Pass the RD-AP Exam with confidence.

The Advanced Practitioner in Clinical Nutrition (RD-AP) Exam is a credential offered by the Commission on Dietetics Registration (CDR). It tests dietitians on a wide range of clinical, management, and leadership topics. The credential designates dietitians as advanced in their career, and the ability to practice at top of scope. Learn more in this blog post.

The AP credential deserves way more hype than it gets. Here’s why:

1. It provides a tangible signal of advanced scope of practice, for clinical dietitians who are approaching the ceiling of their career.

The RD-AP is one of the only credentials that recognizes advanced clinical judgment and experience earned over years of practice, rather than a single area of specialization. If you’ve hit the point in your career where you’re doing more than just bedside nutrition assessments, but don’t have a graduate degree to show for it, this is your proof.

2. It signals expertise to other members of the care team.

Nursing, pharmacy, and other allied health fields have tiers of advanced practice credentialing (for example, advanced practice registered nurses). Continuing to offer this credential supports parity with other health professionals, and greater recognition of dietitians’ value on the care team.

3. It helps female dietitians get promoted.

Women are held to a higher standard than men in selection processes. Men are often promoted based on potential, while women are promoted based on performance*. Since our profession is overwhelmingly female, a credential that allows female dietitians showcase their skills, without boxing them in to one of the more niche credentials CDR offers, is important.

 4. It gives existing dietitians formal recognition of their advanced experience in the industry.

The AP credential recognizes that a dietitian has the experience and ability to conduct research, education, and clinical programs or interventions independently. Without it, many experienced dietitians may actually be perceived as less experienced than an entry-level dietitian, simply because they don’t hold a graduate degree. 

5. It provides a way for clinical dietitians with a broad scope to obtain bonuses, career advancement, and “exceeds expectations” on annual appraisals.

• Open access journal articles
• Lists of resources other AP dietitians have used to pass the exam
• A comprehensive plan with all 40 tasks in the exam content outline, so you can brush up on whatever content you need most
• Test taking strategy from an exam prep expert
• Save hundreds of hours slogging through dense textbooks, and trying to resource your own materials!
• A community (similar to Slack) where you can post questions and get answers from other AP exam candidates

I recommend studying for 3-4 weeks. Depending on how much experience you have, you may need more time. 

Many of my students sit for the CNSC exam, and then take the AP exam 3-4 weeks later. This is a strong strategy, as there is substantial crossover in content between the two exams.

If you are not planning to take or re-take the CNSC and are just preparing for the AP Exam, plan to study for about a month. 

This Resource Kit is not a study guide. The RD-AP Exam is designed to test dietitians' ability to practice at an advanced level (which you're probably already doing!). Therefore, traditional "studying" is not in the spirit of the exam. Every dietitians' experience is a little bit different, so I've assembled a take-what-you-need buffet of resources, so you can review just what you need, and not waste time reviewing information you already know.

No! Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools were NOT used to develop this, or any of my products.

AI (a) is not a source, (b) exhibits inherent biases, and (c) does not replace human intelligence. Rather than AI, primary sources (evidence-based literature) has been utilized in the creation of this product. 

Yes, in August 2026, CDR announced plans to sunset (retire) the AP credential, due to extremely poor demand (only ~10 dietitians take the exam for the first time each year). You can still test until the end of December, 2027. Credentials are always good for 5 years, so the AP credential will still exist until the end of 2032. Read more in this blog post.

You do not need a copy of the ASPEN Core to pass the AP Exam, however, it will be helpful. There are several chapters I recommend you read. 

Per CDR's guidelines, study guides and study materials do not count for CPEs. However, upon passing the AP Exam, you'll receive 75 CPEs. 

The Resource Kit is an online course, which you will receive instant access to.

Because the AP exam is administered by CDR, which us a US entity, dietitians must be credentialed by CDR in the US. However, I encourage you to reach out to CDR and inquire whether international candidates can apply: cdr@eatright.org

You will have access to everything from 12 months of "purchase." 

The AP Exam does not traditionally have calculations, or math equations. Questions are practice-based, situational, and case-study style.

You will receive instant pass/fail results, and can re-take the exam at any time.