If you need help studying for the ARDMS Adult Echocardiography (AE) exam or just want some more information about what the exam is like, you’ve come to the right place.
Click below to take a free ARDMS Adult Echocardiography practice test!
Exam Eligibility
Before you can register to take the ARDMS AE exam, you’ll have to meet at least ONE of the prerequisites below:
Prerequisite 1
Allied Health Pathway
You need to complete a two-year allied health education program in a patient-care field.
Experience
You need at least 12 months of full-time ultrasound/vascular experience.
Prerequisite 2
Accredited Sonography Graduate Pathway
You need to be a graduate from or student of a CAAHEP/CMA/HSO-accredited ultrasound/vascular program.
Experience
No additional experience required.
Prerequisite 3A
Degree with Clinical Experience Pathway
You need to have a bachelor’s degree in any major.
Experience
You need at least 12 months of full-time ultrasound/vascular experience.
Prerequisite 3B
Degree in Sonography Pathway
You need to be a graduate from or student in a bachelor’s degree program specifically in sonography or vascular technology.
Experience
No additional experience required.
Prerequisite 4
Physician Pathway
You need to have an MD, DO, or MBBS degree.
Experience
You need to have at least 500 ultrasound/vascular cases over at least 6 months.
Prerequisite 5
Cross-Credentialing Pathway
You need to have an active credential in RCS, RCCS, RVS (CCI), Sonography/Vascular/Breast Sonography (ARRT), or CRGS, CRCS, CRVS (Sonography Canada).
Experience
You’ll have met the necessary clinical experience through your credentialing organization.
If you meet the requirements within one of these pathways, you’re set to begin the registration process!
What’s on the Exam?
There are 150 questions on the exam, which are grouped into five domains, and the time limit is 3 hours (this includes a 5-minute survey).
Let’s take a closer look at the different sections of the Adult Echocardiography exam.
1. Anatomy and Physiology
17% of the exam
- Normal cardiac anatomy and vessels
- Anatomic variants related to the heart
- Recognizing and documenting normal cardiac anatomy and vessels
- Recognizing and documenting anatomic variants related to the heart
- Normal hemodynamic response to stress testing and maneuvers
- Normal systolic and diastolic function
- Normal valve function and measurements
- Normal arterial and venous return
- The phases of the cardiac cycle
- Normal Doppler changes with respiration
- Appearance of normal arterial and venous waveforms
- Recognizing and documenting normal hemodynamic response to stress testing and maneuvers
- Recognizing and documenting normal systolic and diastolic function
- Recognizing and documenting normal valve function and measurements
- Recognizing and documenting normal arterial and venous return
- Identifying and documenting the phases of the cardiac cycle
- Recognizing and documenting normal Doppler changes with respiration
- Recognizing and documenting normal arterial and venous waveforms
- Documenting normal physiologic information
- Performing, evaluating, and documenting Doppler interrogation of normal cardiac structures and associated vessels
2. Pathology
46% of the exam
- The appearance of abnormal cardiac structures and related vascular anatomy
- Abnormal hemodynamic response to stress testing
- Appropriate Doppler interrogation techniques for abnormal cardiac structures and associated vessels
- Abnormal arterial and venous waveforms
- Conditions that affect the heart and its vascular structures
- Abnormal Doppler changes with respiration
- Abnormal EKG findings
- Types of cardiac masses
- Types of wall motion abnormalities
- Common congenital cardiac anomalies
- Documenting abnormal cardiac structures and related vascular anatomy
- Recognizing and documenting abnormal hemodynamic response to stress testing
- Performing and evaluating proper Doppler interrogation of pathologic states
- Recognizing and evaluating abnormal arterial and venous waveforms
- Identifying and documenting conditions that affect the heart and its vascular structures
- Recognizing and evaluating abnormal Doppler changes with respiration
- Performing and evaluating Doppler interrogation of abnormal cardiac structures and associated vessels
- Recognizing abnormal EKG findings
- Identifying and documenting cardiac masses
- Demonstrating and evaluating wall motion abnormalities
- Identifying and documenting common congenital cardiac anomalies
- Performing a comprehensive evaluation of cardiac pathologies
- Types of heart valve repair and replacement and their sonographic appearance
- Intracardiac devices and their sonographic appearance
- Performing echocardiographic evaluation of heart valve repairs, heart valve replacements, and intracardiac devices
- Recognizing and evaluating normal and abnormal postoperative findings
3. Clinical Care and Safety
8% of the exam
- Applying patient history information to exam performed
- Proper patient preparations, including fasting state, based on exam performed
- How to properly position the patient based on the needs and limitations of the exam
- EKG findings
- Proper placement of EKG leads
- Sonographer’s responsibility regarding intravenous line management
- Critical echocardiographic findings and their characteristics
- Proper ergonomic techniques
- Positioning the patient to obtain optimal results, based on exam protocol and the limitations of the patient or exam
- Properly applying EKG leads and optimizing signal
- Carrying out tasks related to sonographer’s responsibility regarding intravenous line management
- Obtaining accurate blood pressure reading and understanding readings
- Practicing proper ergonomic techniques
- Contraindications for echocardiographic procedures
- Types of medical emergencies that may occur in the echocardiography lab and how to identify them
- Sonographer’s role in managing medical emergencies
- Identifying contraindications for echocardiographic procedures
- Reacting to and appropriately managing medical emergencies
4. Measurement Techniques, Maneuvers, and Sonographic Views
23% of the exam
- Measurement techniques and their application to the heart’s chambers, vessels, and valves
- Pressure half-time, planimetry, arterial pressure, diameter, and shunt ratio measurement techniques
- Performing all cardiac-related measurements
- Types of provocative maneuvers and their application
- Providing meaningful instructions to the patient regarding the performance of provocative maneuvers
- Standard echocardiographic views and their application
- Obtaining standard echocardiographic views and modifying views based on clinical situation and findings
5. Instrumentation, Optimization, and Contrast
6% of the exam
- Types of artifacts and their appearance
- Function of non-imaging transducer
- Settings on ultrasound console and their function as related to imaging
- Recognizing artifacts and modifying scanning technique based on findings
- Utilizing non-imaging transducer
- Properly adjusting ultrasound console settings to optimize imaging
- Harmonic imaging
- Physical principles of contrast agents
- Types of saline and echo-enhancing contrast agents and their application
- Appropriately utilizing contrast agents, including understanding contraindications
- Optimizing images when utilizing contrast agents
How to Register
Once you’ve ensured that you meet all of the eligibility requirements, you can register for the exam.
To get started, you’ll need to submit an application on the ARDMS website. The application will ask you for your contact information and any documentation to prove your eligibility (among other things).
When you submit the application, you’ll also need to submit the testing fee, which is $275.
ARDMS Study Guide and Flashcards
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Exam Scores
The test is scored using a scaled scoring method. Here’s how it works:
For every question you answer correctly, you get one point added to your raw score. At the end of the test, your final raw score will be converted to a scaled score. This scaled score will range somewhere between 300 and 700.
The reason your raw score is converted to a scaled score is because everyone who takes the test is given a slightly different set of questions. Since everyone has a different arrangement of questions, and because some questions are harder than others, converting your raw score to a scaled score ensures a more even playing field.
Retaking the Exam
If you didn’t get a passing score on your first try, that’s okay! You can retake the test after a 60-day waiting period.
Keep in mind that you will have to pay the full testing fee every time you retake the test.
FAQs
How many questions are on the Adult Echocardiography exam?
The exam contains 150 questions.
What is the time limit for the Adult Echocardiography exam?
The exam is timed at 3 hours.
What is the passing score for the Adult Echocardiography exam?
You’ll need to get a final scaled score of at least 555 to pass.
How much does the Adult Echocardiography exam cost?
The testing fee is $275.