- What This Credential Actually Is
- Exam Facts at a Glance
- Where the 160 Scored Questions Come From
- Patient Care: Must-Know Points
- Image Production: Must-Know Points
- Procedures: Must-Know Points
- Scoring, Attempts and Fees
- Eligibility Checklist
- Test-Day Mechanics
- Scheduling Your Review by Domain
- Staying Certified After You Pass
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The exam has 210 questions, but only 160 are scored; 50 are unscored pilot items.
- Procedures carries 112 of 160 scored questions, so it is where most of your score is decided.
- A passing score is 75 on ARRT's 1-99 scaled range, not 75% correct.
- Eligibility requires 200 verified procedure repetitions plus 16 hours of structured education within 24 months.
What This Credential Actually Is
RTVI is the abbreviation this site uses for the Registered Technologist credential in Vascular-Interventional Radiography. The issuing body is the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT), and ARRT's official discipline name is Vascular Interventional Radiography (VI). Note that "RTVI" is a site shorthand, not ARRT's own designation for the discipline.
It is a postprimary credential, meaning you earn it on top of a primary pathway. It is separate from ARRT's Cardiac Interventional Radiography and Vascular Sonography credentials, and it is also separate from the CCI RCIS credential. If you are brand new to the terminology, the explainers at What Is RTVI? and What Does RTVI Stand For? cover the naming in more depth.
Everything on this page is built around the official ARRT content specifications for this credential (board approved July 2022, effective July 1, 2023). One small wrinkle: the 2025 annual exam report introduction mentions a July 2024 revision date, but the dedicated specifications and ARRT's own announcement establish July 1, 2023, and that is the date that controls the scope below.
Exam Facts at a Glance
| Item | What to Know |
|---|---|
| Issuer | American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) |
| Delivery | Computer-based at a Pearson VUE test center |
| Total questions | 210 (160 scored + 50 unscored pilot) |
| Answering time | 210 minutes |
| Appointment time | 230 minutes, including tutorial, nondisclosure agreement and survey |
| Format | Primarily single-best-answer multiple choice; possible alternative and image-based items; multiple-response and ordered-response formats are also described in the ARRT handbook |
| Reference materials | Closed book |
| Passing score | 75 on a 1-99 scaled-score range |
| Initial application fee | $225 USD |
| Reapplication fee | $200 USD |
| Attempts | Three, within three years of the opening of the initial examination window |
Where the 160 Scored Questions Come From
ARRT publishes scored-question allocations as counts, and it is safest to memorize them as counts rather than convert them to percentages the issuer does not state.
| Major Content Category | Scored Questions (of 160) |
|---|---|
| Patient Care | 22 |
| Image Production | 26 |
| Procedures | 112 |
Procedures is clearly the heavyweight, and it splits into three subareas:
- Vascular Diagnostic Procedures: 41
- Vascular Interventional Procedures: 41
- Nonvascular Procedures: 30
Those three numbers add up to 112. If you want the full breakdown of how each category is framed, see RTVI Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 3 Content Areas. The three domain names above are ARRT's official major examination content categories, not study-curriculum headings invented for preparation.
Patient Care: Must-Know Points
Domain 1: Patient Care (22 scored questions)
The smallest block, but these questions are usually the most approachable. Expect scenarios built around the patient in the interventional suite rather than the device in your hand.
- Patient assessment before and during a procedure, including recognizing changes in condition
- Consent, communication and patient preparation expectations
- Sedation and monitoring awareness from the technologist's perspective
- Medication and contrast considerations, including reactions and the appropriate response
- Sterile technique and infection control around the procedure field
- Ethics and professional conduct in a high-acuity setting
Because these items reward judgment more than recall, practice reading a scenario and asking what the technologist should do first. That "first action" framing shows up constantly in single-best-answer items.
Image Production: Must-Know Points
Domain 2: Image Production (26 scored questions)
This category covers the imaging chain and the equipment used in angiographic and interventional suites. Radiation protection lives here; there is no separate major safety domain on this exam.
- Fluoroscopic and digital imaging principles, including image quality factors
- Equipment components and how technique choices affect image and dose
- Radiation protection practices for patients, staff and the operator team
- Dose awareness and ways to reduce exposure during prolonged procedures
- Contrast delivery equipment and image-acquisition concepts
- Recognizing and correcting image artifacts
Procedures: Must-Know Points
With 112 of 160 scored questions, this is where your score is won or lost. A candidate who is strong here and merely adequate elsewhere is in much better shape than the reverse.
Vascular Diagnostic Procedures (41)
Diagnostic Angiography
Know the purpose, access, anatomy and typical approach for diagnostic studies.
- Arterial and venous anatomy relevant to catheter navigation
- Access site selection and closure considerations
- Catheter and guidewire selection for diagnostic work
- What the study is intended to demonstrate and what findings look like
Vascular Interventional Procedures (41)
Therapeutic Vascular Interventions
These questions test the equipment, sequence and complications of treating vascular disease.
- Angioplasty, stenting and related device concepts
- Embolization and the materials used
- Thrombolysis and thrombectomy concepts
- Vena cava filter and venous intervention basics
- Anticipating complications and the supplies you should have ready
Nonvascular Procedures (30)
Nonvascular Interventions
Often underestimated, these 30 questions can be the difference between passing and not.
- Image-guided biopsy and drainage concepts
- Tube placement and related access procedures
- Equipment, setup and patient positioning for nonvascular work
- Complication recognition specific to non-vascular sites
Because the exam is partly image-based, practice identifying anatomy and findings on angiograms, not just reading about them. If you have been wondering how demanding this content is overall, How Hard Is the RTVI Exam? breaks down where candidates tend to struggle.
Scoring, Attempts and Fees
The single most common misunderstanding is the passing score. A 75 on ARRT's 1-99 scaled-score range is not 75% correct. Scaled scores adjust for differences in difficulty across exam forms, so the raw number of questions you need can vary. Do not plan around a raw-percentage target; plan around mastering the content. The full explanation is at RTVI Passing Score 2026.
- First-time pass rate: ARRT's Annual Exam Report for 2025 lists 61.2% for first-time candidates (n=454). That is a modest sample, so treat it as context rather than a prediction. More on interpreting it at RTVI Pass Rate 2026.
- Attempts: Three attempts, all within three years of the opening of your initial examination window.
- Fees: $225 for the initial application and $200 for each examination reapplication.
Key Takeaway
Because retakes cost $200 each and the attempt window is finite, it is cheaper and safer to delay your first attempt until your practice results are consistently solid than to use the exam as a diagnostic. See RTVI Certification Cost 2026 for a fuller pricing picture.
Eligibility Checklist
You cannot sit for this exam on content knowledge alone. Postprimary eligibility has three layers, and all must be satisfied.
Credential and ethics
- Current ARRT certification and registration in Radiography
- Compliance with ARRT ethics requirements
- Nuclear Medicine Technology or Radiation Therapy alone is not a supporting credential for VI
Structured education
- 16 hours of structured education completed within the 24 months before you apply
- At least one credit in each major content category
Clinical experience
- Current BLS certification from an ARRT-recognized provider
- At least 200 verified procedure repetitions within the 24-month eligibility window
- Minimums of 50 each in vascular diagnostic, vascular interventional and nonvascular categories, plus 50 additional repetitions from any category
- Record 5-10 repetitions per selected procedure, and log no more than 10 procedures per day
Verification must come from a qualified ARRT-certified and registered technologist, a supervisor or an interpreting physician. For postprimary requirements, verifiers do not need to have directly observed your work and may verify remotely, which helps if your supervising staff are spread across sites. The step-by-step version is in RTVI Requirements 2026.
Test-Day Mechanics
- Where: A Pearson VUE test center; scheduling details are covered in RTVI Exam Dates 2026.
- Time budget: 210 minutes of answering time across 210 questions leaves roughly one minute per item before you account for flagged-question review. Pace yourself accordingly.
- Appointment length: Plan for 230 minutes total, since the tutorial, nondisclosure agreement and survey are part of the appointment.
- Answer each item before advancing: You cannot skip a question blind, but you can answer, flag it and return later.
- Calculators: Basic and scientific on-screen calculators are available. Pearson can supply a basic four-function calculator on request. Personal calculators are prohibited.
- Closed book: No notes or reference materials.
Because you must commit an answer before moving on, develop a habit during practice: choose your best answer, flag it if unsure and keep moving. Burning five minutes on one pilot item is a real cost you cannot recover.
Scheduling Your Review by Domain
Rather than a generic plan, weight your calendar to match the exam's actual allocation. Procedures deserves the majority of your hours because it holds 112 of 160 scored questions.
Patient Care and Image Production
- Cover the two smaller domains first; they are compact and give early momentum
- Fold radiation protection into your imaging-chain study, since it is counted under Image Production
Vascular Diagnostic and Interventional Procedures
- Spend the bulk of your calendar on these two 41-question areas
- Pair anatomy review with angiogram image practice
Nonvascular Procedures and Mixed Review
- Give the 30-question nonvascular area its own dedicated block
- Finish with full-length timed practice to rehearse the 210-minute pace
For a broader plan that connects this schedule to question practice, see the RTVI Study Guide 2026, and use the RTVI practice test site to rehearse the image-based and multi-format question styles.
Staying Certified After You Pass
Earning the credential is not the finish line. ARRT maintenance has three recurring pieces:
- Annual renewal: $65 per year, regardless of how many ARRT credentials you hold.
- Continuing education: 24 approved CE credits per two-year biennium. This is per biennium, not per credential, so holding more than one credential does not multiply the requirement.
- Ethics compliance: Ongoing, as with the initial application.
Credentials earned on or after January 1, 2011 also carry Continuing Qualifications Requirements (CQR) every 10 years. That includes a professional profile, a structured self-assessment and any prescribed CE. ARRT also permits you to accept the maximum CQR CE prescription instead of taking the self-assessment.
Thinking about the return on all this effort? The career-side questions are addressed in Is the RTVI Certification Worth It? and RTVI Salary Guide 2026, and if you want a head start on the hiring side, RTVI Jobs covers where this credential is used. When you are ready to test yourself against realistic questions, the main practice exam platform is the place to start.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are 210 questions in total. 160 are scored and 50 are unscored pilot questions. You will not be told which are which, so answer every item carefully.
No. 75 is a scaled score on ARRT's 1-99 range. Scaling accounts for difficulty differences between exam forms, so it does not translate directly into a raw percentage of correct answers.
Procedures. It accounts for 112 of the 160 scored questions, split among Vascular Diagnostic (41), Vascular Interventional (41) and Nonvascular (30). Patient Care has 22 and Image Production has 26.
No. You must be physically present in an active primary scrub or circulating role throughout the procedure. Observation alone does not qualify, and you may log no more than 10 procedures per day.
You have three attempts within three years of the opening of your initial examination window. The initial application is $225 and each examination reapplication is $200.