Free RD Exam Practice Test 2026
200 original questions on the CDR test specifications: medical nutrition therapy, nutrition support, community nutrition, management, research and foodservice. Four 50-question mock exams. Tuned for mobile. No account needed.
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The RD Exam exam at a glance
The Registration Examination for Dietitians (the RD exam) is the Commission on Dietetic Registration's credentialing exam for the Registered Dietitian (RD) or Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) credential. It is computer adaptive and taken year-round at Pearson VUE test centers: each candidate answers between 125 and 145 four-option questions (100 to 120 scored plus 25 unscored pretest) in 3 hours, with no going back to earlier questions. Scores are scaled from 1 to 50, and 25 is the minimum passing score. Under the test specifications in force from January 1, 2027 the domains are Fundamentals of Dietetics Practice 23%, Community and Public Health Nutrition 22%, Human Nutrition and Medical Nutrition Therapy 40% and Food Science and Food Systems 15%; exams through December 31, 2026 follow the 2022 to 2026 outline.
Tigertest has 200 RD Exam practice questions with explanations, all free with no account required.
- Questions
- 125 to 145, computer adaptive (25 unscored pretest)
- Time
- 3 hours
- Pass mark
- Scaled score of 25 (scale 1 to 50)
- Content from 2027
- Practice 23%, Community 22%, Nutrition and MNT 40%, Food 15%
- Through 2026
- Principles 21%, Nutrition Care 45%, Management 21%, Foodservice 13%
- Where
- Pearson VUE test centers, year-round
- Run by
- Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR)
Updated by the Tigertest team. Practice questions follow The CDR Registered Dietitian Examination Test Specifications (2022 to 2026 and 2027 to 2031) and the CDR RD and DTR Exam FAQ (2025), checked November 2026. Exam rules change, so confirm current details with CDR: Registration Examination for Dietitians.
How It Works
Train by Content Area
Six training sets follow the CDR domains: management, research and professional practice; community nutrition and education; human nutrition and physiology; screening, assessment and diagnosis; medical nutrition therapy and nutrition support; and food science and foodservice. Questions you miss come back until you have mastered them.
Weighted Mock Exams
Four mock exams of 50 questions, each weighted like the four domains of the CDR test specifications. Aim for 70% or better. No question appears in more than one test, and every one comes with an explanation.
Built on the CDR Test Specifications
The CDR publishes the share of the exam that comes from each domain, and every mock exam here keeps the 2027 to 2031 balance, scaled to 50 questions: 12 fundamentals of practice, 11 community and public health, 20 human nutrition and medical nutrition therapy, and 7 food science and food systems. The real exam is adaptive with 125 to 145 questions; these fixed forms keep the same mix at a shorter length. Dietetics program faculty can set Tigertest as RD exam review at tigertest.io/teach and see which topics the class misses most.
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1. Put medical nutrition therapy first
Human nutrition and medical nutrition therapy is 40% of the 2027 exam. Know the Nutrition Care Process, the malnutrition criteria, nutrition-focused physical findings and the diet for each major condition, from kidney disease and diabetes to cirrhosis, dysphagia and refeeding.
2. Work every calculation by hand
Energy needs with Mifflin-St Jeor, BMI and ideal body weight, percent weight loss, tube feeding volumes and free water, PN kilocalories, recipe conversion factors and food cost percentages all come up. Set each one up on paper until the steps are automatic.
3. Do not neglect management and community
Together, fundamentals of practice and community nutrition are almost half the exam. Learn the management functions and labor laws, budgets and productivity, research designs and statistics, the Code of Ethics, the federal food programs, the DRIs and the education theories.
4. Practice without going back
The real exam does not let you return to a question. Tigertest tracks your accuracy by category; aim for 70% or better on every mock exam, then drill the questions you missed and retrain the weakest domain.
RD Exam Frequently Asked Questions
What is the RD exam?
The Registration Examination for Dietitians is the national credentialing exam of the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR), the credentialing agency of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Passing it earns the Registered Dietitian (RD) or Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) credential. Candidates first complete an accredited program with a graduate degree, required since January 1, 2024, and supervised practice. Most states that license dietitians also accept the RD exam.
How many questions are on the RD exam?
The RD exam is computer adaptive and variable in length. Every candidate answers at least 125 questions (100 scored and 25 unscored pretest questions) and at most 145 (120 scored and 25 pretest) within 3 hours, at a Pearson VUE test center. Each question has four answer options, an on-screen calculator is provided, and you cannot go back to change an answer once you move on.
What score do you need to pass the RD exam?
Results are reported as a scaled score from 1 to 50, and the minimum passing scaled score is 25. You get the score report as you leave the test center. Because the score is scaled and the test is adaptive, the 70 percent line on these practice tests is a readiness target, not the CDR standard.
What is on the RD exam?
From January 1, 2027 the CDR test specifications have four domains: Fundamentals of Dietetics Practice 23 percent, Community and Public Health Nutrition 22 percent, Human Nutrition and Medical Nutrition Therapy 40 percent, and Food Science and Food Systems 15 percent. Exams taken through December 31, 2026 follow the 2022 to 2026 outline: Principles of Dietetics 21 percent, Nutrition Care for Individuals and Groups 45 percent, Management of Food and Nutrition Programs and Services 21 percent and Foodservice Systems 13 percent. The topics overlap almost completely, and the mock exams here follow the 2027 weights.
Are these the real RD exam questions?
No. Every question is original, written by Tigertest from the CDR's published test specifications and current references such as the Dietary Reference Intakes, the FDA Food Code and the ASPEN and Academy malnutrition criteria. Each mock exam is a fixed 50-question form rather than an adaptive test, and calculations use the formulas a dietitian works by hand. Tigertest is not affiliated with the Commission on Dietetic Registration or the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
I teach a dietetics program. Can my students use Tigertest?
Yes, for free. Make a class at tigertest.io/teach, post one link, and students join with just their name. You see who practiced, their test scores and the topics your class misses most.
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