuing Qualifications

Passing the exam earns the credential; keeping it requires ongoing compliance. Certification and registration are maintained through annual renewal at $65 regardless of how many ARRT credentials you hold, continuing compliance with ethics requirements, and 24 approved CE credits per two-year biennium (per biennium, not per credential).

Credentials earned on or after January 1, 2011 also carry Continuing Qualifications Requirements every 10 years: a professional profile, a structured self-assessment, and any prescribed CE. ARRT also permits accepting the maximum CQR CE prescription instead of taking the self-assessment. This is a long-horizon commitment that is worth knowing before you invest in the credential. If you are weighing that commitment against career outcomes, see Is the RTN Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 and RTN Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis, and browse RTN Jobs for where credentialed technologists work.

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