Programs

Become a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN)/Registered Dietitian (RD)

Steps

  1. Following the successful completion of the didactic and practicum requirements, you will be asked by ACEND program director to fill two hard-copy forms: “Transcript Degree/Confirmation Release” and “RDNE and RDE Misuse”.
    a. These forms should be filled with blue ink and returned to the ACEND program director, as they are needed for the preparation of the verification statement and the initiation of your eligibility application process with the CDR.
    b. Make sure to mention the 4-Digit Program Code provided: 1550.
     
  2. After successfully completing the didactic and supervised practicum requirements, as well as first step, you will receive five original verification statements that might be needed by licensure boards, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and prospective foreign employers.
     
  3. Once the official transcript and ACEND program completion forms are sent to CDR via Registration Eligibility Processing System (REPS), you will receive an email inquiring about the completion of an online form (legal name, email, address …) To note, you should also read and agree to abide by the Code of Ethics for the Profession of Dietetics prior to and after achieving the registered status.
     
  4. The exam should then be scheduled (within one year of receiving the CDR’s email and Authorization to Test email) and paid for on Pearson VUE’s website after creating your account. Pearson VUE’s centers are the official vendors for CDR testing. You can take the exam at any time throughout the year and at any of the 250 locations of Pearson Vue’s centers in the US or one of the nine other locations outside the US. The CDR fees amount to $200.

Effective January 1, 2024, if you wish to sit for the RD examination, a master’s degree earned from a USDE-accredited institution or foreign equivalent will be the minimum degree requirement. If you meet all eligibility requirements and are submitted into the CDR’s Registration Eligibility Processing System (REPS) before 12:00 midnight (CT), December 31, 2023, your bachelor’s degree along with your supervised practicum will be considered your minimum degree requirements. For more information about this requirement, click here.

About the CDR Exam

  1. It is a two-and-a-half-hour computer-based test.
     
  2. It has four domains:
    a. Domain I: Principles of Dietetics (21%).
    b. Domain II: Nutrition Care for Individuals and Groups (45%).
    c. Domain III: Management of Food and Nutrition Programs and Services (21%).
    d. Domain IV: Foodservice Systems (13%).

  3. There are 125 to 145 multiple-choice questions:
    a. 100 questions should be scored while 25 questions can be underscored (125 questions in total).
    b. 120 questions should be scored while 25 questions can be underscored (145 questions in total).
    c. No backtracking is allowed.

  4. A score of 25/50 or higher is considered as a pass.

  5. A failure to complete 125 questions or higher within two and a half hours is considered as an exam failure.

Before scheduling and sitting for the examination, read this handbook on how to prepare for the exam. The CDR also offers a study guide for the RDN/RD examination which is similar to what the actual examination looks like.

How to Maintain Your Credentials

To maintain your credentials, you should pay a yearly registration maintenance fee as well as an initial fee at the beginning of your five-year cycle within the June-August period. The payments are made by signing into the “MyCDR page”. Newly credentialed practitioners will receive their fee notice via email after successfully passing the examination. After paying the fees, you will receive a digital credential verification.

Other requirements include submitting your Professional Development Portfolio (PDP) which includes the learning plan, activity log and Continuing Professional Education (CPEs). Your learning plan directs your education goals over the five-year cycle. On your CDR page, an activity log helps to record on your CDR page the continuing education activities completed over the specific cycle. You should complete 75 credits within the five-year cycle (one credit must include ethics). The CPE activity types include journal clubs, live lectures or seminars, webinars or teleseminars, recorded pre-approved CPE and posters, among others. The final step is the Professional Development Assessment which helps you measure the efficacy of your planning and prepare for the next cycle.

For more information about this requirement, click here.