Nutrition Care for Individuals and Groups

45% of the RD exam · blueprint Test specifications 2022-01-01 to 2026-12-31 (2027-2031 spec published; see the transition tool)

Short answer

At 45% this is the largest domain on the current RD exam. It follows the Nutrition Care Process end to end: screening and assessment including anthropometrics, biochemical data, clinical findings, dietary history and comparative standards; nutrition diagnosis using PES statements; planning and intervention including medical nutrition therapy across disease states and the lifespan; and monitoring and evaluation against measurable outcomes.

Why it matters on this exam

Nearly half the scored exam. If you are short of time, this domain is the plan.

Key concepts

The Nutrition Care Process: assessment, diagnosis, intervention, monitoring and evaluation — and the fact that a nutrition diagnosis is not a medical diagnosis.
PES statements: problem (the nutrition diagnosis) related to aetiology as evidenced by signs and symptoms. The aetiology is what the intervention targets; the signs and symptoms are what you monitor.
Assessment domains: food and nutrition history, anthropometric measurements, biochemical data and medical tests, nutrition-focused physical findings, and client history.
Estimating needs: energy equations and their limits, protein by condition (stress, wounds, renal, hepatic), fluid requirements, and refeeding-syndrome risk.
MNT across conditions: diabetes, cardiovascular disease, renal disease and dialysis, hepatic disease, GI conditions including malabsorption, oncology, critical care, and enteral and parenteral nutrition selection and complications.
Lifespan: pregnancy and lactation, infancy and childhood growth charts, adolescence, and older adults including sarcopenia and polypharmacy.

Common mistakes

Writing a PES statement whose aetiology cannot be addressed by nutrition intervention, which leaves nothing to treat.
Choosing parenteral nutrition when the gut is usable — if the gut works, use it.

Worked example

"Inadequate oral intake related to nausea from chemotherapy as evidenced by 8% weight loss in one month and intake at 50% of estimated needs." The intervention targets the nausea-driven intake barrier; monitoring tracks weight and percentage of needs met, not the chemotherapy.

Original practice questions

Nutrition Care for Individuals and GroupsDifficulty 3/5

Which PES statement is correctly constructed?

ANausea related to chemotherapy as evidenced by the client's report of poor appetite
BWeight loss related to cancer as evidenced by an unintentional loss of 8% in one month
CType 2 diabetes related to insulin resistance as evidenced by an A1c of 8.9%
DInadequate oral intake related to chemotherapy-induced nausea as evidenced by 8% weight loss

Show answer and rationale

Correct: D. A PES statement names a nutrition diagnosis, an aetiology that nutrition intervention can address, and measurable signs and symptoms. Type 2 diabetes and nausea are medical diagnoses and symptoms, not nutrition diagnoses.

C — Type 2 diabetes is a medical diagnosis, which cannot be the problem in a PES statement.
A — Nausea is a symptom and a medical issue rather than a nutrition diagnosis.
B — Weight loss is a sign that belongs in the evidence, and cancer is not a modifiable aetiology.

Nutrition Care for Individuals and GroupsDifficulty 3/5

A malnourished patient who has eaten almost nothing for ten days is started on nutrition support. Which laboratory change signals refeeding syndrome?

AA fall in serum phosphorus, potassium and magnesium within days of feeding
BA rise in blood urea nitrogen reflecting increased protein catabolism
CA fall in serum albumin as the acute-phase response intensifies
DA rise in serum sodium as fluid shifts into the intracellular space

Show answer and rationale

Correct: A. Reintroducing carbohydrate drives insulin release, pushing phosphate, potassium and magnesium intracellularly. Falling levels of those three electrolytes in the first days of feeding is the defining picture, and feeding must be advanced slowly with replacement and thiamine.

D — Sodium shifts are not the defining marker of refeeding syndrome.
B — Rising urea reflects protein load or renal function, not refeeding.
C — Albumin is a negative acute-phase reactant and a poor nutrition marker.

Nutrition Care for Individuals and GroupsDifficulty 2/5

A patient with a functioning gastrointestinal tract cannot meet needs orally after a stroke. What is the appropriate nutrition support?

APeripheral parenteral nutrition until the swallow assessment is complete
BEnteral nutrition, because the gut is functional and should be used
CCentral parenteral nutrition to guarantee that full needs are met
DOral supplements alone with monitoring of intake for another week

Show answer and rationale

Correct: B. When the gut works, it is used: enteral nutrition preserves gut integrity, carries fewer infectious and metabolic risks than parenteral routes and is the standard choice in this situation.

A — Parenteral nutrition is not indicated when the gut is functional.
C — Central access adds risk with no advantage over a working gut.
D — Continuing oral supplements alone while intake is inadequate prolongs the deficit.

All 6 Nutrition Care for Individuals and Groups questions →

Tools for this topic

Which RD exam specification applies to you? — Enter your exam date to see whether the 2022–2026 or the 2027–2031 CDR specification governs it, with both blueprints side by side and a plain summary of what moved.

5 flashcards for Nutrition Care for Individuals and Groups

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Blueprint-mapped questions with full rationales for every choice.

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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

Last reviewed: 2026-09-22Next review by: 2026-11-21Draft — pending editorial reviewHow we verify facts