Which RD exam specification applies to you?
Exams taken up to 31 December 2026 follow the 2022–2026 specifications: Principles of Dietetics 21%, Nutrition Care for Individuals and Groups 45%, Management of Food and Nutrition Programs and Services 21%, Foodservice Systems 13%. Exams from 1 January 2027 follow the specifications CDR approved on 25 June 2025: Fundamentals of Dietetics Practice 23%, Community and Public Health Nutrition 22%, Human Nutrition and Medical Nutrition Therapy 40%, Food Science and Food Systems 15%.
2022–2026 specifications — in effect for exams taken from 2022-01-01 to 2026-12-31.
Approved by CDR on 14 September 2020.
| Domain | 2022–2026 specifications | 2027–2031 specifications |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Principles of Dietetics — 21% | Fundamentals of Dietetics Practice — 23% |
| 2 | Nutrition Care for Individuals and Groups — 45% | Community and Public Health Nutrition — 22% |
| 3 | Management of Food and Nutrition Programs and Services — 21% | Human Nutrition and Medical Nutrition Therapy — 40% |
| 4 | Foodservice Systems — 13% | Food Science and Food Systems — 15% |
What actually changed
- Community and Public Health Nutrition becomes its own domain at 22% — guidelines and policy, community needs assessment, and programmes for individuals and groups.
- The clinical block narrows: 45% "Nutrition Care for Individuals and Groups" becomes 40% "Human Nutrition and Medical Nutrition Therapy", which now explicitly includes fundamentals of human nutrition and physiology alongside the Nutrition Care Process.
- Management and research move into a broader 23% "Fundamentals of Dietetics Practice" domain that also covers professional practice and marketing.
- Foodservice becomes "Food Science and Food Systems" at 15%, adding food science to menu development and the flow of food from procurement to service.
CDR publishes both documents on its study page; confirm there before your exam date.
How this works
Both blueprints are transcribed from the CDR specification PDFs, with the effective dates printed on those documents. The tool compares your exam date against those windows; it does not guess at a future revision. If CDR republishes either document the source registry flags this page for review before anything here changes.
Worked examples
An exam on 15 December 2026 falls under the 2022–2026 specification, so the 45% nutrition-care domain is the priority. An exam on 10 January 2027 falls under the new one, where clinical content drops to 40% and a new 22% Community and Public Health Nutrition domain appears — a block that barely existed as a standalone area before.
Study the topic
- Nutrition Care for Individuals and Groups (45% of the RD exam) · practice questions
- Management of Food and Nutrition Programs and Services (21% of the RD exam) · practice questions
20 original questions, weighted like the real blueprint. No signup. Results in minutes.
Primary references
- 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
- Registered Dietitian Examination Test Specifications and Study Outline, January 1 2027 – December 31 2031 — Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) · primary · retrieved 2026-09-22, verified 2026-09-22
- CDR study resources — current and future test specifications — Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) · primary · retrieved 2026-09-22, verified 2026-09-22