How the plan sets your priorities
Rate how each domain went on your last attempt. If your score report shows results by domain, use them; the planner doesn't need exact scores. So the planner asks you instead: the domains you mark as hard start your plan, mixed ones are strengthened, and confident ones get lighter review. Your answers are a self-assessment, not an official result.
Each domain starts from its share of the exam in the official outline, multiplied by its priority: 3× to start, 2× to strengthen, 1.5× if you leave it blank, and 1× to maintain. A quarter of your time is mixed practice across all domains. This is Passy’s planning method; it doesn’t estimate a score or a chance of passing.
Retake rules for the RD exam
Wait 45 calendar days after a failed attempt (the retest must be on or after day 46), then reauthorize with CDR and pay the exam fee again; no attempt limit for candidates eligible before 2027, and a lifetime limit of eight attempts for those who establish eligibility on or after January 1, 2027.
- The handbook says candidates may retest 46 days after an unsuccessful attempt; the FAQ says they may reauthorize and reschedule earlier, but the appointment must fall on or after day 46. minDaysBetweenAttempts is set to 46 so the earliest retest date is exam date + 46 days.
- A one-time 45-day waiver is available with an employer letter stating the candidate must pass sooner to keep their job.
- maxAttempts is null because the eight-attempt lifetime limit applies only to eligibility established on or after January 1, 2027; earlier-eligible candidates have no limit (Exam FAQ 2025).
- An optional $350 test bundle voucher covers the first attempt plus a discounted retake.
- State licensure boards may have their own retesting rules.
- RD Exam Handbook for Candidates (2026), Reauthorization; RD Exam Overview (Commission on Dietetic Registration)
Checked against official sources on October 24, 2026.
Next steps
Check your weakest domain with the free RD exam practice set, or use the RD exam study planner for a first attempt.
Passy is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or approved by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) or the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. RD, RDN, Registered Dietitian, and Registered Dietitian Nutritionist are marks owned by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and CDR, used here only to identify the exam. Passy practice questions are original study material and contain no CDR exam items or CDR practice questions.