MR Physics
- Basic, intermediate and advanced physics
- Precession
- Nuclear alignment
- Electromagnetism
- Signal generation
- Molecular formation
- Chemical shift
- Susceptibility
Certification
Become an ARMRIT-certified MRI technologist
ARMRIT recognizes qualified MRI specialists and promotes high standards of patient care and safety across MRI, including interventional, cardiovascular, functional and breast imaging.
Apply only when you are ready to test. Your six-month window opens the day your application is complete.
Step one
Find your eligibility route
Certification is open to technologists in every imaging field who have documented MRI clinical experience, formal MRI education, or both. Pick the route that matches your background to see what you need.
Graduate of an ARMRIT-accredited program
You completed an ARMRIT-approved certificate or degree program that included at least 1,000 hours of documented MRI clinical training. Apply within three years of graduating.
What to upload
- Completed application (incomplete applications are returned)
- $300 application fee, non-refundable
- Copy of your certificate or diploma, within three years of graduation
- Resume or CV
- Copy of a driver’s license or other government-issued photo ID
Graduate of an MRI Registered Apprenticeship
You completed a Registered Apprenticeship approved by the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Apprenticeship or a recognized State Apprenticeship Agency, with at least 2,000 hours of documented MRI clinical training. Apply within three years of graduating.
What to upload
- Completed application (incomplete applications are returned)
- $300 application fee, non-refundable
- Copy of your certificate or diploma, within three years of graduation
- Original letter on letterhead, dated within 12 months, from your MRI clinical supervisor confirming at least 2,000 hours of MRI clinical training and your competence as an MRI technologist
- Resume or CV
- Copy of a driver’s license or other government-issued photo ID
MRI Technologist O*NET code 29-2035.00 · RAPIDS code 1115
Graduate of a non-ARMRIT-accredited MRI program
You completed a state-licensed certificate or degree program of at least one year of allied health education, including at least 2,000 hours of documented MRI clinical training. Apply within three years of graduating.
What to upload
- Completed application (incomplete applications are returned)
- $300 application fee, non-refundable
- Copy of your certificate or diploma, within three years of graduation
- Original letter on letterhead, dated within 12 months, from your Medical Director or reading physician (licensed MD or DO) confirming at least 2,000 hours of MRI clinical training and your competence as an MRI technologist
- Original letter on letterhead, dated within 12 months, from your MRI clinical supervisor confirming at least 2,000 hours of MRI clinical training and your competence as an MRI technologist
- Resume or CV
- Copy of a driver’s license or other government-issued photo ID
Cross-trainer from imaging or allied health
You hold a credential in another imaging modality or allied health field and have at least 2,000 hours of documented MRI clinical experience. Foreign medical graduates apply on this route.
Fields that qualify include
- Radiographers (ARRT, LRT, CRT or state license)
- Nuclear medicine technologists (NMTCB or ARRT)
- Sonographers (ARDMS or CCI)
- Radiation therapists
- Cardiovascular technologists
- EEG technologists
- Electrophysiology and evoked potential technologists
- Nurses (RN, LPN, LVN, CNA)
- Physicians (MD, DO, DC, DPM) and physician assistants
- Physical therapists and PT assistants
- Respiratory therapists
- EMTs, medical assistants and nationally certified surgical technicians
- Foreign medical graduates
What to upload
- Completed application (incomplete applications are returned)
- $300 application fee, non-refundable
- Copy of the certificate or license from the field you cross-trained from
- Original letter on letterhead, dated within 12 months, from your Medical Director or reading physician (licensed MD or DO) confirming at least 2,000 hours of MRI clinical experience and your competence as an MRI technologist
- Original letter on letterhead, dated within 12 months, from your MRI clinical supervisor confirming at least 2,000 hours of MRI clinical experience and your competence as an MRI technologist
- Foreign graduates: an evaluation of your education by an accepted U.S. agency (evaluation page only)
- Resume or CV
- Copy of a driver’s license or other government-issued photo ID
On-the-job trained (equivalency)
You can document four years (6,240 hours) of full-time MRI clinical experience, or an associate degree plus 2,000 hours of full-time MRI clinical experience.
What to upload
- Completed application (incomplete applications are returned)
- $300 application fee, non-refundable
- Copy of your associate or bachelor’s degree
- Original letter on letterhead, dated within 12 months, from your Medical Director or reading physician (licensed MD or DO) confirming four years or 6,240 hours of full-time MRI experience, or an associate degree and 2,000 hours and your competence as an MRI technologist
- Original letter on letterhead, dated within 12 months, from your MRI clinical supervisor confirming four years or 6,240 hours of full-time MRI experience, or a degree and 2,000 hours and your competence as an MRI technologist
- Resume or CV
- Copy of a driver’s license or other government-issued photo ID
Step two
The examination
225 multiple-choice questions, each with one right or best answer. There are no combined answers such as “A and B.” The passing score is 75, and you have three hours and thirty minutes.
- Test center or online. Kryterion delivers the exam at its test centers or through online proctoring.
- Results on the spot. You receive a score sheet with a breakdown by category when you finish.
- Certificate by email. Your PDF certificate is emailed once you pass and your file is complete.
Clinical Applications
- Pulse sequences
- Image parameters
- Spatial localization
- Image quality
- Tissue characteristics
- Signal to noise
- Spatial and temporal resolution
- Types of MR magnets
- Coils
- Artifacts
- Contrast and enhancement agents
Bioeffects, Safety & Patient Care
- Screening forms
- ACR zones
- Magnetic field strength
- Specific absorption rate
- Thermal injuries
- Peripheral nerve stimulation
- Implants
- Translational forces
- Contrast agents
MR Cross-Sectional Anatomy
- Brain, IAC, pituitary and brainstem
- Circle of Willis and carotids
- Renal and femoral arteries
- Cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine
- Shoulder, elbow and wrist
- Hip, knee, ankle and foot
- Thorax and heart
- Abdomen and pelvis
Notation used on the exam
- B0
- Main static magnetic field
- B1
- Radiofrequency (RF) field
- Mz
- Longitudinal magnetization
- Mxy
- Transverse magnetization
- Gz, Gy, Gx
- Slice select, phase encoding and frequency encoding (readout) gradients
Step three
From application to certificate
Everything runs through the ARMRIT Portal and Kryterion. Please allow time for ARMRIT to review your file.
Apply on the portal
Complete the application and pay the $300 application fee on the ARMRIT Portal, then email ARMRIT@msn.com to say it is done.
Upload your documents
Add every document your eligibility route requires. Incomplete applications are returned.
ARMRIT reviews
If your application is approved, ARMRIT emails you the next steps.
Schedule with Kryterion
Kryterion emails instructions to book a test center or an online proctored session. Check your spam folder.
Sit the exam
You receive a score sheet with a breakdown by category as soon as you finish.
Certified
Your PDF certificate arrives by email. Let support@armrit.org know you passed so your registration runs three years from that date.
Prepare
Study resources
None of these are required for certification, and the practice exams are not copies of the real exam. They are a good way to find your gaps.
Study guide
The MRI Technologist Quick Reference and Study Guide covers physics, instrumentation, clinical applications, bioeffects, safety and cross-sectional anatomy. PDF only, $50.
Buy the study guidePractice exams
Three timed practice exams of 30 questions each: Physics and Instrumentation, Clinical Applications, and MRI Safety. Plan on a minute per question. $35 each, taken within 30 days of purchase.
Buy a practice examRecommended reading
- Boyd’s Comprehensive Guide to MRIBoyd’s Imaging
- MRI Clinical Handbook for MRI TechnologistsSheetal S. Desai, ARMRIT, RT(MR)
- MRI for Technologists, modules 1 to 6Bayer (ask your Bayer representative)
- MRI for TechnologistsPeggy Woodward and Roger Freimarck, McGraw Hill
- Clinical Magnetic Resonance Imaging, 3rd editionRobert R. Edelman, MD, and John R. Hesselink, MD
- The Technologist’s MRI Safety HandbookBoyd’s Imaging, print and eBook
- MR Pathology: A Comprehensive Guide for MRI TechnologistsBoyd’s Imaging
If your eligibility rests on a degree from a foreign institution, have your official transcripts evaluated by one of these agencies and upload the evaluation page only.
- A&M Logos International40 Rector St., Suite 1504, New York, NY 10006212-233-7021
- Globe Language Service319 Broadway, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10007212-227-1994
- The Trustforte Corporation271 Madison Avenue, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10016212-481-4870
- World Education ServicesBowling Green Station, P.O. Box 5087, New York, NY 10274212-966-6311
- Educational Credential EvaluatorsP.O. Box 514070, Milwaukee, WI 53203414-289-3400
Ready to apply?
Have your documents ready, then complete the application and fee on the ARMRIT Portal.