Earn your ARRT Mammography credential and specialize in breast imaging.
The ARRT Mammography certification recognizes registered technologists who specialize in breast imaging. It is administered by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) through its post-primary eligibility pathway, meaning you must already hold an ARRT credential in a supporting discipline (such as Radiography) before you can pursue it. The credential validates the knowledge and cognitive skills underlying the tasks an entry-level mammographer typically performs, from operating specialized equipment to producing diagnostic images that help physicians detect breast cancer and other breast disease.
The computer-based exam is built from ARRT's published Content Specifications and organized into three major categories: Patient Care, Image Production, and Procedures. Together these cover patient communication and assessment, mammographic equipment and quality control, digital acquisition and informatics, breast anatomy and pathology, and mammographic positioning and procedures. Content is drawn directly from a nationwide practice analysis of working mammographers, so it reflects real entry-level practice.
Mammography is uniquely tied to federal regulation. Under the Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA), facilities, equipment, and personnel must meet FDA-enforced standards, and the exam reflects this: candidates are expected to understand MQSA regulations, accreditation and quality-assurance requirements, and the quality-control tests performed by technologists. Earning the credential is a common step toward meeting the initial and continuing qualifications MQSA requires of mammographers.
Mapped to the ARRT content outline.
Patient communication, pre-exam instructions, education on screening guidelines, and assessment of breast cancer risk factors, signs, symptoms, and history.
Design characteristics of dedicated mammography equipment, including kVp range, tube and focal spot, compression paddles, grids, and system geometry.
Full-field digital mammography, digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT/3D), synthesized imaging, image receptors, workstations, PACS, and computer-aided detection.
Accreditation and certifying bodies, MQSA regulations and recordkeeping, EQUIP, breast density reporting, and technologist and physicist quality-control tests.
Selecting technical factors and evaluating image quality for positioning, compression, exposure, contrast, sharpness, noise, and patient-related artifacts.
Breast anatomy and localization terminology, normal physiology, and the pathology and disease processes relevant to breast imaging interpretation.
Routine and supplemental projections, imaging patients with implants or special needs, and interventional and adjunct breast imaging procedures.
Registered technologists, most commonly radiographers, who want to specialize in breast imaging and work in screening or diagnostic mammography. It is also pursued by technologists whose facilities require MQSA-qualified staff to perform mammographic examinations.
Mammography uses ARRT's post-primary pathway, so candidates must already hold ARRT certification in an approved supporting discipline and complete the required structured education, clinical experience, and ethics requirements before examination. Requirements change over time; always confirm current eligibility at arrt.org.
Create a free profile now — you'll be ready to jump in the moment Mammography prep launches, and you can start with radiography or CIIP today.
Official exam details and eligibility: arrt.org