Radiology technologist screening questions: ARRT, state licenses and modality depth
On this page
Radiology technologist screening questions need to confirm three layers before anything else: the national credential (usually ARRT, by discipline), the state license or certificate for the job state along with any extra permits such as fluoroscopy, and real recent depth in the modalities the client needs. Then test equipment and systems, patient volume, and whether the candidate can work the call and shift pattern, which is where most imaging placements come apart.
This bank is for recruiters filling radiologic technologist roles: general x-ray, CT, MRI, mammography, interventional and cross-trained techs in hospitals, imaging centers, urgent care and orthopedic clinics, on travel, per diem and permanent terms. For nursing roles use the nurse phone screen questions; for rehab, the physical therapist screening questions. Sonographers and nuclear medicine technologists have different credentialing bodies and are not covered here.
ARRT, state licenses and permits: three separate checks
As of September 2026, ARRT says more than 75% of states have licensing laws covering radiologic technology, and that its own credential does not by itself make someone eligible to work in a given state (ARRT state licensing). In practice you check three things:
- ARRT status by discipline. Radiography (R), and post-primary credentials such as computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MR), mammography (M) or vascular interventional radiography (VI). Look each up on ARRT Verify Credentials. Some MRI technologists hold ARMRIT certification instead.
- The state license or certificate for the state where the job is, from the state health department or radiation control program.
- Extra state permits. Some states issue separate permits for certain work. California, for example, requires a separate Radiologic Technologist Fluoroscopy Permit, and certain recent ARRT radiography registrants can get it without a separate exam (CDPH fluoroscopy FAQ).
On renewal, ARRT says most technologists must earn 24 approved CE credits every two-year period and renew each year, and those with time-limited credentials complete Continuing Qualifications Requirements every 10 years (ARRT continuing education). States can add their own CE rules.
Credential questions
| Question | What a strong answer sounds like | Red flags |
|---|---|---|
| Which ARRT credentials do you hold, and are they all registered and current? | "R and CT, both current, I renew in my birth month." Lists each discipline. | "I'm ARRT" with no discipline, or claims CT registry while only CT-experienced. |
| Which state licenses do you hold, and does the job state's license need to be issued before you start? | Lists each state and expiration, and knows the job state's process and timing. | Assumes ARRT is enough in a licensing state. |
| Do you hold a fluoroscopy permit or any other state permit this role needs? | Names it and the state, or explains when it will be issued. | Has been running fluoro in the OR in a state that requires a permit they do not hold. |
| Are your CE credits current, and are you in a CQR period? | Knows their biennium end date and CQR status. | Surprised by the question, with renewal due within months. |
| Is your BLS current? ACLS if the role requires it for contrast or IR? | Card dates, and whether it was an in-person skills course. | Expired, for a role that needs it on day one. |
Modality depth questions
Titles such as "CT technologist" cover everything from a tech who covers CT two weekends a month to one who runs cardiac CTA daily. Ask for procedures, volumes and recency.
General radiography
-
"Tell me about your portable and OR work. What C-arm cases did you cover?"
- Strong answer: names cases (hip pinning, ORIF, spine, pain management, cardiac devices), the C-arm model, and how they handled positioning with a sterile field.
- Red flags: "I've been in the OR a few times" for a role with daily surgery coverage.
-
"A trauma patient cannot be moved for a standard lateral. What do you do?"
- Strong answer: adapts with a cross-table view, communicates with the ED team, maintains spinal precautions until cleared.
- Red flags: moves the patient to get the textbook position.
CT
| Question | What a strong answer sounds like | Red flags |
|---|---|---|
| Which studies did you run daily, and how many patients a shift? | Specific studies (stroke protocols, CTA chest for PE, abdomen and pelvis with contrast, cardiac CTA) and a number. | Only routine heads and non-contrast studies, for a trauma center role. |
| How do you screen before IV contrast, and what do you check? | Allergy history and prior reactions, kidney function per the department's policy, metformin and other medications as the protocol requires, IV access checked. | No screening routine beyond "ask about allergies". |
| Tell me about a contrast reaction or extravasation you handled. | Stopped the injection, called for help, followed protocol, documented, informed the radiologist. | Has never seen one and cannot describe the response. |
| Which scanners and injectors have you used? | Vendor and model (Siemens, GE HealthCare, Philips, Canon) and protocol changes they could make. | Only one scanner, and the client runs a different vendor. |
MRI
-
"Walk me through MRI safety screening for a patient with an implant card."
- Strong answer: screening form, identifies the exact device and its MR conditional labeling, checks the conditions (field strength, scan parameters), escalates to the MR safety officer or radiologist if unclear, and controls zone access.
- Red flags: "If they have a card that says MRI safe, we scan." No mention of conditions.
-
"Which field strengths and which exams? Any cardiac, breast, prostate or spectroscopy?"
- Strong answer: 1.5T and 3T, specific protocols, and how often.
- Red flags: only open or low-field units, for a hospital role with advanced imaging.
Mammography
Under federal MQSA rules, a mammography technologist needs a state license or general certification, at least 40 contact hours of mammography training and 25 supervised exams to start, then 15 CE units in mammography in 36 months and at least 200 mammography exams in 24 months, measured before the facility's annual inspection (21 CFR 900.12). Ask:
- "How many mammograms have you performed in the last 24 months?" A number close to or above the minimum, with where their records are kept.
- "Do you do 3D tomosynthesis, diagnostic workups and stereotactic or ultrasound-guided biopsies?" Each named, and recent.
- Red flag: a gap in mammography work long enough that the continuing experience count may have lapsed.
Equipment, PACS and workflow
| Question | What a strong answer sounds like | Red flags |
|---|---|---|
| Which RIS and PACS did you use? | Names them (Epic Radiant, Sectra, Philips, GE, Agfa, Fujifilm, Change Healthcare) and tasks: completing exams, QC, sending images, merging studies. | Only knows how to open an image. |
| You sent images to the wrong patient's study. What happens? | Stops, tells the lead or PACS administrator immediately, follows the correction process, documents. | Deletes images or fixes it quietly. |
| How do you identify patients and confirm the order before imaging? | Two identifiers, checks the order against the requested exam and the clinical history, confirms pregnancy status per protocol where relevant. | Relies on the room number or the patient's answer to "Are you Mr. Smith?" |
| How many exams did you do on a typical shift, and was the site a trauma center? | A number, the trauma level, and ED versus outpatient split. | No volume sense. Compare to the client's. |
Where imaging experience gets overstated
| Resume says | Ask | Often turns out to be |
|---|---|---|
| "CT technologist" | "Which CT credential, and how many hours a week in CT over the last year?" | Cross-trained on the job, weekend coverage only, no CT registry |
| "Interventional radiology experience" | "Which procedures did you scrub or circulate for?" | Covered a few IR cases as a general tech |
| "Level I trauma center" | "Which department and shift? How often did you cover ED trauma?" | Outpatient imaging at the hospital's satellite clinic |
| "Lead technologist" | "Did you schedule staff, run QC, or handle accreditation?" | Senior tech on the shift, no admin duties |
| "Mammography" | "How many exams in the last 24 months?" | Credential held but little recent work |
Schedule, call and contract terms
| Question | What a strong answer sounds like | Red flags |
|---|---|---|
| The role has [call requirement]. How quickly can you reach the hospital when called? | A drive time within the client's response window and a yes to the call rotation. | Lives beyond the response time, or has never taken call. |
| Can you work [nights / weekends / 12s], including holidays? | Yes to each part, or one stated exception. | Agrees, then asks for days at offer. |
| Travel: which states are you licensed for now, and how long would a new state license take? | A list and a realistic timeline for the job state. | Expects to start before the license is issued. |
| Travel: any time off during the 13 weeks? | Dates given now, in writing on the submittal. | Mentions a week off after the offer is signed. |
| What pay do you need, and what matters most in the package? | A number and priorities (base rate, call pay, differentials, stipends for travel). | No figure. Ask expectations, not history; see salary expectation questions. |
Knockout checklist and scoring
Knockouts (all must be yes)
- Current ARRT (or other accepted) credential in every discipline the role requires, verified.
- Current license for the job state, or issued before the start date and the client accepts that timing.
- Holds any state permit the role needs, such as fluoroscopy.
- Recent hands-on work in each modality the client needs on day one, at comparable volume.
- Meets MQSA continuing experience and education requirements, if the role includes mammography.
- Can meet the call response time and work the shift pattern.
| Area | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Credentials | Missing a required discipline or license | In process, ready before start | All current and verified |
| Modality depth | Occasional coverage | Regular, routine studies | Daily, including the client's advanced protocols |
| Patient safety | Vague on identification and screening | Correct when prompted | Specific screening and escalation, unprompted |
| Equipment and systems | Different vendor, no transfer plan | Similar systems | Same vendor and PACS |
| Setting and pace | Outpatient only, for a trauma role | Mixed | Comparable setting and volume |
Lawful phrasing for imaging screens
| Do not ask | Ask instead |
|---|---|
| "Are you pregnant or planning to be? There is radiation." | Do not ask. Radiation monitoring and any accommodation are the employer's process, and pregnancy questions create discrimination risk. |
| "Can your back handle patient transfers?" | "The role involves moving portable equipment and helping transfer patients. Can you do that, with or without accommodation?" |
| "Do you have kids who would make call difficult?" | "Call is one weekend in four with a 30-minute response time. Can you meet that?" |
| "Do you have a pacemaker or implants?" (for MRI roles) | Leave it to the employer's post-offer MR safety screening for staff. |
Disciplines, license states, permit dates and exam counts are exactly the details that get swapped between candidates when you screen six techs in an afternoon. Interview Signal keeps a transcript on your own computer and a question guide that ticks off each credential question as it is covered, so nothing is missing from the submittal. For the submittal itself, the candidate submittal template has a logistics block that fits license and start-date details.
Questions people ask
Is ARRT certification the same as a state license?
No. ARRT certification and registration is a national credential. Most states also license or certify radiologic technologists, and many use ARRT exams or credentials in their decision, but ARRT says holding its credential does not by itself make someone eligible to work in a particular state. Check both.
How do I verify a radiologic technologist's ARRT status?
Use ARRT's Verify Credentials search, which shows certification and registration status by discipline. Then check the state licensing agency's lookup for the job state, and any separate permits the state issues, such as California's fluoroscopy permit.
What CE does an ARRT technologist need?
ARRT says most registered technologists must earn 24 approved continuing education credits every two-year period and renew annually. Technologists with time-limited credentials also complete Continuing Qualifications Requirements every 10 years. States can add their own CE rules.
What qualifies a technologist to perform mammography?
Federal MQSA rules require a state license or general certification from an FDA-approved body, at least 40 contact hours of mammography training and 25 supervised exams to start, then continuing education and at least 200 mammography exams in the 24 months before the facility's annual inspection. Most facilities also expect the ARRT mammography credential.