ARRT Limited Scope Exam: What's on It and How to Pass

What the limited scope exam is

The ARRT develops and administers the Limited Scope of Practice in Radiography exam on behalf of state licensing agencies. It isn't an ARRT credential: the official content outline says it "is not associated with any type of certification and registration by the ARRT." Instead, your state uses your scores to decide whether to issue its own limited license, whatever that state calls it: a limited X-ray machine operator (LXMO) license, a basic X-ray machine operator (BXMO) certificate in Florida, a limited permit in California, an LMRT certificate in Texas and so on.

That's why the exam is modular. Everyone takes the same core, then one or more procedure modules for the body areas their state will license them to X-ray. Some states assign a fixed set; others let you pick. A few states give their own exam instead (New Mexico and Ohio, for example), and some don't license limited operators at all. Our state-by-state guide shows which applies to you.

The core: 100 scored questions

The core tests what every limited X-ray tech needs regardless of body area. Under the current content outline (ARRT Board approved January 2022, in use since January 1, 2023) it has 100 scored questions plus 15 unscored pilot questions, with 1 hour 55 minutes of testing time.

Notice the weighting: safety and image production make up 82 of the 100 scored questions. Many students spend most of their time on positioning, which is tested in the modules, and then struggle with the core's physics, radiation protection and exposure questions.

The procedure modules

Each module covers positioning, anatomy and image evaluation for one body area, and has its own scored and unscored questions and its own time limit:

A candidate taking the core plus all five modules answers 210 scored questions; one taking the core plus chest and extremities answers 145. Unscored pilot questions look exactly like scored ones, so treat every question as if it counts.

Bone densitometry isn't a module. It's a separate ARRT exam for state licensing, the Bone Densitometry Equipment Operator exam, with 60 scored questions under its content specifications. ARRT has announced updated specifications taking effect January 1, 2027, and states that use it set their own pass marks, so check with your state board.

How the limited scope exam is scored

The ARRT runs the exam, but your state sets the passing score and decides how it's applied. Among the states that publish one, pass marks range from 65% to 75%. Texas, for example, says all sections must be passed at 75%. Most states apply the mark to the core and to each module separately, so a strong core can't carry a weak module. A few do it differently: Colorado requires 75% on the core and an average of 75% across its four modules, and Nebraska asks for 70 on the core and at least 65% on each section. Several states, including California, Virginia and Wisconsin, don't publish a number at all. See passing scores by state for the full list.

Because the cut score varies and a single weak section can fail you, we coach every student to 75% or more on every section before we call them ready, whatever their state's published mark.

Fees and registration

ARRT's fee schedule for state exams lists the Limited Scope of Practice in Radiography exam at $150, but states handle applications differently. In Minnesota you apply to the Department of Health and then pay ARRT; Florida candidates register through the ARRT state portal and pay $125; Virginia issues an eligibility letter before you register with ARRT. Your state board tells you which route applies and what it costs.

How to pass the ARRT limited scope exam

1. Confirm your modules and pass mark first. Studying a module your state doesn't test is wasted time. Look up your state's rules before you start.
2. Put most of your time into the core. It's 100 scored questions, and 82 of them are safety and image production: inverse square law, mAs and kVp relationships, exposure indicators, grids, ALARA and dose limits.
3. Learn positioning as a set of rules, not pictures. For every projection on your modules, know the part position, central ray angle and centering point, and what a correctly positioned image shows.
4. Practice under time pressure. The core allows 1 hour 55 minutes for 115 questions, about one minute each. Timed mock exams teach you the pace.
5. Track every section separately. Since most states grade each section on its own, your weakest module decides whether you pass. Keep practicing until every section is at 75% or more.

Ready to test yourself? Try our free 10-question limited scope practice test, or follow the 6-week study plan.