ARDMS exam cost: SPI, specialties and retakes
The ARDMS exam cost for one credential is $575: the SPI exam ($275) plus one specialty ($300). Add specialties or retakes below.
Example: SPI once and 1 specialty exam· change any figure to see your own result
ARDMS exam fees in total
$575
SPI $275 × 1 + specialty $300 × 1
| SPI exam (Sonography Principles and Instrumentation) | $275 × 1 |
| Specialty exams | $300 × 1 |
| Time limit | SPI and the specialty passed within 5 years of each other |
| Then | Annual renewal: every year, fees due by December 31 (renewal opens in September) |
Exam fees read on the Inteleos exam pages (Inteleos runs the ARDMS exams) on November 13, 2026. The annual renewal amount is not shown: we could not read it on an official page.
Compiled by Radif Partners · How the rules were read
ARDMS credentials, run by Inteleos, take two exams: the Sonography Principles and Instrumentation (SPI) exam, required for every ARDMS certification track, at $275, and a specialty exam at $300, such as abdomen or obstetrics and gynecology for the RDMS, adult echocardiography for the RDCS or vascular technology for the RVT. Both must be passed within 5 years of each other, in any order. These fees were read on the Inteleos exam pages on November 13, 2026; each exam is offered year-round. A sonographer seeking two RDMS specialties pays $875 in exam fees; one who takes the SPI twice and one specialty pays $850. After certification, renewal is every year, fees due by December 31 (renewal opens in September); we could not read the renewal amount on an official page, so it is not shown.
ARDMS exam cost by credential
| Credential | Exams | Exam fees |
|---|---|---|
| RDMS (abdomen) | SPI + Abdomen | $575 |
| RDMS (OB/GYN) | SPI + Obstetrics and Gynecology | $575 |
| RDMS, two specialties | SPI + Abdomen + OB/GYN | $875 |
| RDCS (adult echo) | SPI + Adult Echocardiography | $575 |
| RVT | SPI + Vascular Technology | $575 |
The calculator counts each retake at the listed fee of that exam; check the Inteleos page before you book. The ARRT also offers sonography and vascular sonography as primary disciplines ($225); see the ARRT fee calculator.
After the exams
ARDMS renewal runs on the calendar year: the renewal period opens in September and fees are due by December 31; failing to renew revokes the certification. Continuing medical education is part of the renewal. If you will work in a state that licenses sonography, add its fee: see the sonographer license by state.
Does your state also license sonographers?
Example: Texas· change any figure to see your own result
Texas: state license for a sonographer
No
Employers usually ask for an ARDMS or ARRT credential instead
| Sonography license | No state license |
| States and DC that license sonographers | 5: District of Columbia, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon |
| ARDMS exams (SPI + one specialty) | $575 |
| Sonography programs in the state (IPEDS) | 37 |