You may have talked about the RD exam pass rate with peers, teachers, professors, family and friends. It’s at the top of many RD2be’s thoughts right now and a point of anxiety for soon to be RD exam test-takers.

There are some shocking statistics when it comes to the pass RD Exam pass rate. Here are the first time pass rates from the Commission on Dietetic Registration for July – December 2023. 

The one-year RD Exam pass rate is much better:

So, what does this mean? 

From my interpretation of the numbers (and what I’ve seen in the RD exam prep world) is that students are taking multiple attempts to pass. Higher now than what we’ve seen pre-covid (previous to 2017 it was always 86% or so).

What are the reasons why the first time Rd Exam pass rate is at historic lows?

There are a couple of reasons that have been thrown around, but I want to highlight the most impactful. Several of the points listed here start as early as grade school.

1. Reading Comprehension
   1. We’ve seen a lot of discussion about the ability for students to read and comprehend materials compared to students from years previous. Many students are struggling with the answer structure of rd exam questions by needing to choose the “best answer,” not just the “correct answer.” The difference between the “best” and “correct” can be very nuanced, maybe indistinguishable in certain circumstances. The student has to pick up very small details within a question that could easily go overlooked.  
   2. Students have also been struggling with long sets of instructions from either preceptors or from their professors. I personally have taught students at the undergraduate level recently and noticed that sets of instructions cannot be too long, or details are missed and left out of student work completely. 
   3. Lack of textbooks. Many students are opting for digital textbooks, since they tend to be less expensive. This has led students to do less reading and more of the “search and find” strategy. 
   4. Evidence-based reporting (EBR) in grade school says students have to achieve a certain proficiency level for a task. If that task is taking an exam for instance, they can take that exam as many times as they need to achieve a proficiency score. Many high schools are now leaning towards meeting proficiency levels instead of having final exams. In terms of the RD exam, it may encourage the students to view taking the rd exam as “I can take this as many times as necessary to pass or achieve that competency.” Some educators report students at the college-level wanting to re-take examinations until sufficient scores are achieved. 
   5. Dropping requirements for standardized tests in college. Thousands of colleges across the country are no longer requiring an SAT/ACT score to enroll into their programs. There are questions about the efficacy and fairness of these examinations, so colleges are not requiring them as readily. Graduate schools are following suit with dropping GRE requirements for enrollment. With dropping requirements for standardized testing, this directly impacts a students ability to understand how to prepare for a standardized test. 
2. Dependence on digital resources (videos, digital text, quizlet, flashcards, audiobooks).
   1. The covid era made people shift rapidly to our cozy in-person meeting with peers to the cold and unforgiving land of the internet, where digital everything is king. The shift was made to videos, digital learning, digital meetings, and applications on the go. While learning has become more convenient than ever before, it has made our attention spans that of a pea. This shift has not improved our levels of comprehension, as mentioned above. 
   2. Below are some examples of what we are experiencing with our rd exam prep population.
      1. Increased demand for short-form videos (microlearning)
      2. Increased need for providing directions for studying
      3. Increased need for community support
      4. Increased demand for on-the-go learning options
      5. Wanting digital books instead of hard-copies of books
      6. Wanting podcasts as opposed to reading
      7. Choosing pocket guides in lieu of reading source texts
3. Working full time jobs. So many RD eligible people are working full-time as RDs before they even pass the rd exam. This leads to strain on time, cognitive overload, and stress about becoming an RD to maintain the job. That isn’t even considering if you are a parent or have a lot of personal obligations. It makes it more difficult to become a top-performer on the RD exam when you are simply trying to keep up with life’s demands.
4. Succumbing to messages on the internet for fast-tracking success (“how i passed my exam in 3 weeks”). It’s easy to get sucked into the messages of the quick and easy. We all want the shortcuts to success.  This is not a good message to listen to or put out into the world. What worked for one test-taker, doesn’t mean it will work for another. In reality, most people need ample time to study, and 3 weeks just won’t cut it!
5. What is being tested is not being reflected in the practice. Experience is not matching what is being taught in the classroom. I had a student tell me the other day she saw random, little-known disease states on her RD exam. How does one study for an exam when they have never experienced a specialized disease state?  The RD exam is  based on knowledge the test taker needs to have in the first 3 years of practice. The entry level practitioner is defined as having “less than three years of registered practice experience and demonstrates a competent level of dietetics practice and professional performance.” The Commission on Dietetic registration came to this conclusion in this article. Perhaps the RD exam should be more relevant to activities in the first year of practice.  
6. ACEND approved internship programs now look at 1st year pass rates. Prior to 2016, all programs were held to the standard that a certain percentage of a program’s students would pass the RD exam on the first try in order to maintain that program’s accreditation. ACEND standards were changed to evaluate the first year pass rate. I remember the pressure I felt as a student in the early 2000’s to pass the RD exam on the first attempt. That same pressure may not be currently felt by students or enforced by programs now. 

How can we change the decreasing first time RD Exam pass rate trend?

At Sage, we incorporate many of these solutions into our RD exam curriculum. Sure, we aren’t that fast-track, short-study program. We do expect students to “do the work” when preparing for their exam. We don’t promote short cuts or the easy route. We promote rigor and understanding. I always tell our students, “Taking the time you need to study for the RD exam in the RIGHT ways, will make you a better dietitian at the end of this process. So do the work!”

• Potential solutions
  • Buy actual textbooks. Don’t opt for digital textbooks in school. Get a hard copy of our favorite textbooks. Check out this blog post for the list.
  • Add back standardized testing in schools. This is harder said than done. On a personal level, take the SAT and GRE for yourself to get the experience.
  • Limit screen time for yourself… Study instead. Get offline and dig into the books. Fill out a retrieval worksheet. Make your OWN notecards. 
  • Reading comprehension – Identify gaps in your own learning and education.
    • Did you really understand the information and commit it to memory in your undergrad classes?
    • Critically evaluate questions while you study. Did you miss something asked within the question? Why are each of the answers correct or incorrect? Go back to the source textbooks to understand the nitty gritty details and the WHYs behind the topic if needed.
    • We like to use the “difference between” strategy to critically evaluate nuances between similar topics. For example, what is the difference between diabetic ketoacidosis and hyperosmolar, hyperglycemic state? Those are very similar conditions and nutrition interventions. List the difference between those conditions.
  • Be realistic about the length of time you need to effectively study. We recommend a minimum of 12 weeks to get through all of the information. Many educators we work with are incorporating our materials into the last semester of masters/internship with great success. Use this free template for crafting a study plan.
  • The Commission on Dietetic Registration also has some good ideas in this document specifically for program directors.

Overall, I feel hopeful for first time RD exam test-takers coming up. Students have to remind themselves (in high school and undergrad) to not skip the important steps of actually learning. Doing the hard work of studying cannot be replaced with quick, digital solutions. You are in school to learn and be challenged. So learn! Enjoy the difficult process that academics sets forth. This will make you a stronger dietitian at the end of the dietetics rainbow.

Study hard,

Lauren