ARRT CT exam-day guide
ARRT CT · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Appointment confirmation
Print or save the scheduling confirmation from the test vendor showing your name, exam title (ARRT Computed Tomography), date, time, and test-center address.
Primary photo ID
A valid, unexpired government-issued photo ID with your signature (driver's license, state ID, passport, or military ID). The name must match your name exactly as it appears on your ARRT record and appointment - confirm the exact ID requirements and whether a second form of ID is required in the ARRT Candidate Handbook and with the test vendor.
Secondary ID
Some testing programs require a second signature-bearing form of ID (such as a signed credit card or signed Social Security card). needs_review - verify with the test vendor which secondary IDs are accepted before test day.
Names consistent on all documents
If your ID shows a different name (maiden vs. married, middle initial, hyphenation) than your ARRT record, contact ARRT and the test vendor in advance to correct it - mismatches can prevent admission.
Arrival plan
Know the route, parking, and building/floor of the test center. Plan to arrive well before your appointment time (many centers ask for about 30 minutes early for check-in) - confirm the recommended arrival time on your confirmation.
Leave prohibited items behind
Do not bring study notes, textbooks, phones, smartwatches, fitness trackers, earbuds, or any recording device into the testing room. Plan where your personal items will go - most centers provide a small locker, but confirm.
Layered clothing
Dress comfortably in layers; testing rooms are often cool. Avoid loose sleeves, bulky pockets, hats, and jewelry that may prompt extra security checks or need to be removed.
Approved accommodations
If you need extra time or other accommodations, it must have been requested from ARRT in advance with documentation. Accommodations are not granted on test day - confirm your approval status is on file.
Light-review materials only
Bring a one- or two-page summary of heavily weighted content (patient care and safety, image production, procedures, and physics/instrumentation) for a quick glance before check-in - expect to hand off or store all materials before entering the room.
Water and a light snack
Eat a normal breakfast; carry water and a snack for before or after the exam. Most centers do not allow food or drink in the testing room - confirm the center's policy on accessibility during any break.
Eligibility window check
Confirm your exam eligibility window and that your appointment falls inside it; missed windows may require re-application. needs_review - verify current window rules with ARRT.
Rest and logistics
Protect your sleep for the two nights before the exam rather than adding late-night cramming; fatigue costs more points than a final hour of review gains.
Plan the day
Re-read your appointment confirmation and the ARRT Candidate Handbook sections on ID, prohibited items, arrival time, and scoring. Confirm the test-center address and drive time, and decide your parking and backup route. Recheck that your ID is unexpired and names match.
Stop trying to relearn everything. Identify your three weakest content areas from practice tests and spend focused review time only on those, using your own notes and a published content specification outline.
Take one timed practice set of roughly exam length so you know your per-question pace and can decide in advance how you will handle long calculation or image-based items.
Shift your sleep schedule so you will be alert at your appointment time. If you have an early slot, practice waking at that hour.
Spend at most a couple of hours skimming your own summary sheet: scan parameters, radiation dose and protection terms, contrast reactions, and common procedures. Then stop, and do not start a new topic you have never studied.
Place your IDs, appointment confirmation, and directions in one place near the door. Set two alarms. Lay out your clothing.
Eat a normal dinner, avoid alcohol and heavy caffeine late in the day, and go to bed at your usual time. Confirm the weather forecast and adjust your departure time if needed.
Eat breakfast, hydrate moderately, take your IDs and confirmation, and leave with a buffer. Do not study in the car - arriving anxious and overloaded hurts more than it helps.
Arrive early, present your ID(s), complete any signature or biometric check-in, store personal items as directed, and use the restroom before you are seated. Follow staff instructions exactly.
Read each question completely and watch for qualifiers such as 'best,' 'first,' and 'except.' Answer every item - there is normally no penalty for guessing, so never leave a blank. If the delivery system offers a mark-for-review and review screen, use it once at the end rather than second-guessing every item as you go.
For calculations, estimate first so you can recognize an implausible answer. For protocol or patient-care questions, eliminate options that would increase dose unnecessarily or compromise patient safety, then choose the best remaining answer.
Follow center procedures for completing the exam and receiving your score report; keep any printed confirmation. Confirm with the test vendor and ARRT how and when official results are released and what the retake policy is before you leave the site.
Rules to check
Bring valid, unexpired identification with a signature and photo, with the name matching your appointment and ARRT record exactly; you may be refused admission otherwise. Confirm the accepted ID types and whether two forms are required with the test vendor before test day.
Do not bring phones, smartwatches, wearable devices, notes, books, or any recording device into the testing room. Unauthorized items in the testing area can result in your exam being voided; use the provided storage and confirm the center's rules at check-in.
You will likely be asked to accept a confidentiality agreement covering exam content; reproducing, discussing, or sharing specific exam questions is prohibited and may carry consequences from ARRT.
Follow all test-center staff directions, including any clothing, pocket-emptying, or security-screening procedures. Challenges to proctor instructions are handled after the exam, not during it.
If you need to leave the room, raise your hand and wait for staff; in most testing programs the clock continues to run during unscheduled breaks. Confirm the break policy for your appointment with the provider.
Scoring is reported as pass/fail with a scaled score; ARRT's scale runs from 1 to 99 with 75 as the minimum passing scaled score - verify the current passing standard in the ARRT Candidate Handbook, as standards can change.
Accommodations and any rescheduling must be arranged with ARRT and the test vendor in advance; they are not granted at the test center on the day of the exam.
If you do not pass, a waiting period applies before you may retest, and additional requirements may apply. Confirm the current retake policy with ARRT before scheduling again.