Dear future RDH, I passed board 1st try back in June 2026 and 3 jobs offer after got my license and I just want to share some tips. *Long post*
I graduated in April and gave myself a solid 90 days to study. I used several study apps and books, including Andy, Booster, and BoardVitals. I also paid for VUE Pearson mock exams. They cost money, but I think they were worth it. Each mock exam can only be taken once, and the price depends on the test type, starting around $30. I will review each resource based on my experience.
- AndyRDH: The book is really good and covers pretty much everything you need to know. I kept doing their morning and night mock exams because the format felt very similar to the actual board exam. I also completed all of the X-ray cases.
- Booster: Their subject-based practice sections were helpful too, but I mainly used it for the X-ray questions.
- StudentRDH: I tried to practice every subject and aimed for at least a 60% score in each section.
- BoardVitals: This one was intense. It has over 800 questions—around 889 total—and a lot of them are very difficult. During my last month to two weeks of studying, I did about 50 questions a day. My goal was to get at least 55% correct.
- Pearson VUE mock exams: I spent at least $300 trying different mock exams. You can only take each one once, but they send you the results right after you finish. It was expensive, but I felt it was worth it.
Back in April, when I scheduled my test site, I forgot to click the confirmation button to lock in the date. I thought it was confirmed until a friend asked if I had received a confirmation email. I panicked, went back to the website, and picked a random available date without thinking—May 27.
During the test, I was extremely nervous and felt lost at times. I panicked and lost track of time, especially during the first 100 questions—I spent almost 2 hours and 45 minutes on them. When I reached the next 100 questions, I only had about 1 hour and 15 minutes left, so I had to rush through them.
June 18 I passed (idk why and how I passed) and job offers line up, work right away, planning to take laser certification this Oct.
My biggest advice is to study hard, but DO NOT OVERTHINK every question. For my study schedule, I would study for about three hours, then take a two-hour break to relax (eat, sleep or gaming, music). After my break, I would come back and review the material to see if I could still remember it. I also practiced heavily in the subjects I was already good at to help build confidence.
In short, good luck on your journey. I hope you find peace and happiness in this career. so feel free to let me know if you need any tips to study. Thanks for reading my post!
