Both lead to a nuclear medicine technologist credential and test largely the same material. The exams themselves are built very differently. Here is how, using each board’s own published figures.
Updated October 2026
| NMTCB | ARRT(N) | |
|---|---|---|
| Credential | CNMT | R.T.(N)(ARRT) |
| Questions | 90, including unscored pretest items | 230: 200 scored + 30 unscored pilot |
| Time | 1 hour 55 minutes | 230 minutes of test time; 4 h 10 min appointment |
| Pace | About 77 seconds per question | About 60 seconds per question |
| Format | Computer adaptive (classification testing); no skipping, no going back | Fixed form; flag questions and return to them |
| Passing score | Scaled score of 375 | Scaled score of 75 (scale 1–99) |
| Results | Preliminary pass/fail at the test site; final score mailed in about 3 weeks | Preliminary score on screen when you finish |
| Fee | $200 exam processing fee | $225 application fee |
| Test centers | IQT | Pearson VUE |
| Retakes | Reapply as soon as 2 weeks after a first failure | Three attempts within three years |
| Education | NMTCB-recognized accredited NMT program; eligibility complete within 5 years of finishing | ARRT-verified NMT program plus an associate degree or higher; apply within 3 years of finishing |
| Keeping it | Annual renewal ($40) and 24 CE hours every two years | Annual renewal, CE every two years, and continuing qualifications every 10 years |
Sources: NMTCB nuclear medicine exam information, CE policy and renewal fees; ARRT primary eligibility pathway handbook. Check nmtcb.org and arrt.org before you apply — fees and policies change.
The subject matter overlaps heavily. The difference is how each board slices and weights it. NMTCB publishes approximate percentages across five domains:
| NMTCB domain | Approx. share |
|---|---|
| Clinical procedures | 40% |
| Pharmaceutical and radiopharmaceutical agents | 25% |
| Instrument operations and quality control | 15% |
| Radiation safety and regulations | 13% |
| Radiation physics and detection | 7% |
ARRT publishes counts of scored questions instead, and a new specification takes effect on 1 February 2027:
| ARRT category | Through 31 Jan 2027 | From 1 Feb 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Procedures | 118 | 117 |
| Image production (instrumentation) | 33 | 30 |
| Safety | 25 | 27 |
| Patient care | 24 | 26 |
| Total scored | 200 | 200 |
Two practical differences fall out of this. ARRT scores patient care as its own category, so a weak patient care foundation costs more there. NMTCB carves out radiation physics and detection as a separate 7%, and folds patient care into procedures and safety. Procedures dominate both: 40% of NMTCB and well over half of ARRT(N). The ARRT(N) 2027 changes page covers what moved in the new specification.
Source: ARRT Examination Content Specifications for Nuclear Medicine Technology, January 2021 and January 2026 editions, at arrt.org.
On the NMTCB exam each question is chosen based on how you answered the ones before, using a method NMTCB calls computerized classification testing. Its goal is a confident pass or fail decision, not a precise ranking. Two consequences matter:
You cannot skip or go back. Every answer is final when you submit it, so the strategy of flagging hard questions for later does not exist. Practise committing to an answer.
Difficulty is not a scoreboard. If the questions feel hard, that usually means you are doing well enough to be given harder ones. Candidates who read difficulty as failure tend to rush and second-guess.
The ARRT exam is the opposite: a fixed set of 230 questions at about a minute each, with the ability to flag and return. Pacing and a review pass at the end are real tactics there.
Start with what you are required to hold. Licensure for nuclear medicine technologists is set state by state, and employers write their own job requirements, so check your state’s licensing agency and the postings you are applying for before you decide.
Beyond that, the choice is often about what comes next:
If you are sitting both, plan around the NMTCB weighting and add dedicated patient care revision for ARRT(N). The 8-week NMTCB and ARRT(N) study plan is built that way.
500 NMTCB and ARRT(N) questions across all five domains, each with a worked explanation, plus clinical case studies, timed mock exams and per-domain progress tracking. 25 questions are free, no card and no account.
8-week NMTCB and ARRT(N) study plan →