ARDMS AB Exam Pass Rate, Format & Study Guide

The Inteleos page for the AB exam describes about 165 questions over three hours, made up of multiple-choice and hotspot (mark directly on an image) questions, followed by a five-minute survey. The ARDMS AB content outline (version 24.1, in force for exams delivered before May 13, 2027) has four areas: Anatomy, Perfusion, and Function (30%); Pathology, Vascular Abnormalities, Trauma, and Postoperative Anatomy (42%); Abdominal Physics (8%); and Clinical Care, Practice, and Quality Assurance (20%). The exam is scored on a 300-700 scale and the passing score is 555; the scaled score is not a percentage of correct answers. The AB exam costs US$300 on the Inteleos exam page, and you must pass both the AB and SPI exams within five years of each other, in either order.

The AB exam is one of the specialty exams ARDMS offers toward its sonography credentials.

Sonography students and working sonographers preparing for the ARDMS Abdomen specialty exam.

The certifying body does not publicly publish an official pass rate for this exam. Be wary of third-party sites citing a specific number here — treat any pass-rate claim you see elsewhere for this exam as unverified.

If you do not pass, the Inteleos page says you can reapply after three days but must wait 60 days before retaking the exam.

ARDMS reports a scaled score from 300 to 700 and the passing score is 555. A scaled score is not a percentage of correct answers, so the percent score in the portal mock is only a self-check. Format: about 165 questions in 3 hours, multiple choice and hotspot; the portal mock uses 165 multiple-choice questions in 180 minutes, and hotspot items are not simulated. No official pass rate is available for this exam, so none is quoted here.

The Inteleos page for the AB exam describes about 165 questions over three hours, made up of multiple-choice and hotspot (mark directly on an image) questions, followed by a five-minute survey. The ARDMS AB content outline (version 24.1, in force for exams delivered before May 13, 2027) has four areas: Anatomy, Perfusion, and Function (30%); Pathology, Vascular Abnormalities, Trauma, and Postoperative Anatomy (42%); Abdominal Physics (8%); and Clinical Care, Practice, and Quality Assurance (20%). The exam is scored on a 300-700 scale and the passing score is 555; the scaled score is not a percentage of correct answers. The AB exam costs US$300 on the Inteleos exam page, and you must pass both the AB and SPI exams within five years of each other, in either order. About 165 questions · 3 hours · multiple choice and hotspot items · scaled score 300-700, 555 to pass · content outline v24.1. ARDMS reports a scaled score from 300 to 700 and the passing score is 555. A scaled score is not a percentage of correct answers, so the percent score in the portal mock is only a self-check.

• Anatomy, Perfusion, and Function30%
• Pathology, Vascular Abnormalities, Trauma, and Postoperative Anatomy42%
• Abdominal Physics8%
• Clinical Care, Practice, and Quality Assurance20%

The content outline spreads questions across 4 areas: Anatomy, Perfusion, and Function (30.0%); Pathology, Vascular Abnormalities, Trauma, and Postoperative Anatomy (42.0%); Abdominal Physics (8.0%); Clinical Care, Practice, and Quality Assurance (20.0%).

Inteleos publishes the prerequisites for each ARDMS exam on a separate prerequisites page. For the AB exam you also need to pass the SPI exam, and the two must be passed within five years of each other. Read the current prerequisites before you apply.

The Inteleos AB exam page lists US$300 for the exam. The SPI exam is a separate exam with its own fee, which is not included here.

ARDMS sets the continuing-education and renewal rules for people who hold its credentials; check the current rules on the Inteleos site.

Start with the pathology area, which carries the most weight, then work through anatomy and function, abdominal physics and clinical care, and finish with timed 165-question runs.

This guide follows the ARDMS AB content outline version 24.1 (in force for exams before May 13, 2027) and the Inteleos AB exam page, checked November 2, 2026. Fees and policies can change, so confirm them with Inteleos.