RD exam guides
Direct answers for RD exam format, studying, exam day, scores, and what to do next.
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About two in three first attempts pass the RD exam, according to CDR's latest reports, and repeat attempts pass far less often. Here are the official first-attempt, repeat, one-year and program-level rates, and the design features that make the exam hard.
Read the guideFrom January 1, 2027, CDR's RD exam follows the 2027–2031 test specifications, with four new domains and Human Nutrition and Medical Nutrition Therapy at 40%. See which outline your test date puts you on, where each 2022–2026 topic moved, and what stays the same.
Read the guideTo sit CDR's RD exam you need a graduate degree in any field plus ACEND-accredited coursework and supervised practice. See the four pathways, who is exempt from the 2024 graduate degree rule, how your program director submits you, and how the one-year Authorization to Test works.
Read the guideFor an RD exam on or after January 1, 2027, divide your time by CDR's new weights: 40% Human Nutrition and Medical Nutrition Therapy, 23% Fundamentals, 22% Community and Public Health, 15% Food Science and Food Systems. Here are hour budgets, 8- and 12-week schedules, and how to use CDR's free materials.
Read the guideCDR's RD exam costs $250 per attempt, or $350 with a Test Bundle that includes a discounted retake. See when the bundle pays off, which mistakes forfeit the fee, how cancellations and illness are handled, and what you pay after passing.
Read the guideEvery RD exam candidate answers 125 to 145 four-option questions in 3 hours, with 25 unscored pretest questions mixed in and no going back. Here is how CDR's adaptive format works, how to pace it, and what stopping at 125 questions does and doesn't mean.
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How the RD exam is structured, timed and scored.
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