Registration Examination for Dietitians
The Registration Examination for Dietitians is a variable-length computer-adaptive test of 125 to 145 questions — 100 to 120 scored plus 25 pretest items — taken in three hours at Pearson VUE. It is scored on a scale of 1 to 50 and the minimum passing scaled score is 25. Because the test adapts, the number of correct answers needed to reach 25 differs between candidates and between forms.
Content outline and weights
Passing: The examination is scored on a scale of 1-50 and the minimum scaled score to pass is 25. Because the test is adaptive, the number of correct answers needed to reach 25 differs between candidates. (Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR))
Format
- Variable length: a minimum of 125 questions (100 scored + 25 pretest) and a maximum of 145 (120 scored + 25 pretest).
- You must answer at least 125 questions for the exam to be scored. If you do not reach 125 within the time limit, the exam shuts down and is scored as a failure because the result is inconclusive.
- 3 hours of exam time, plus a 20-minute tutorial and a 10-minute post-exam survey.
- Delivered at Pearson VUE; you receive a printed score report with content-area and total scaled scores.
Scoring
The scale runs 1 to 50 and 25 passes. The adaptive engine selects items based on your performance, so "how many can I get wrong" has no fixed answer — the number of correct responses needed to reach a scaled 25 varies from one examination to another.
Why pace matters differently here
On a fixed-length exam you can bank time. Here, falling short of 125 answered questions produces an automatic failure regardless of how well you answered the ones you finished. Treat 125 as the hard floor and plan roughly 85 seconds per question against the 3-hour clock.
Which blueprint applies
Two specifications are currently published. Exams up to 31 December 2026 follow the 2022–2026 specifications; exams from 1 January 2027 follow the specifications CDR approved in June 2025. Check yours with the specification tool before you plan anything.
Exam guides
- RD exam cost: the $250 fee and the 48-hour rules that cost more
The Registration Examination for Dietitians costs $250, paid by credit card when you register the appointment with Pearson, and it is separate from Academy membership dues and CDR registration maintenance fees. Appointments can be cancelled for a refund or rescheduled only online at least 48 hours before the appointment, and a retest requires reauthorisation from CDR before it can be scheduled.
- How to prepare for the RD exam when two specifications are in play
Study the specification that governs your exam date, not the one you first downloaded. If you test before 31 December 2026, nearly half the exam is the Nutrition Care Process, so that is where the hours go. If you test from 1 January 2027, clinical content drops to 40% and a new 22% Community and Public Health Nutrition domain appears — a block many candidates have never studied as a discrete topic.
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Primary references
- Handbook for Candidates — Registration Examination for Dietitians — Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) · primary · retrieved 2026-09-22, verified 2026-09-22
- Registered Dietitian Examination Test Specifications, January 1 2022 – December 31 2026 — Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) · primary · retrieved 2026-09-22, verified 2026-09-22