RadiologyQuizLabARRT MRI REGISTRY · SECTIONAL ANATOMY
MRI registry anatomy
On the ARRT MRI exam, anatomy lives inside the Procedures section — 57 of the 200 scored questions, spread across neurological, body and musculoskeletal studies. To plan a brain, a knee or an MRCP you have to recognize the anatomy on the images, and the exam checks that you can. This guide shows where anatomy sits in the exam, what to learn in each area and how to study it — then lets you practice on real MRI images, free.
The anatomy skill, in one question — read the slice, name the marked structure:
Which anatomical structure is arrowed?
Single answer — type the structure
Correct — Genu of corpus callosum
Where anatomy sits in the MRI registry
The MRI registry is the ARRT's certification exam in magnetic resonance imaging, open both to graduates of MRI programs and to technologists already certified in another discipline. Its content specifications divide it into Patient Care, Safety, Image Production and Procedures. Image Production — physics, sequences and data acquisition — is the largest category. Procedures is where anatomy comes in: for each study, questions cover the imaging planes, landmarking and the structures the study has to show.
Exam format at a glance
Under the current content specifications (in effect since February 2025), the exam has 200 scored questions plus 30 unscored pilot questions, taken on computer. Procedures accounts for 57 of them: neurological (25), body (15) and musculoskeletal (17). Most items are single-best-answer multiple choice. The outline is revised periodically, so always confirm the current version on the official ARRT page.
Official exam details — ARRT Magnetic Resonance Imaging →
What's tested, area by area
Neurological: brain, pituitary, orbits, internal auditory canals and cranial nerves, sinuses, the soft tissues of the neck and the head and neck vessels — plus the whole spine down to the sacroiliac joints. Body: chest, breast, brachial plexus, liver, pancreas, adrenals, kidneys, bowel and biliary tree (MRCP), and the male and female pelvis. Musculoskeletal: every major joint — shoulder, elbow, wrist, hand, hip, knee, ankle and foot — plus the TMJs, sternum, long bones and bony pelvis. For each, expect to know the anatomy in all three planes.
How to study the anatomy
Learn each area in the planes it's actually scanned in — sagittal and axial for the spine, all three for the knee and shoulder — and on more than one sequence, because the same structure changes signal between T1, T2 and fat-suppressed images. Start from the landmarks you plan on: the corpus callosum and brainstem, the vertebral levels, the menisci and cruciate ligaments. Use active recall: name the marked structure before you see the answer, then check. If you can name it unprompted, picking it out on exam day is easy. Anatomy is one part of the exam — physics and sequence parameters carry more questions — so pair this with a full registry review.
MRI registry anatomy: common questions
How much of the MRI registry is anatomy?
Anatomy sits within the Procedures category, which has 57 of the 200 scored questions across neurological, body and musculoskeletal studies. Image Production (physics, sequences and data acquisition) is larger, with 106. Check the current content specifications on the ARRT website for the exact breakdown.
What's the passing score for the MRI registry?
The ARRT reports results as a scaled score, and a scaled score of 75 is needed to pass. It isn't a percentage of questions answered correctly. Confirm the current scoring rules on the ARRT website.
Are there free MRI registry practice questions for anatomy?
Yes — you can practice naming structures on real MRI images here, free and without an account. It covers the anatomy side of the exam; for physics, sequences and safety, use a dedicated registry review.
What's the best way to learn MRI sectional anatomy?
Pair a sectional anatomy atlas with daily practice on real images, across sequences and planes. Reading about the anatomy helps you understand it; naming it again and again on real MRI slices is what makes it stick.
Ready to lock in the anatomy?
Get 20 free questions across 8 body regions — name the structure, get the explanation, and track what sticks. No card needed.
Practice free — 20 questions