ARDMS SPI Exam Pass Rate, Format & Study Guide

The Inteleos SPI page lists approximately 110 multiple-choice questions in two hours, plus a five-minute survey, and the portal mock uses the same 110 questions and 120 minutes. Results are reported on a scaled score from 300 to 700, and a score of 555 or better passes; the result is not percentage-based and is not curved. The SPI Content Outline version 24.1 lists five domains with these shares of the exam: Perform Ultrasound Examinations 23 percent, Manage Ultrasound Transducers 7, Optimize Sonographic Images 26, Apply Doppler Concepts 34 and Provide Clinical Safety and Quality Assurance 10.

SPI is the physics and instrumentation exam: ARDMS requires you to pass it together with a corresponding specialty exam within five years of each other to earn a sonography credential.

Sonography students and working sonographers preparing for the ARDMS Sonography Principles and Instrumentation (SPI) 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.

The Inteleos page says you can reapply three days after an attempt but must wait 60 days before you retake the exam; confirm the current rule when you reapply.

ARDMS sets the passing score at 555 on a 300 to 700 scale. It is not a percentage of questions correct and it is not curved, so the portal mock shows a percent score only as a rough self-check. Format: about 110 multiple-choice questions in two hours; the portal mock has 110 questions in 120 minutes, the same size and pace. No official pass rate is available for this exam, so none is quoted here.

The Inteleos SPI page lists approximately 110 multiple-choice questions in two hours, plus a five-minute survey, and the portal mock uses the same 110 questions and 120 minutes. Results are reported on a scaled score from 300 to 700, and a score of 555 or better passes; the result is not percentage-based and is not curved. The SPI Content Outline version 24.1 lists five domains with these shares of the exam: Perform Ultrasound Examinations 23 percent, Manage Ultrasound Transducers 7, Optimize Sonographic Images 26, Apply Doppler Concepts 34 and Provide Clinical Safety and Quality Assurance 10. About 110 multiple-choice questions · two hours plus a short survey · scaled score 300 to 700, 555 passes. ARDMS sets the passing score at 555 on a 300 to 700 scale. It is not a percentage of questions correct and it is not curved, so the portal mock shows a percent score only as a rough self-check.

• Perform Ultrasound Examinations23%
• Manage Ultrasound Transducers7%
• Optimize Sonographic Images26%
• Apply Doppler Concepts34%
• Provide Clinical Safety and Quality Assurance10%

The content outline spreads questions across 5 areas: Perform Ultrasound Examinations (23.0%); Manage Ultrasound Transducers (7.0%); Optimize Sonographic Images (26.0%); Apply Doppler Concepts (34.0%); Provide Clinical Safety and Quality Assurance (10.0%).

ARDMS sets the prerequisites for the SPI exam and lists them on its prerequisites page; you need an Inteleos account to apply, and the SPI plus a corresponding specialty exam must be passed within five years of each other.

The Inteleos exam page lists a $275 USD exam fee. ARDMS links a separate exam fee schedule for the individual components and for retakes, so check it before you pay.

The Inteleos page says that as long as you maintain active status you do not need to retake SPI; credential maintenance and renewal rules are set by ARDMS, so check ARDMS for what applies after you pass.

Start with the heaviest areas of the content outline: Apply Doppler Concepts (34.0%); Optimize Sonographic Images (26.0%); Perform Ultrasound Examinations (23.0%). Then work through the remaining areas, and finish with timed full-length practice runs of 110 questions in one sitting.

This guide follows the SPI Content Outline version 24.1 published by Inteleos in 2026; ARDMS revises its outlines after each practice analysis, so check the ARDMS site before you book.