RD exam study guide: work from the exam outline

Commission on Dietetic Registration owns the exam outline, eligibility rules, fees, and dates, and those documents are the exam. The structure below uses the board's own codes and titles, so you can check it against the source.

Make the outline a scoreboard

Go through the outline domain by domain and grade yourself two ways: can you answer correctly, and can you answer quickly. Anything that fails either test goes on your study list. Re-grade weekly. The shrinking list is your progress measure, not hours logged.

2027–2031 structure

4 domains and 53 objectives in the recorded outline.

Domain	Topics
I. Fundamentals of Dietetics Practice (23%)	I.A Management and Leadership, 5 objectives I.B Marketing and Public Relations, 2 objectives I.C Research Applications, 5 objectives I.D Professional Practice, 4 objectives
II. Community and Public Health Nutrition (22%)	II.A Community Nutrition Guidelines and Policies, 4 objectives II.B Community Needs Assessment, 2 objectives II.C Community Nutrition Programs and Services for Individuals and Groups, 4 objectives
III. Human Nutrition and Medical Nutrition Therapy (40%)	III.A Fundamentals of Human Nutrition and Physiology, 3 objectives III.B Screening and Assessment, 2 objectives III.C Diagnosis, 6 objectives III.D Planning and Intervention, 4 objectives III.E Monitoring and Evaluation, 4 objectives
IV. Food Science and Food Systems (15%)	IV.A Food Science, 2 objectives IV.B Menu Development, 2 objectives IV.C Flow of Food from Procurement to Service, 4 objectives

2022–2026 structure

4 domains and 16 objectives in the recorded outline.

Domain	Topics
I. Principles of Dietetics (21%)	I.A Food, Nutrition and Supporting Sciences I.B Education, Communication and Technology I.C Research Applications
II. Nutrition Care for Individuals and Groups (45%)	II.A Screening and Assessment II.B Diagnosis II.C Planning and Intervention II.D Monitoring and Evaluation
III. Management of Food and Nutrition Programs and Services (21%)	III.A Functions of Management III.B Human Resource Management III.C Financial Management III.D Marketing and Public Relations III.E Quality Management and Regulatory Compliance
IV. Foodservice Systems (13%)	IV.A Menu Development IV.B Procurement, Production, Distribution, and Service IV.C Sanitation and Safety IV.D Equipment and Facility Planning

Study plan

Turn the outline into weeks.

Build your study plan

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RD exam prep RD exam 2027 changes RD exam study plan

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Sources: CDR Registration Examination for Dietitians overview. CDR examination resources. RD examination eligibility requirements. cdrnet.org.