The 2027 RD Exam Outline: What Changes

The 2027-2031 RD exam outline

CDR updates the RD exam outline every five years after a practice analysis. The 2022-2026 outline applies to exams through December 31, 2026, and the 2027-2031 outline, approved on June 25, 2025, applies from January 1, 2027. The format does not change: 125 to 145 four-option questions in 3 hours, computer adaptive, scaled 1 to 50 with a passing score of 25.

In force

For exams from January 1, 2027 to December 31, 2031; the 2022-2026 outline applies through December 31, 2026

Our practice exam

145 questions (120 scored, 25 unscored pretest) in 3 hours, one way, in the 2027 domain weights; included with a practice pass

The domains, old and new

• 2022-2026: I Principles of Dietetics 21%; II Nutrition Care for Individuals and Groups 45%; III Management of Food and Nutrition Programs and Services 21%; IV Foodservice Systems 13%.
• 2027-2031: I Fundamentals of Dietetics Practice 23%; II Community and Public Health Nutrition 22%; III Human Nutrition and Medical Nutrition Therapy 40%; IV Food Science and Food Systems 15%.

Where the topics move

• Food science moves from Principles of Dietetics into the new Food Science and Food Systems domain, together with menus and the flow of food from procurement to service.
• Nutrition science, physiology and life-cycle needs join screening, assessment, diagnosis and MNT in Human Nutrition and Medical Nutrition Therapy.
• Community and public health nutrition gets its own domain: food assistance programs, national dietary guidance, community needs assessment, and planning, teaching and evaluating community programs, including counseling and education methods.
• Management, leadership, marketing, research and professional practice (Code of Ethics, scope, HIPAA, informatics) form Fundamentals of Dietetics Practice.
• The 2027 outline names health equity, cultural humility, emotional intelligence, the GLIM malnutrition criteria and the Social-Ecological Model among its topics.

Other changes from CDR

• A lifetime limit of eight attempts for candidates who establish exam eligibility on or after January 1, 2027 (CDR board decision, May 2026).
• The fee ($250), the 46-day retest wait and the test bundle ($350) are unchanged in the 2026 handbook.

How our practice exams handle the change

• Every question in our bank is tagged to a domain on both outlines. The 2022-2026 practice exam draws its 120 scored questions in that outline’s weights (25, 54, 25 and 16) and the 2027 practice exam in the new weights (28, 26, 48 and 18). The counts are ours: CDR publishes percentages, not counts.
• Both are 145 questions in 3 hours, one way, like the longest real exam, and score you by the domains of the outline you chose.

Common questions

More RD exam practice

• Food Science and Food Composition
• Human Nutrition and Life-Cycle Needs
• Nutrition Education and Counseling
• Research and Evidence-Based Practice
• Screening, Assessment and Nutrition Diagnosis
• Medical Nutrition Therapy and Nutrition Support
• Community and Public Health Nutrition
• Management, Ethics and Professional Practice
• Foodservice Systems and Food Safety
• Practice exam, 2022-2026 outline (145 questions, 3 hours)
• Practice exam, 2027 outline (145 questions, 3 hours)
• RD exam calculations drill

Sources

• CDR: RD Exam Candidate Handbook 2026 (format, timing, scoring, fee, retest wait)
• CDR: RD Exam Overview (lifetime attempt limit from 2027, test bundle)
• CDR: Study resources, both test specifications, the 2022 vs 2027 comparison and CDR practice questions
• CDR: 2027-2031 RD Test Specifications and Expanded Study Outline (PDF)
• CDR: RD Examination Eligibility Requirements
• CDR: RD Exam Pass/Fail Statistics
• CDR: Exam FAQ (four options, no review, calculator)
• CDR: Professional Development Portfolio (75 CPEUs every 5 years)