Student Instructions — Timelines and Procedures for Registration Eligibility
Within the last two weeks of your supervised practice program, or DPD for graduates taking the Registration Examination for Dietetic Technicians under Pathway III, your program director will provide you with forms (paper and online) that are to be completed and returned to them so they can initiate the eligibility application process with CDR.
Student Exit Packet:
Your Program Director will be submitting your name for eligibility to CDR through the Registration Eligibility Processing System (REPS). Once your Program Director has verified that you have completed all of the academic and supervised practice requirements for eligibility, they will submit your information to CDR via REPS. You will then receive an email requesting that you complete the online form for additional demographic information. It is imperative that you follow the instructions in this email and complete the required profile information as soon as possible. Until you have completed this step, you will NOT be processed for registration eligibility, nor will you be able to schedule your examination.
Please pay close attention to the following when completing your demographic information:
The normal process time, from start to finish, can be from one to two weeks, or less without any issues. When the application submission to CDR has been approved, you will receive an email confirming your registration eligibility from CDR in approximately 3-5 business days. CDR then forwards your information to Pearson VUE for further processing. Normally, candidates receive their Authorization to Test email from Pearson VUE within 48 hours of receiving their eligibility confirmation from CDR.
Candidates will receive an Authorization to Test email from Pearson VUE, which will expire one year from the date of issuance, which includes a link to the Handbook for Candidates and information on setting up an account on Pearson VUE’s website. Candidates will have one year to schedule their test appointment, pay and sit for the exam. The candidate should have their credit card on-hand when they log in to schedule their exam, as the system will shut down after 15 minutes if there is no activity. Upon completion, the candidate will receive a Scheduling Confirmation Email. To avoid any issues, please confirm receipt of this email. Failure to receive this email may mean that there has been a problem scheduling your examination. If you do not receive this email, please call Pearson VUE.
Candidates will not be able to make any changes to their name and/or address on the CDR/Pearson VUE Web Portal. Any personal information changes need to be made by completing and submitting the Name/Address Change Form. Upon receipt, CDR will update the candidate’s record and notify Pearson VUE. Remember, the candidate’s name on Pearson VUE’s scheduling system profile and their valid, government-issued photo identification must match in order for them to be admitted to the Pearson VUE Test Center for their examination.
If the candidate does not schedule their examination within their initial year of authorization, they will need to contact CDR for reauthorization. Upon completion of this process CDR forwards the candidate’s name to Pearson VUE, who will send out another Authorization to Test email. The candidate will then have another year of authorization. If a candidate does not pass the examination, there is a 45-day wait period between testing; therefore, the candidate can retest on the 46th day from the previous exam date. This 45 days includes weekends. All other policies specify Business Days, Monday through Friday. Should you encounter any difficulties receiving your Authorization to Test email, scheduling your test or at the test center, contact Pearson VUE at 888-874-7651 for assistance.
If you do not receive a Score Report at the completion of the exam, please contact Pearson VUE to request a copy. For candidates passing the exam, on the bottom of your Score Report it states that you will receive your first CDR correspondence regarding credential maintenance in approximately two to three weeks by email. CDR receives the candidate test information (pass or fail) from Pearson VUE approximately three to five business days following the day of the exam. CDR processes this information in the database and then sends an email to the candidates acknowledging they passed the exam. Within 24 – 48 hours of the first email, the new RD, RDN, DTR or NDTR receives a second email with information regarding the $60 Registration Maintenance Fee Notice. Some systems may send these emails into your Spam/Junk folder. If you don’t see the second email after 48 hours of your first email you should check your Spam. The maintenance fee can be paid by mail, online or by phone. Once the fee is posted to the new registrant’s record, their registration card is system generated and mailed within ten business days.
Once you are in CDR’s database you can pay the fee online at www.cdrnet.org. On the home page, you will see a Fee Payment option at the bottom of the yellow Login box. You will then see that you owe a $60 Registration Maintenance Fee and begin the payment process.
If you are a member of the Academy, your membership number and password would be the same as your CDR registration number and password. You can monitor your status on the CDR website by selecting the Online Credential Verification Search. Once you are in our database you will be able to go all the way through the Search process and print your RD, RDN, DTR or NDTR Verification. If your verification does not appear in this system, please try again in another couple of days. This system was developed to assist the credentialed dietitian, dietetic technician, employers and licensure boards that require verification prior to the registration card being issued. Please share this information with your employer.
Inquiries regarding the CDR registration eligibility process should be directed to Rebecca Beavers at 312-899-4781, or rbeavers@eatright.org or Peggy Anderson at 312-899-4764, or panderson@eatright.org.
Student Exit Packet:
- Verification Statements - You will receive a minimum of five or six original Verification Statements (VS) upon completion of your program. These original VS forms are for you to provide, upon request, to prospective employers, the licensure board and to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics for membership.
- Complete the RDNE and RDE or NDTRE and DTRE Misuse form and return the signed and dated document to your program director.
- Retain the Name/Address Change Form for your records and future use. If your name changes after you are submitted for eligibility and before you test, you MUST send your Name/Address Change Form to CDR to ensure Pearson VUE receives your current information. If the name on your valid, government-issued photo ID does not match Pearson VUE’s system, you will be turned away from the testing center and lose your examination fee.
- You may be required by your program director to sign a Transcript Degree/Confirmation Release Form so that they may have access to your transcripts. Your program director must have your original degree transcripts before they are able to submit your name for registration eligibility.
- You will be given information regarding CDR’s Study Guide for the Registration Examination for Dietitians or Dietetic Technicians. These study guides can be purchased from the Academy’s website here.
Your Program Director will be submitting your name for eligibility to CDR through the Registration Eligibility Processing System (REPS). Once your Program Director has verified that you have completed all of the academic and supervised practice requirements for eligibility, they will submit your information to CDR via REPS. You will then receive an email requesting that you complete the online form for additional demographic information. It is imperative that you follow the instructions in this email and complete the required profile information as soon as possible. Until you have completed this step, you will NOT be processed for registration eligibility, nor will you be able to schedule your examination.
Please pay close attention to the following when completing your demographic information:
- If the first or last name your Program Director has submitted for you is incorrect, please contact your Program Director directly to have them correct this information. While you are able to edit your middle name/initial in REPS, the first and last name fields are locked. The name entered into REPS must match your valid, government-issued, photo identification exactly in order for you to be allowed entrance to take your exam at a Pearson VUE testing center.
- If the email address your Program Director has entered into REPS for you is not your primary email address, please correct this field. If CDR does not have a current, permanent email address for you, you will not receive essential eligibility and registration emails.
The normal process time, from start to finish, can be from one to two weeks, or less without any issues. When the application submission to CDR has been approved, you will receive an email confirming your registration eligibility from CDR in approximately 3-5 business days. CDR then forwards your information to Pearson VUE for further processing. Normally, candidates receive their Authorization to Test email from Pearson VUE within 48 hours of receiving their eligibility confirmation from CDR.
Candidates will receive an Authorization to Test email from Pearson VUE, which will expire one year from the date of issuance, which includes a link to the Handbook for Candidates and information on setting up an account on Pearson VUE’s website. Candidates will have one year to schedule their test appointment, pay and sit for the exam. The candidate should have their credit card on-hand when they log in to schedule their exam, as the system will shut down after 15 minutes if there is no activity. Upon completion, the candidate will receive a Scheduling Confirmation Email. To avoid any issues, please confirm receipt of this email. Failure to receive this email may mean that there has been a problem scheduling your examination. If you do not receive this email, please call Pearson VUE.
Candidates will not be able to make any changes to their name and/or address on the CDR/Pearson VUE Web Portal. Any personal information changes need to be made by completing and submitting the Name/Address Change Form. Upon receipt, CDR will update the candidate’s record and notify Pearson VUE. Remember, the candidate’s name on Pearson VUE’s scheduling system profile and their valid, government-issued photo identification must match in order for them to be admitted to the Pearson VUE Test Center for their examination.
If the candidate does not schedule their examination within their initial year of authorization, they will need to contact CDR for reauthorization. Upon completion of this process CDR forwards the candidate’s name to Pearson VUE, who will send out another Authorization to Test email. The candidate will then have another year of authorization. If a candidate does not pass the examination, there is a 45-day wait period between testing; therefore, the candidate can retest on the 46th day from the previous exam date. This 45 days includes weekends. All other policies specify Business Days, Monday through Friday. Should you encounter any difficulties receiving your Authorization to Test email, scheduling your test or at the test center, contact Pearson VUE at 888-874-7651 for assistance.
If you do not receive a Score Report at the completion of the exam, please contact Pearson VUE to request a copy. For candidates passing the exam, on the bottom of your Score Report it states that you will receive your first CDR correspondence regarding credential maintenance in approximately two to three weeks by email. CDR receives the candidate test information (pass or fail) from Pearson VUE approximately three to five business days following the day of the exam. CDR processes this information in the database and then sends an email to the candidates acknowledging they passed the exam. Within 24 – 48 hours of the first email, the new RD, RDN, DTR or NDTR receives a second email with information regarding the $60 Registration Maintenance Fee Notice. Some systems may send these emails into your Spam/Junk folder. If you don’t see the second email after 48 hours of your first email you should check your Spam. The maintenance fee can be paid by mail, online or by phone. Once the fee is posted to the new registrant’s record, their registration card is system generated and mailed within ten business days.
Once you are in CDR’s database you can pay the fee online at www.cdrnet.org. On the home page, you will see a Fee Payment option at the bottom of the yellow Login box. You will then see that you owe a $60 Registration Maintenance Fee and begin the payment process.
If you are a member of the Academy, your membership number and password would be the same as your CDR registration number and password. You can monitor your status on the CDR website by selecting the Online Credential Verification Search. Once you are in our database you will be able to go all the way through the Search process and print your RD, RDN, DTR or NDTR Verification. If your verification does not appear in this system, please try again in another couple of days. This system was developed to assist the credentialed dietitian, dietetic technician, employers and licensure boards that require verification prior to the registration card being issued. Please share this information with your employer.
Inquiries regarding the CDR registration eligibility process should be directed to Rebecca Beavers at 312-899-4781, or rbeavers@eatright.org or Peggy Anderson at 312-899-4764, or panderson@eatright.org.