Table of Contents
What is the AP Credential?
Advanced Practitioner Certification in Clinical Nutrition. This is a credential offered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR).
“An experienced registered dietitian who has the clinical knowledge and skill required to autonomously apply the nutrition care process, using an evidenced based approach, at an optimal level of accuracy and efficiency. These advanced practitioners function above a specialist level with an expanded scope of practice and strategically select the most appropriate nutrition interventions. They are leaders in effectively planning, evaluating, and communicating targeted outcomes in clinical nutrition. Advanced clinical nutrition practice is the provision of direct nutrition care to individuals and/or groups or the provision of indirect nutrition care through management, education, quality improvement, or research linked to clinical nutrition.”
Essentially…a clinical nutrition badass 💪
Who Administers the Exam?
The Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) administers the AP exam. There are no set examination “seasons” like the CNSC, and you can take it at any time throughout the year.
Who is Eligible?
To be eligible for the RD-AP exam, you must have:
1. RD credential
2. 2,000 clinical practice hours in the past 5 years
3. ONE of the following:
– Science-related graduate degree (such as Masters of Science)
– Professional presentation
– Published research
– Specialist certification in clinical nutrition from CDR (CSOWM, CSO, CSPCC, CSR, etc.; CNSC does not count)
As far as I can gather, you must be a Registered Dietitian in the United States in order to sit for the AP exam, as it is administered by CDR. Your graduate degree, however, can be international.
Now for the fun part…
AP dietitians make $103,300 ON AVERAGE (as compared to $80,400 on average for all RDs). The 75th percentile for AP dietitians is $158,600.
^This is from the 2024 Compensation & Benefits Survey of the Dietetics Profession.
Now, does this mean once you pass the exam, your employer will give you a huge raise? Probably not. Rather, it speaks to the fact that Advanced Practice clinicians are highly respected, advanced in their careers, and compensated accordingly.
The AP credential is well-recognized by other professions (physician assistants, nurses, nurse practitioners, and others have an Advanced Practice track), and this can elevate your career to a new level.
The Dietitian Salaries report (below) by Stacey Dunn-Emke of Nutrition Jobs shows some pretty juicy salaries for AP dietitians (though, it’s unclear whether Advanced Practice is in the job title, or if the AP credential is required for these jobs). To get access to the full job report, enter your salary information here.
Why Don’t More Dietitians Take the Exam?
– It’s not required for most jobs
– Many employers won’t offer a pay bump for passing the exam
– Many employers won’t reimburse for the exam fee, or study materials
– There is no official study guide
– Fear of failing
𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐲 9-14 𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐏 𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐦 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞. I want to change that! I’ve already had three students pass the CNSC exam with my study guide, then go on to pass the AP exam within a few weeks. This is an excellent strategy, for a few reasons:
- There is significant crossover between the content of the CNSC and AP exams
- As long as you’re studying for your 5 or 10-year CNSC recertification, what’s one more exam? The AP exam is also shorter than the CNSC, and you get instant pass/rail results.
- Both expire every 5 years, so you can keep renewing them together
- Many employers will reimburse annually for continuing education materials, so if you purchase exam prep materials in the summer or fall, and test the following spring, you can double-dip and use two years’ worth of reimbursements.
What Kind of Content is on the AP Exam?
There is some crossover between the AP exam and the CNSC exam. Much of the clinical content could show up on either exam. For example:
- Nutrition Care Process
- Basics of nutrition support (which patients meet criteria for EN and PN, macronutrient composition of a nutrition support order)
- Micronutrients (assessment of micronutrient status, signs and symptoms of deficiency)
- Malnutrition (Nutrition-Focused Physical Exam, protein-calorie malnutrition criteria, malnutrition screening tools)
- Diets (special diet orders for medical conditions)
- Ethics (goals of care, principles of Western ethics)
- Research methods (types of research studies, quality of research, how to incorporate evidence-based principles into practice)
The AP exam also has content that is unique to this exam, and isn’t CNSC-specific. For example:
- Interdisciplinary interventions
- Education and advocacy
- Multidisciplinary consults
- Transitions of care
- Systems of Care Design and Management
- Technologies and Equipment
- Evidence-Based Research and Design
- Accessibility of Resources (e.g., Supply Chain, Alternatives)
- Strategic Planning and Cost-Benefit Analysis Considerations
You can view an outline of the AP exam’s content here.
Much of this is difficult to study for. Whereas the CNSC exam has lots of content (such as numbers, reference ranges, equations) that you can commit to memory, the AP exam is all about application, and tests clinicians on a wide range of clinical scenarios. The AP exam is scenario-based (lots of case study-style questions).
Do you Have an AP Exam Study Guide?
CDR does have a Reference List, which you can view here. But, it will take you ages to read all of these resources. I reviewed some of these, but didn’t find them altogether necessary.
I am working to assemble a resource guide that points dietitians to a variety of journal articles, videos, and other resources that are more targeted toward AP exam content. If you’re interested in receiving this, be sure to join my email list by clicking below to download my Clinical Nutrition Toolkit.
Q: What is the RD-AP exam?
A: The RD-AP (or RDN-AP) exam is CDR’s Advanced Practitioner Certification in Clinical Nutrition, recognizing dietitians who practice above specialist level.
Q: Who is eligible for the RD-AP exam?
A: Registered Dietitians in the United States with 2,000 clinical practice hours in the past five years, plus one of: a science-related graduate degree, a professional presentation, published research, or a CDR specialist certification (CNSC certification doesn’t count).
Q: How much do RD-AP dietitians make?
A: RD-AP dietitians average $103,300 annually, with the 75th percentile reaching $158,600, per the 2024 Compensation & Benefits Survey of the Dietetics Profession.
Q: Is the RD-AP exam hard?
A: It’s scenario-based rather than fact-recall, so it tests how you apply clinical judgment across case studies rather than memorized numbers. It’s supposed to be hard 😉 As of 2025, 80% of dietitians sitting for the exam for the first time passed.
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