ARRT Mammography exam-day guide
ARRT Mammography · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Government-issued photo ID
Bring at least one current, unexpired government-issued photo ID with a signature. The name on the ID should match the name on your ARRT record exactly. Confirm with the test provider which specific forms of ID are accepted and whether a second ID is required.
Appointment confirmation and ARRT ID number
Bring your testing appointment confirmation (printed or on paper, since phones are usually stored) and have your ARRT identification number written down on paper. Confirm with the provider whether printed confirmation is required.
Verification that your application is complete and you are authorized to test
Log into your ARRT account in the days before the exam to confirm your eligibility window is open and your authorization is active. Do not rely on memory - check the status directly.
Testing center logistics: address, parking, transit, and arrival time
Do a dry run or map the route in advance, note parking options and costs, and plan to arrive earlier than your appointment. The recommended arrival buffer is set by the test provider - confirm the exact number of minutes.
Leave prohibited items behind or plan to store them
Phones, smartwatches, fitness trackers, notes, textbooks, and study cards are not allowed in the testing room. Most centers provide a secure locker. Confirm with the test center what storage is available and what is prohibited.
Comfortable layered clothing
Testing rooms are often cold and sessions are long; dress in layers and avoid clothing with large pockets or elaborate fastenings that slow security screening.
Glasses or contacts if you normally use them
You will read a computer screen for an extended period. Bring your usual corrective lenses and any medication you may need; confirm with the provider how medications are handled and whether they must be declared.
A quick-reference sheet you will NOT bring inside
Use a one-page summary of high-yield content - positioning criteria, QC concepts, dose and technique factors - for review the night before and the morning of, then leave it in the car or at home. It cannot enter the testing room.
Sleep, food, and hydration plan
Schedule a normal night's sleep and a light meal before the appointment. Plan to use the restroom before you are seated, since leaving the testing room mid-exam may require check-out procedures.
Childcare, pet, and transportation backup plan
Arrange coverage so a last-minute problem does not force you to cancel. Confirm with the provider the policy on rescheduling and late arrival before the appointment date.
Written confirmation of any approved testing accommodations
If you requested accommodations, bring the approval documentation and confirm in advance with ARRT and the test center how the accommodation will be delivered.
Plan the day
Stop adding new material. Review the content categories published in the ARRT Mammography content specifications and make sure you can describe, at a high level, what each category covers: patient care and education, instrumentation and quality control, image production and technique, positioning and procedures, and image evaluation. Then take one timed practice set under exam conditions and spend the rest of the time reviewing only your weak areas.
Re-read the candidate admission and conduct rules on the ARRT and test-provider websites - ID requirements, what is prohibited, arrival time, and the reschedule/cancellation policy. Write the appointment address, time, and your ARRT ID on a piece of paper and put it with your ID.
Confirm your commute: check parking, traffic patterns, and transit schedules for the appointment day. If the appointment is early, set two alarms and consider a backup ride.
Light review only: skim your own summary sheet, focus on frequently confused distinctions (for example, positioning criteria vs. image-quality acceptance criteria, and which quality-control test detects which problem). Do not cram overnight.
Pack your ID, appointment confirmation, ARRT number, glasses, and layers in one place by the door. Charge nothing you plan to bring - leave electronics at home. Set out the clothes you will wear.
Stop studying by early evening, eat a normal dinner, and go to bed at your usual time. Avoid alcohol and heavy caffeine late in the day.
Eat a light, normal breakfast, drink water, and use the restroom before you leave. Avoid trying to learn new content - a short skim of your summary sheet is enough.
Arrive at the testing center before your appointment with the buffer the provider recommends. Expect ID verification and a security check at check-in, so budget extra time.
Store everything prohibited in the locker or leave it in the car. Take only what the testing center permits into the room, plus the dry-erase materials or scratch paper they provide.
Read the full question and all answer choices before selecting. Many radiologic technology items hinge on one qualifying word (most, first, best, except). Answer the question actually asked.
Do two passes. In pass one, answer everything you know quickly and flag anything you would need more than about a minute on. In pass two, return to flagged items with your remaining time. Answer every question - confirm with the provider whether unanswered items are scored as incorrect.
For positioning and technique items, picture the actual exam: how the patient is positioned, what the compression does, what the acceptance criteria look like. For QC items, anchor on which problem each test is designed to detect.
If you lose focus or hit a hard block, take a breath, mark the item, and move on. Watch the clock at set intervals but do not check it after every question.
Follow the provider's process for receiving results - ask at check-in how and when score reports are delivered, and note that official score reporting timelines are set by ARRT and the testing vendor.
Rules to check
Bring valid, unexpired government-issued photo ID with a signature, and make sure the name matches your ARRT record exactly. If your ID name differs from your ARRT name, resolve it with ARRT before test day because the test center may refuse admission.
Never bring study materials, notes, or electronic devices into the testing room. Reviewing a study sheet before check-in is fine; bringing one inside is a conduct violation.
Treat the exam content as confidential. Sharing, reconstructing, or posting specific questions and answer choices violates the candidate agreement and can void your score and affect your certification eligibility.
You will likely be asked to accept a candidate/confidentiality agreement at check-in. Read it before you accept it, and ask the proctor if any term is unclear.
Breaks are governed by the test provider and your approved accommodations. Confirm in advance whether breaks are allowed, whether the clock stops during a break, and what check-in/check-out procedures apply if you leave the room.
If an accommodation is not pre-approved, do not expect to arrange one on arrival. Accommodation requests go through ARRT in advance, not through the proctor on test day.
If you arrive late, the center may not be able to seat you. Confirm the late-arrival and reschedule policies with the provider before the appointment date so you know exactly what happens and what it costs.
Your result is reported as a scaled score rather than a raw number correct, and the passing standard is a scaled score of 75. Confirm the current passing standard and score-report timing on ARRT's website rather than relying on secondhand information.