ABR-NMP-P2 Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows

What "Pass Rate" Actually Means for ABR-NMP-P2

Anyone searching for an ABR-NMP-P2 pass rate is usually hoping for a single number that predicts their odds. That number doesn't exist in a clean, specialty-specific form, and understanding why changes how you should prepare. The American Board of Radiology scores the Nuclear Medical Physics Part 2 Qualifying Examination on a criterion-referenced basis: your result is compared against a fixed passing standard set by the exam committee, not against how well other candidates performed in your sitting. There is no curve, no ranking, and no quota of candidates who must fail.

That matters because a criterion-referenced exam rewards mastery of defined content rather than out-competing peers. If you know the five domains cold, your outcome is not affected by whether the cohort sitting with you happens to be unusually strong or weak that cycle.

Why There Is No Published Nuclear-Specific Pass Rate

ABR's public certification pages report Medical Physics Part 2 outcome data as an all-specialty aggregate covering every Part 2 candidate cohort across the medical physics disciplines the Board certifies, not a figure isolated to Nuclear Medical Physics. Treating an aggregate number as if it describes the nuclear-specific exam would be misleading, since it blends candidates sitting for different content guides entirely. This article intentionally avoids quoting or extrapolating a percentage that was never calculated for this specialty alone.

It's also worth separating ABR's pathway from a commonly confused alternative. The American Board of Science in Nuclear Medicine (ABSNM) is a distinct certifying body with its own examination structure. If you see pass-rate claims online, confirm which organization and which exam they actually describe before applying them to your own preparation for the ABR Nuclear Medical Physics Part 2 Qualifying Examination.

The Content Guide Is the Real Predictor of Outcomes

Without a specialty-specific pass rate to lean on, the most useful readiness signal is how thoroughly you've mapped your preparation to ABR's own Nuclear Medical Physics Part 2 Content Guide. ABR does not publish domain percentage weights, so no single domain is officially declared "worth more" than another. That places the burden on you to cover all five domains with comparable depth rather than gambling on a guessed weighting scheme.

For a full breakdown of each domain's scope, see the ABR-NMP-P2 Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 5 Content Areas, and pair that with a structured plan in the ABR-NMP-P2 Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt.

How the Exam Format Shapes Difficulty

Format details matter as much as content when you're trying to gauge how hard the exam will feel on test day. Per the 2026 remote-exam guide, Nuclear Part 2 consists of 130 questions delivered in one remotely proctored session, with 4 hours and 1 minute of answering time. On top of that, candidates get 20 minutes for a tutorial/practice period and 25 minutes of break allowance, for a total allotted time of 4 hours 46 minutes.

The exam is predominantly multiple-choice, but ABR's own preparation materials describe image-location items under a Drag and Drop format - placing a marker on an anatomical site, an equipment component, or a region of a graph. That format rewards candidates who can recognize structures and waveforms visually, not just recall facts in isolation.

• Closed-book testing with a private, quiet space and a single active monitor
• An external side-view webcam, live-monitored and recorded by ABR staff
• An embedded or ABR-approved handheld calculator permitted
• A compliant physical erasable whiteboard, cleared at the start and end of the session - scratch paper and notes are prohibited
• Starting a break locks previously viewed questions, including unanswered and flagged ones, and excess break time reduces your answering time

ABR also provides a list of constants and physical values for calculations, but explicitly does not guarantee it contains every value you'll need - reviewing its organization in advance, rather than assuming completeness, is part of legitimate preparation. Calculator familiarization exercises covering radioactive decay and Mo-99/Tc-99m generator math are practice tools, not actual exam questions, but they reflect the calculation style you should expect.

Where Candidates Typically Lose Points, Domain by Domain

Because ABR assigns no published weighting, the safest approach is even, deliberate coverage of all five domains. Here's what each one demands in practical terms.

For a candid look at how these domains combine to determine overall difficulty, read How Hard Is the ABR-NMP-P2 Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026.

The Eligibility Gate Before You Ever Sit for Part 2

A meaningful chunk of "failure risk" for this exam happens before test day, in the form of eligibility mistakes. Standard eligibility requires passing both the General and Clinical sections of Part 1, plus completing or being on track to complete a CAMPEP-accredited residency or Doctor of Medical Physics program by August 31 of the exam year. Residency must begin within 10 years of passing Part 1, and board eligibility lasts six full calendar years from residency completion or Part 2 approval, whichever comes first.

Already-certified medical physicists pursuing an additional specialty follow a separate pathway involving ABR-approved prospective, supervised clinical training while maintaining their existing certification. Full details live in ABR-NMP-P2 Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.

Note also that passing Part 2 alone does not confer board certification - the complete initial-certification pathway requires Parts 1, 2, and 3 in sequence.

The Real Cost of a Failed Attempt

Failing Part 2 means retaking the entire examination - there's no partial credit carried forward by domain. Financially, the Part 2 exam fee is USD 640, due at registration, and this is separate from the USD 250 standard initial certification application fee. If your first attempt fails, ABR applies a one-time USD 250 re-examination fee for Part 1 and/or Part 2. All fees are nonrefundable, though prepaid exam fees following cancellation or nonattendance roll forward to the next available exam date.

For the complete cost picture across the full certification pathway, see ABR-NMP-P2 Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.

Sequencing a Domain-Based Study Plan

Generic study techniques only help if they're pointed at the right content in the right order. Given that ABR assigns no published domain weights, a sensible approach is to schedule the most calculation-heavy domains earlier, when you have the most runway to build fluency, and save clinical-reasoning domains for closer to test day when recall is fresher.

Use a timed mock session on the main practice test platform to simulate the pacing pressure of 130 questions before you ever sit for the real remote exam.

ABR-NMP-P2 vs. ABSNM: Two Different Pathways

Because acronyms overlap across the nuclear medicine physics world, it's worth stating plainly: ABR and ABSNM are separate certifying bodies with separate exams, fees, and eligibility rules. This article, and the ABR-NMP-P2 Exam Prep resources linked throughout, address only the American Board of Radiology's Nuclear Medical Physics Part 2 Qualifying Examination. If you're evaluating credentials for a job posting or state requirement, confirm which body the listing actually specifies before assuming the two are interchangeable.

What Passing Actually Unlocks

Passing Part 2 is a milestone within a longer certification arc, not a certification by itself. Full board certification requires completing Parts 1, 2, and 3. Once fully certified, diplomates maintain status through ABR Continuing Certification: 75 qualifying credits per rolling three-year period, one Practice Quality Improvement or qualifying participatory activity per rolling three-year period, and either annual Online Longitudinal Assessment participation or a Continuing Certification Exam in year four or five, alongside an annual USD 205 continuing certification fee. These are full-certification maintenance obligations, not a renewal requirement tied to Part 2 itself.

To understand how this credential translates into career opportunities, review ABR-NMP-P2 Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis and Is the ABR-NMP-P2 Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 for a broader return-on-investment perspective. Salary discussions should always specify the survey year, population, and whether the figures describe medical physicists rather than nuclear medicine technologists - the two roles are frequently and incorrectly conflated in online salary claims.

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