Limited Scope of Practice in Radiology Exam

Who administers the Limited Scope of Practice in Radiology exam?

The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists administers the test for state licensing agencies.

When will I receive my exam score?

The ARRT does not send test results to those who have taken the exam. Instead, the ARRT sends results directly to state licensing agencies.

How many questions are on the exam?

There are 100 questions on the core module portion of the test. Of those, 15 questions are unscored.

How much time do I have to complete the exam?

Candidates have one hour and 55 minutes to complete the test.

What are the categories on the Limited Scope of Practice in Radiology exam?

Candidates will take all areas of the Core Module listed below as well as one of the procedure modules.

Core Module

• Patient care has 18 total questions, all in the areas of patient interactions and management. Subjects include ethical and legal considerations such as the rights of patients; issues of confidentiality and privacy; various modes of communication including verbal, written and nonverbal; medical equipment assistance; monitoring, including vital signs; the cycle of infection including direct or indirect transmission mode; CDC standard precautions such as using personal protective equipment and how to safely handle contaminated equipment/surfaces; and asepsis and equipment disinfectant and sterilization, and medical aseptic and sterile techniques.
• Safety has 40 total questions in the categories of radiation physics and radiobiology (12 questions) and radiation protection (28 questions). Subjects include radiation physics principals and x-ray beam, target interactions and more; radiation protection, including patient exposure issue such as shielding and beam restriction; radiation’s biological aspects including radiosensitivity, and acute radiation syndromes and genetic effects; and patient protection to guard against various sources of radiation exposure (Primary e-ray beam, secondary radiation); protection methods that include shielding and distancing; types of protection devices; and exposure and monitoring of radiation.
• Image production is the largest test area with 42 total questions in image acquisition and technical evaluation (20 questions) and equipment evaluation and quality assurance (22 questions). The image acquisition section examines digital media characteristics like matrix size, sampling frequency and image signal; imaging equipment such as radiographic unit components, digital imaging components and DR image receptors; processing and display of images, including raw data, corrected data and data for display; and image evaluation of technical factors including contrast; spatial resolution; and radiation fog; and imaging equipment and accessories quality control, covering beam restriction, malfunction recognition and reporting, maintenance and testing of digital imaging receptor systems; and various shielding accessories like lead gloves and the like.

There are five procedure modules, each with 20 to 25 scored questions and another five unscored questions.

• Chest focuses on positioning issues
• Extremities, such as the toe and fingers, focus on anatomy
• Skull/sinuses, including facial bones, focus on evaluating displayed anatomical structure
• Spine, including the cervical, thoracic and lumbar, focuses on procedure adaptation (casts, splints, limited mobility, etc.)
• Podiatric, including foot and toe and ankles, focuses on equipment and accessories.