RHIT Exam

The RHIT exam is a computer-based test given at Pearson VUE testing centers. You may move back and forth between questions and flag questions to review before you submit. No breaks are scheduled. You may take a break, but the exam clock keeps running.

The RHIT content outline has six domains. Each domain has a weight range, so the exact number of questions per domain varies a little from one exam form to another. The following table shows each domain's weight range and the sections of this guide that teach it.

Your result is a scaled score, and you need a scaled score of 300 to pass. A scaled score is not a percentage. AHIMA converts the number of scored questions you answer correctly to the scale so that every version of the exam is held to the same standard.

The 20 pretest questions are mixed in with the scored questions and look exactly the same. They do not count toward your score, but you cannot tell which ones they are, so give every question your full effort.

Your score report breaks down your performance by content outline domain. Use those results to plan your review if you need to retake the exam.

There is no penalty for a wrong answer. Never leave a question blank.

Many wrong answers on this exam sound efficient. They have the HIM professional change a provider's documentation, release records without proper authority, assign a code that the documentation does not support, or delete a duplicate record without investigating. The right answer follows the law and policy, protects the integrity of the record and fixes the underlying cause.

To sit for the RHIT exam you must complete the academic requirements of an associate-degree-level Health Information Management program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM), or graduate from an HIM program approved by a foreign association that has a reciprocity agreement with AHIMA. Students in their final term of a CAHIIM-accredited program may apply for early testing.

You apply online through AHIMA, send your official transcript (or the early testing form if you are in your final term), and receive an Authorization to Test (ATT) letter. You then schedule with Pearson VUE within your 120-day eligibility window; extensions are available in 30-day increments for a fee. On exam day you need two valid IDs: a primary ID with your photo and signature and a secondary ID with your signature. Both names must match your ATT letter exactly. Personal calculators, phones and other electronic devices are not allowed in the testing room. Testing accommodations are requested in advance by the candidate, with supporting documentation from a qualified professional.

The RHIT credential is maintained on a 2-year cycle. You earn 20 continuing education units (CEUs), at least 80% of them (16 CEUs) within the HIM domains, and pay the recertification fee. If you later pass the RHIA exam, the RHIA replaces the RHIT.

If you do not pass, you submit a new application and pay the exam fee again; your transcripts stay on file. RHIT candidates must wait 30 days after the previous attempt before the new application is approved, and AHIMA does not waive this waiting period. Use your domain results to focus your study before the next attempt.