Registration Examination Test Specifications Updated in 2011; to be Implemented January 1, 2012

Test specifications for both the entry-level Registration Examination for Dietitians and Registration Examination for Dietetic Technicians have been revised using the results of the CDR 2010 Dietetics Practice Audit.  Examinations taken after January 1, 2012 will reflect the new specifications.  To access the current and revised test specifications for the RD entry-level examination click here and for the DTR entry-level examination click here.

Test specifications are periodically updated by the Commission to remain in compliance with the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing, the criteria used to evaluate the quality of credentialing and licensure examinations.  This assists in ensuring that both the dietitian and dietetic technician examinations remain congruent with current practice.  Study guides and candidate handbooks for both examinations are currently being updated.  The study guides will include a study outline, practice examination and updated reference list.  Purchasing information for the new study guide will be sent to program directors in September 2011.

CDR’s Test Specification Development Committee included dietetics practitioners, employers and educators representing diverse practice, geographic and ethnic perspectives.  The Committee considered the many CDR publics who use the test specification document in the development process.  These include examination candidates, dietetics educators, licensure boards, employers, item writers and examination review committee members.

The test specification content domains and the assigned weights reflect the results of the 2010 Dietetics Practice Audit survey.  Only entry-level activities and activities testable within our current format were considered for inclusion in the test specifications.  It is important to note that dietetics education encompasses a much broader range of knowledge and skills than can be assessed on the registration examination.

Following test specification development, the existing pool of examination items will be reclassified according to the new test specifications.  Items that did not correspond to the new specifications will be deleted from the item pool.  Future item writing assignments will be made based on an analysis of domain/topic deficiencies identified by the item inventory.  An article reporting the 2010 Dietetics Practice Audit results will also be published in the June 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 

Should you have questions as you review these documents, please contact Kay Manger-Hague at 1-800/877-1600 ext. 4777.