- The Three Content Areas at a Glance
- Where the 160 Scored Questions Go
- Domain 1: Patient Care
- Domain 2: Image Production
- Domain 3: Procedures
- How Questions Are Delivered
- Scaled Scores and What 75 Means
- How the Domains Connect to Your Eligibility Paperwork
- Sequencing Your Review Around the Domains
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The exam has three major content categories: Patient Care, Image Production and Procedures.
- Of 160 scored questions, Procedures carries 112, Image Production 26 and Patient Care 22.
- Radiation protection sits inside Image Production, not in a separate safety domain.
- Procedures splits into vascular diagnostic (41), vascular interventional (41) and nonvascular (30) questions.
The Three Content Areas at a Glance
This credential is awarded by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) under its Vascular Interventional Radiography (VI) discipline. On this site we abbreviate it RTVI, but that is our shorthand, not ARRT's designation. If you are new to the credential itself, our explainers on what RTVI is and what RTVI stands for cover the basics.
The examination content specifications, board approved in July 2022 and effective July 1, 2023, organize everything the exam can ask into three major content categories:
- Patient Care
- Image Production
- Procedures
These are the official examination categories, not study-curriculum headings invented by a prep provider. That distinction matters. Your review plan can be organized however it helps you, but the exam itself is built from this three-part blueprint, and every scored item maps to one of these areas.
Where the 160 Scored Questions Go
The exam contains 210 questions in total, but only 160 are scored. The other 50 are unscored pilot questions that ARRT uses to evaluate future items, and they are not identified for you. You should treat every question as if it counts.
The official allocation of the 160 scored questions is published as counts rather than percentages, and we keep it that way here instead of converting to inferred percentages.
| Content Category | Scored Questions (of 160) | Relative Size |
|---|---|---|
| Patient Care | 22 | Smallest |
| Image Production | 26 | Small |
| Procedures | 112 | Dominant |
The lopsided distribution is the single most important planning fact in this guide. Procedures accounts for 112 of the 160 scored questions, far more than the other two areas combined at 48. A candidate who knows Patient Care and Image Production cold but is shaky on procedures is working against the structure of the exam.
Domain 1: Patient Care
Patient Care carries 22 scored questions. It is the smallest category, but it is not trivial, and for an interventional exam the questions tend to be practical and scenario-driven rather than abstract.
Patient Care: What Candidates Must Understand
This category covers the bedside and procedural-suite responsibilities that surround an image-guided intervention. Think of it as everything that keeps the patient safe and the procedure on track before, during and after the work itself.
- Patient assessment and preparation before a procedure, including understanding what a given procedure requires of the patient
- Monitoring and recognizing changes in patient status during a case
- Medications, contrast agents and the reactions or complications that can accompany them
- Sterile technique and infection control in a procedure room
- Post-procedure care and recognizing complications that warrant escalation
Because these candidates are already ARRT-certified and registered in Radiography, general patient-care fundamentals are familiar. The shift in this exam is the interventional context: sterile field discipline, vascular access considerations, contrast and medication management, and what can go wrong after a catheter-based procedure. Expect questions that ask what you would do next, not just what a term means.
Domain 2: Image Production
Image Production carries 26 scored questions. It covers the equipment, imaging technique and radiation safety knowledge that make a fluoroscopic and angiographic procedure possible.
Image Production: What Candidates Must Understand
This is the technical backbone of the exam: how images are generated, optimized and controlled during vascular and nonvascular interventions.
- Angiographic and fluoroscopic equipment and how its components relate to image quality
- Technical factors that influence image quality and dose in a live procedure
- Contrast delivery and its relationship to imaging technique
- Radiation protection for the patient, the operator and staff, including strategies to reduce exposure
- Recognizing and responding to image quality problems
Because only 26 questions are at stake here, the efficient approach is to master the high-yield relationships (how technique choices affect both image quality and dose) rather than memorizing every equipment specification. For a compact refresher of those relationships, our one-page RTVI cheat sheet is a useful companion.
Domain 3: Procedures
Procedures is the heart of the exam, with 112 of 160 scored questions. ARRT subdivides it into three official groupings, and the split is useful for study planning.
| Procedures Subcategory | Scored Questions |
|---|---|
| Vascular Diagnostic Procedures | 41 |
| Vascular Interventional Procedures | 41 |
| Nonvascular Procedures | 30 |
| Total Procedures | 112 |
Vascular Diagnostic Procedures (41)
Diagnostic Vascular Imaging
Diagnostic work is about visualizing and evaluating the vascular system. Questions typically probe the anatomy being studied, how access and catheter selection support the study, and what the images are meant to demonstrate.
- Vascular anatomy across the arterial and venous systems and the variants that affect a study
- Access approaches and the equipment used to perform diagnostic angiography
- Contrast use and projections chosen to demonstrate specific vessels
- Indications, contraindications and the findings a diagnostic study is meant to reveal
Vascular Interventional Procedures (41)
Therapeutic Vascular Intervention
Interventional questions shift from looking at vessels to treating them. Expect emphasis on the devices used, the sequence of a procedure, and the technologist's role in preparing and supporting it.
- Devices and supplies used in catheter-based therapeutic procedures
- Procedure workflow and the technologist's setup and support responsibilities
- Indications for a given intervention and the complications that can follow
- Selecting appropriate equipment for a described clinical situation
Nonvascular Procedures (30)
Nonvascular Image-Guided Procedures
This subcategory covers image-guided work that does not involve the vascular system. It is the smallest of the three Procedures groupings, but at 30 questions it is larger than Patient Care and comparable to Image Production, so it should not be an afterthought.
- Image-guided procedures performed outside the vascular tree
- Specialized supplies and equipment particular to these cases
- Patient preparation, indications and potential complications specific to nonvascular work
One practical observation: the vascular diagnostic and vascular interventional groupings are equal in size at 41 questions each. Candidates whose daily work leans heavily toward one of them often discover a gap in the other. A technologist who logs mostly diagnostic angiography should deliberately shore up interventional device and workflow knowledge, and vice versa.
How Questions Are Delivered
The exam is computer-based and delivered at Pearson VUE test centers. It is primarily single-best-answer multiple choice, but ARRT notes the possibility of alternative item formats and image-based questions, and its handbook also describes multiple-response and ordered-response formats. Image-based items fit the subject matter well: expect to interpret what a picture shows rather than recall a definition.
| Exam Logistics | Detail |
|---|---|
| Total questions | 210 (160 scored, 50 unscored pilot) |
| Answering time | 210 minutes |
| Appointment length | 230 minutes, including tutorial, nondisclosure agreement and survey |
| Open or closed book | Closed book |
| Calculator | Basic and scientific on-screen calculators available; Pearson can supply a basic four-function calculator on request; personal calculators prohibited |
| Navigation | Answer each item before advancing; flag and revisit allowed |
Two format rules deserve attention. First, you must answer each item before you can move on, so you cannot skip and return to a blank. Use the flag feature to mark uncertain items and revisit them. Second, with 210 minutes for 210 items you have roughly a minute per question on average, which is comfortable for recall questions but tighter for image-based scenarios. For a realistic sense of how the format feels, see our guide on how hard the RTVI exam is, and you can rehearse under timed conditions with the practice tests on our main site.
Scaled Scores and What 75 Means
ARRT reports results on a scaled-score range of 1 to 99, and the passing score is 75. This is a scaled score, not 75% of questions answered correctly. ARRT converts raw performance to the scale so that scores are comparable across different versions of the exam, which means you cannot reverse-engineer an exact number of questions you need to get right.
Key Takeaway
Do not study toward a "75% correct" target. Because the domain allocation is so heavily weighted toward Procedures, the practical goal is broad competence across all three categories with real strength in the 112-question Procedures block. Our dedicated article on the RTVI passing score explains scaled scoring in more detail.
On pass rates, the ARRT Annual Exam Report for 2025 lists a first-time candidate pass rate of 61.2% for this discipline, based on 454 first-time candidates. That is a single-year, single-discipline figure and should be read with that in mind. Our RTVI pass rate analysis discusses how to interpret it.
You are allowed three examination attempts within three years of the opening of your initial examination window, so a first-attempt stumble is recoverable, but each retake carries a reapplication fee.
How the Domains Connect to Your Eligibility Paperwork
The three content categories are not just exam topics. They echo through the requirements you must meet before you can sit for the test, which is one reason the clinical and educational prerequisites are worth understanding alongside the blueprint. The full breakdown is in our RTVI requirements guide, but the highlights tie directly to the domains.
- Structured education: 16 hours within the 24 months before application, with at least one credit in each major content category. In other words, your coursework must touch Patient Care, Image Production and Procedures.
- Clinical experience: at least 200 verified procedure repetitions within the 24-month eligibility window, including at least 50 each in vascular diagnostic, vascular interventional and nonvascular categories, plus 50 additional repetitions from any category.
- Logging rules: record 5 to 10 repetitions per selected procedure and no more than 10 logged procedures per day. You must be physically present in an active primary scrub or circulating role throughout; observation alone does not qualify.
- Prerequisites: current ARRT certification and registration in Radiography, ethics compliance and current BLS certification from an ARRT-recognized provider. Nuclear Medicine Technology or Radiation Therapy alone is not a supporting credential for VI.
Notice how the clinical categories (vascular diagnostic, vascular interventional, nonvascular) mirror the three Procedures subcategories on the exam. The hands-on repetitions you log are, in effect, a structured rehearsal for the largest part of the test. A qualified ARRT-certified and registered technologist, supervisor or interpreting physician must verify your experience, and postprimary verifiers need not directly observe the work and may verify remotely.
Sequencing Your Review Around the Domains
The only study-planning idea worth borrowing here is simple: allocate time in proportion to the blueprint, then adjust for your personal weak spots. Because Procedures is 112 of 160 scored questions, it deserves the bulk of your calendar, and the sequence below front-loads the larger material while it is freshest. Treat the weeks as a template to stretch or compress, and pair it with our RTVI study guide for deeper technique.
Vascular Diagnostic Procedures
- Review vascular anatomy and access approaches
- Work image-based practice items on projections and findings
Vascular Interventional Procedures
- Study devices, workflow and technologist support roles
- Focus on whichever of diagnostic or interventional is your weaker side
Nonvascular Procedures
- Cover the 30-question grouping candidates most often underweight
Image Production and Patient Care
- Review dose, technique and radiation protection
- Revisit sterile technique, contrast reactions and post-procedure complications
Mixed timed practice
- Simulate the 210-minute sitting and practice using the flag feature
- Re-drill your weakest subcategory
If you are weighing whether the investment is justified, the career-side picture is covered in our analyses of whether the certification is worth it and the RTVI salary guide. For realistic exam timing and windows, see RTVI exam dates. When you are ready to test yourself against all three domains under timed conditions, head to our RTVI practice exam hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
Three official major content categories: Patient Care, Image Production and Procedures. Every scored question maps to one of them, and the categories come from ARRT's Vascular Interventional Radiography examination content specifications effective July 1, 2023.
Procedures, with 112 of the 160 scored questions. It breaks down into Vascular Diagnostic Procedures (41), Vascular Interventional Procedures (41) and Nonvascular Procedures (30). Image Production has 26 scored questions and Patient Care has 22.
No. Radiation protection is part of Image Production rather than a separate major Safety category. Plan to study it alongside equipment and technique content, since those questions come from the 26-question Image Production allocation.
No. Only 160 are scored. The other 50 are unscored pilot questions mixed in with the rest and not identified, so you should answer every question carefully as though it counts.
A scaled score of 75 on ARRT's 1-99 range. This is not 75% correct, because raw performance is converted to a scale. You have three attempts within three years of the opening of your initial examination window.