RHIT exam-day guide
RHIT · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Government-issued photo ID with your signature
A valid driver's license, state ID, or passport. The first and last name on the ID must match the name on your exam appointment exactly - if you've had a name change, resolve the mismatch with the provider before test day, not at the check-in desk.
Second form of identification (if required)
Some testing centers ask for a secondary ID (e.g., a credit card or employee badge with signature). Confirm with the provider whether one is required so you are not turned away at check-in.
Appointment confirmation / eligibility details
Bring your appointment confirmation number and the email or letter showing your authorization to test. Confirm with the provider whether a printed copy is required or whether a digital copy on your phone is acceptable - remember your phone will be stored in a locker, not at your desk.
A planned route and arrival time
Know the test center address, parking options, and transit schedule, and plan to arrive roughly 30 minutes before your appointment so there is time for check-in, ID verification, and the locker process. Confirm the exact arrival window with the provider.
Practice with the on-screen calculator before test day
Personal calculators are almost never permitted. If your exam provides an on-screen calculator, learn its layout in advance so you are not learning it mid-question. Confirm with the provider whether an on-screen calculator is available for this exam.
Empty pockets and a bare wrist
Phones, smartwatches, fitness bands, and any other electronics must be turned off and stored in the provided locker. Do not bring notes, flashcards, or study sheets into the testing room at all.
Scratch materials - center-provided only
Most centers supply a dry-erase board or paper and pencil for calculations and will collect them at the end. Do not bring your own. Confirm with the provider what writing materials are supplied.
Medical or testing accommodations already arranged
If you need accommodations (extra time, a separate room, medication or food breaks), they must be requested and approved well before the appointment date. Bring any approval documentation the provider tells you to bring.
Comfortable layers
Testing rooms are often cold and you cannot leave to fetch a jacket once the exam starts. A light layer you can remove is the safer choice.
Water and a snack for afterward in your locker
You will not have food or drink at your workstation. Anything you bring stays in the locker and is accessible only if you take an unscheduled break, during which the clock keeps running.
A one-page formula and terminology sheet to review from memory the night before
Focus on calculations you may be asked to perform (length of stay, occupancy and bed turnover rates, mortality and autopsy rates, infection rates, service-unit percentages, release-of-information turnaround, and basic statistics). These go in the locker - the point is rehearsal, not reference during the exam.
Plan the day
Confirm the appointment date, time, and test center location, and verify the name on your registration matches your ID. Resolve any discrepancy now - rescheduling or name changes late in the game usually carry a fee or a lost seat. Confirm reschedule and cancellation deadlines with the provider.
Take one full-length timed practice set under exam conditions - no notes, no phone, single sitting. Use it only to practice pacing and to identify your two weakest domains; do not spiral into re-teaching yourself entire domains at this point.
Re-read condensed summaries of your two weakest domains and do targeted practice questions there. Review the formulas list once, out loud or on paper, until you can reproduce it from memory.
Stop introducing brand-new content. Review only material you have already studied: flagged questions, formula sheet, and short summaries of each domain. Protect your sleep schedule starting tonight.
Lay out your ID, appointment confirmation, and layers in one place. Confirm your route and departure time, factoring in traffic and parking. Check that your phone will be charged for the trip but silenced and stowed at the center.
Do one light 30-45 minute review pass in the morning or early afternoon, then stop. No cramming after dinner. Eat a normal meal and go to bed at your usual time - a full night's sleep outperforms two extra hours of review.
Eat a real breakfast and hydrate, but not so much that you are uncomfortable sitting for a long block. Avoid heavy caffeine if you are not a regular user. Do not attempt a last-minute study session in the parking lot.
Arrive roughly 30 minutes early. Expect ID check, a photo or palm-vein scan, a brief rules briefing, and locker storage. If you arrive after your scheduled start time, you may be refused entry and lose your fee - confirm the late-arrival policy with the provider.
Budget your time against the total item count before you begin. For a 150-item exam in 210 minutes that is roughly 1.4 minutes per item; aim to be at the halfway point with about half the clock remaining.
Answer every item on first pass and flag the long calculations or two-answer dilemmas for return. There is no penalty for a wrong answer, so never leave an item blank.
Use the scratch materials for every calculation, write the formula before plugging in numbers, and check units (days vs. visits, per 100 vs. per 1,000). Watch for distractors built from the wrong numerator or denominator.
Return to flagged items. On definitional questions, eliminate two options first, then choose between the remaining two on the basis of the exact wording in the stem. Do not change answers on a hunch alone - change only when you can name the specific reason.
Most computer-based credentialing exams display a preliminary pass/fail on screen at the end and provide a score report. Confirm with the provider how and when official results are released and whether a printed report is issued at the center.
Rules to check
Bring valid, unexpired government-issued photo ID with your signature; the name must match your appointment record exactly. Without acceptable ID you will not be admitted, and you generally forfeit your fee - confirm the acceptable ID list with the provider.
No personal items at the workstation. Phones, smartwatches, notes, books, and any study material stay in the locker or at home. Bringing prohibited materials into the testing room can void your score and be treated as misconduct.
Writing materials, if any, are supplied by the center and collected before you leave. Do not write on anything you brought in, and do not take scratch materials out of the room.
Breaks, if you take them, are unscheduled and the clock keeps running. Raise your hand and follow the administrator's instructions to avoid an incident report. Confirm the specific break policy with the provider.
The exam is scored on correct answers only - there is no penalty for guessing, so answer every item. A portion of the items may be unscored pretest questions, so do not assume a strange item means you are failing.
You will likely be asked to accept a confidentiality agreement covering exam content. Do not discuss, reconstruct, or share specific exam items afterward - doing so is a violation that can result in score invalidation.
Scoring is typically reported on a scaled score with a fixed passing standard rather than a raw percentage. Confirm the current passing standard, score scale, and retake policy with the provider rather than relying on numbers from older study guides.
If you need to reschedule or cancel, do it before the provider's deadline - late changes usually forfeit the fee. If an emergency occurs on test day, contact the provider and the test center as soon as possible and document the situation.