NTN REACT study guide
NTN REACT · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
NTN REACT is a reactor-operator style certification exam built around the knowledge a nuclear power plant operator needs at the console: how the core behaves, how systems respond, and how to act safely when they do not. It suits candidates preparing for licensed operator roles, simulator instructors, maintenance and engineering staff moving toward operations, and technicians who want a structured way to prove their understanding of pressurized-water reactor fundamentals. The NTN REACT study guide has 7 sections and about 2,399 words.
01Reactor Theory and Nuclear Physics
Domain 1 tests the neutron balance of a reactor: how multiplication, delayed neutrons, reactivity, poisons, and temperature feedback determine whether power rises, falls, or holds steady. Criticality is k eff = 1.
350 words, about 2 min02Reactor Operations and Control
Domain 2 covers maneuvering the reactor from subcritical through power operation: rod and boron worth, startup rate, period, power defect, and closed-loop control of temperature, pressure, and level. Approach criticality by boron dilution or rod withdrawal in small steps; verify counts and inverse-count-rate behavior before adding positive reactivity.
352 words, about 2 min03Radiation Protection and Health Physics
Domain 3 tests dose control, contamination control, and instrument use. The exam expects you to apply ALARA and the 10 CFR 20 limits, not just recite them.
342 words, about 2 min04Nuclear Safety and Emergency Procedures
Domain 4 covers accident recognition, protective actions, and emergency classification. The exam tests whether you can connect indications to a procedure and an emergency action level (EAL), not whether you can memorize a slogan.
335 words, about 2 min05Reactor Systems and Components
Domain 5 tests the major flow paths and how components interact: RCS, pressurizer, steam generators, turbine, condensate/feedwater, and safety systems. The RCS transfers heat from fuel to steam generators.
354 words, about 2 min06Instrumentation and Control
Domain 6 tests measurement, logic, and setpoints. The exam expects you to know how a signal becomes a trip and why redundancy is not the same as independence.
320 words, about 2 min07Regulatory Requirements and Documentation
Domain 7 tests the regulatory frame: what must be done, by when, and in what document. The exam expects specific citations and deadlines.
346 words, about 2 min