RITE (Residency In-service Training Examination)

EXAM FEATUREs

• Content outline that aligns with the ABPN Certification Examination in Neurology. View the 2024 RITE content outline and the 2024 ABPN Certification outline.
• Exam format that mirrors the ABPN Certification Examination in Neurology in length and break structure. Beginning in 2024, the timer will run consecutively for 8 hours, during which time programs and residents can take breaks when desired. The timer will start at the beginning of the exam and run for 8 hours.
• Written and reviewed by a panel of recognized experts to ensure accuracy, clarity, relevance to practice, and topical balance of questions.
• Video and series type imaging studies including CT scans, MR images, EEGs, and full-color pathologic representations for a testing experience similar to what residents will see in practice.
• A scoring process conducted by a professional data systems company to ensure the highest quality data collection with an accuracy rate in excess of 99.9%.
• A downloadable Discussion and Reference Manual that provides explanations of the correct answer for all questions, relevant images, and current references to guide independent study. View the 2024 Discussion and Reference Manual.

EXAM ADMINISTRATION

• Residents sit for the RITE in a proctored environment at their institution; the RITE is not administered at a commercial testing center.
• Beginning in 2023 and to assist with workload coverage, the RITE testing window was shifted to begin at the end of one calendar week, include the entire weekend, and extend into the first 2 days of a second calendar week. Future RITE exam administration dates:
  • February 6-11, 2025
  • February 12–17, 2026
• Programs should coordinate with their institution’s technical support staff early to ensure computers are working correctly and to ensure internet connectivity. View the RITE Institution Preparation Guide & Proctor's Manual for detailed information about system requirements, recommendations regarding bandwidth speed, and a timeline to prepare for testing.

EXAM DAY PREPARATION Guidance

• Review in advance the Timeline to Prepare for Testing section in the RITE Institution Preparation Guide and Proctor's Manual for steps and materials for exam day.
• Print and bring a copy of the Invigilation Pack, as described in the Institution Preparation Guide and Proctor's Manual, as this includes the Attendance Roster and keycodes residents need to access the exam and the Invigilation Report that needs to be returned to AAN after the exam.
• Ensure the testing site follows your institution’s recommendations for safe test administration (physical distancing of seats) and any other requirements (masks, hand sanitizer), as needed.
• Arrive early to turn on computers and verify internet connectivity so the test can be downloaded upon resident login. Be sure to have contact information for your institution’s technical support team in the event that hardware/system/internet connectivity issues arise. AAN staff cannot troubleshoot these issues.

• AAN endeavors to administer the RITE, where feasible, in a manner that best ensures equal access to individuals with documented qualifying disabilities who demonstrate and request a need for accommodation(s) or auxiliary aides via these policies, provided that the requested accommodation is reasonable, not unduly burdensome and does not fundamentally alter the measurement of the skills or knowledge being self-assessed.  

  Requests for an accommodation must be submitted in writing to allow for AAN to consider the request and, if granted, implement the request in a timely manner. Individuals who request an accommodation because of a disability must advise AAN in writing and in accordance with the requirements in the Application for Testing Accommodations. There is also an application for a Nursing/Chest Feeding Accommodation that needs to be completed no later than 30 days prior to the start of RITE week so that the test timer can be modified accordingly.
  • Application for Testing Accommodations
  • Application for Nursing/Chest Feeding Accommodations

RITE SCORING AND RESULTS Information

• Scoring begins after the last day of test administration. Once scoring is complete, results are reviewed and verified by members of the RITE Panel and AAN staff to ensure accuracy.
• Once the results are verified, scores for total percent correct, knowledge class percent correct, and percentile rankings for individual residents and for programs are generated. A Missing Items list for each program is also generated. This process can take several weeks.
• Score reports typically are made available in early to mid-April each year after testing.
  • Residents will receive an email with a link to their individual score report, which includes total percent correct for the entire exam and percent correct in five content categories, along with their percentile rank compared with other residents in the same NYIT.
  • Program directors will receive an email with a link to the program summary report, which includes both total program and individual resident percent correct and percentile ranking data, the All-Examinee report, and the Missed Items report for their program.

  • Questions on the RITE are now also designated as Core Knowledge (more than 90% of residents should have encountered the clinical scenario described in the question), Intermediate Knowledge (between 50% and 90% of residents should have encountered the scenario described in the question), and Subspecialty Knowledge (50% of residents or more will NOT have encountered the scenario described in the question). The total percent of questions designated Core and Subspecialty Knowledge are reported here but not by specific content area. Note these designations are not included in the ABPN Certification Examination in Neurology; rather, they were developed by the RITE Panel as a means of providing additional information about progress throughout residency. View examples of RITE items classified as Core, Intermediate, and Subspecialty.

• Residents also receive a link to the downloadable RITE Discussion and Reference Manual, which includes the correct answer, an explanation of the correct answer and incorrect answers, images associated with the question (if applicable), and a current reference. The Manual does not include all the questions, though a select number may be reprinted. Reprinted questions are not used on future RITE exams.
• If score reports are not received by May 1, 2024, please contact AAN at theRITE@aan.com and include the following information with your request: your name, program name and number, and AAN ID number.
• IMPORTANT: AAN only maintains RITE scores on file for 1 year. Program directors and residents are responsible for archiving their RITE scores each year.