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Testing Before or After January 2027? A Transition Checklist

Which rules apply depends on when you test and what you've already passed. Find your situation below — each card lists what the NBRC says applies and the practical steps that follow from it.

Source: NBRC, “Examination Changes Coming in 2027”

Find your situation

Three situations, three checklists.

Not sure which exam to take? Use the decision helper on the overview page.

You're taking the TMC in 2026

What applies: The current TMC and its Detailed Content Outline apply through December 31, 2026.

  • Study to the TMC outline — that is the exam you are sitting.
  • Plan your test date with the December 31, 2026 cutoff in mind.
  • If you are aiming for the RRT, note what passing at the high cut score before that date keeps open (next card).
  • Budget the TMC fee: $190 new, $150 repeat; the CSE is $200.

You passed the TMC at the high cut score, but haven't finished the CSE

What applies: If you passed the TMC at the high cut score before December 31, 2026, the NBRC says the CSE stays available to you through December 31, 2027.

  • Decide between finishing the CSE by December 31, 2027, or taking the RT Exam and passing at the high cut score instead.
  • Either route leads to the RRT; compare the two side by side on the overview page.
  • Put the December 31, 2027 date in your calendar now.

You're testing in January 2027 or later

What applies: You'll sit the RT Exam: 185 multiple-choice items (160 scored, 25 pretest) in 4 hours.

  • Download the 2027 Detailed Content Outline and study to it, not the TMC outline.
  • Know the two cut scores: the low cut earns the CRT, the high cut earns the RRT — on one exam.
  • Expect 60 clinical-judgment items in multiple-choice format, not branching simulations.
  • Budget the fee: $360 new, $300 repeat.

Everyone

Three things to do either way.

  1. 01Get the right outlineThe TMC outline through 2026, the 2027 outline after.2027 outline (PDF)
  2. 02Check the NBRC directlyDates, fees and eligibility can change. The NBRC is the authority.NBRC RRT exams
  3. 03Find your weak areasA short warm-up shows where to start before you build a plan.Free warm-up below

Questions

Common questions.

When was the change to a single RT Exam decided?
The NBRC Board of Trustees voted for it at its April 9, 2022 meeting, with implementation in January 2027.
Will the new exam be easier or harder than the TMC and CSE?
The NBRC says it intends to maintain the standards for earning the CRT and RRT credentials. It does not describe the RT Exam as easier or harder.
I'm already a CRT. What changes for me?
The NBRC's 2027 announcement doesn't address current CRTs specifically. If you hold the CRT and plan to earn the RRT, confirm your route directly with the NBRC.
Where do I confirm dates, fees and eligibility?
On nbrc.org. Fees and details can change, and RRT Academy is not affiliated with the NBRC.

More on the 2027 RT Exam

See where you stand in about three minutes.

A free 5-question warm-up, with a rationale for every answer. No card needed.

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Our question bank was written to the TMC outline. We've mapped it onto the 16 RT Exam content areas with AI assistance, and clinician verification of that mapping and of new 2027 questions is in progress. We haven't verified full coverage of the 2027 outline. RRT Academy is independent and not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by the NBRC — confirm dates, fees and eligibility on nbrc.org.