- The CSSD exam has 150 questions: 125 scored plus 25 unscored pretest items, in 3 hours of testing.
- Domain 1, Exercise and Performance Nutrition, carries the most scored items at 56 of 125.
- Initial eligibility requires current RD status for two years and 2,000 sports dietetics practice hours within five years.
- The exam fee is $350, paid when you schedule through Pearson VUE.
The Credential at a Glance
The Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics credential is issued by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR), the same body that credentials registered dietitians. The issuer label is Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics (CSSD). It is a specialty layer on top of the RD credential, not a replacement for it, and it signals documented, verified experience in sports nutrition rather than general clinical competence.
If you are still orienting yourself, the primer articles What Is CSSD Certification? and What Does CSSD Stand For? cover the basics. This cheat sheet assumes you already know why you want the credential and need the facts compressed onto one page.
| Item | Must-know fact |
|---|---|
| Certifying body | Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) |
| Testing provider | Pearson VUE, year-round computer-based test-center delivery |
| Exam fee | $350, payable when scheduling |
| Question count | 150 multiple-choice (125 scored + 25 unscored pretest) |
| Testing time | 3 hours within a 3-hour-20-minute appointment |
| Initial hours requirement | 2,000 sports dietetics practice hours as an RD in the prior five years |
| Recertification hours | 1,500 hours within five years |
| Cycle length | Five years |
Exam Format and Test-Day Rules
Question style
Every item is multiple choice with four options and one best answer. The word "best" matters: in sports dietetics, several options are often defensible, and the exam rewards the one that fits the athlete's sport, training phase, and constraints most precisely. Expect applied scenarios (an athlete, a situation, a decision) rather than pure recall.
Scored versus unscored items
Of the 150 questions, 125 are scored and 25 are unscored pretest items used to evaluate future questions. You cannot tell which are which, so treat every question as if it counts. Do not burn time trying to spot the pretest items.
Timing and logistics
- Appointment length: 3 hours 20 minutes total, which includes a 20-minute tutorial.
- Testing time: 3 hours. Unscheduled breaks count against your testing time, so the clock keeps running if you step away.
- Closed book: No reference materials.
- Calculator: An on-screen calculator is provided. A test-center handheld calculator may be available on request, but personal calculators are prohibited.
- Note board: An erasable note board is provided for working through energy, fluid, and macronutrient arithmetic.
For a candid look at how this format feels in practice, see How Hard Is the CSSD Exam?
Eligibility and Practice Hours
The eligibility gate is where many candidates stall, so verify it before you study. The core requirements, per CDR:
- Current RD status with CDR, maintained for at least two years.
- 2,000 sports dietetics practice hours as an RD within the five years preceding your application (initial certification).
- Verification of specialty hours. The hours must be documented, not merely claimed.
Standard recertification lowers the hours bar to 1,500 within the five-year cycle. A fuller walkthrough of documentation and qualifying experience lives in CSSD Requirements: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.
Domain Map: Where the 125 Scored Items Sit
The official CDR Examination Content Outline organizes the exam into three domains. CDR publishes scored item counts rather than percentage weights, and those counts total 125. The outline currently linked on CDR's site carries an effective date of November 2023. Always confirm you are studying from the current outline before you commit weeks to a plan.
| Domain | Scored items |
|---|---|
| Domain 1: Exercise and Performance Nutrition | 56 |
| Domain 2: Clinical Sports Nutrition | 49 |
| Domain 3: Nutrition Operations and Resource Management | 20 |
Domain 1: Exercise and Performance Nutrition (56 scored items)
The largest domain and the heart of the credential. It tests whether you can translate training and competition demands into practical fueling and hydration plans.
- Energy and macronutrient needs across training phases and sport types
- Carbohydrate, protein, and fat strategies around training and competition
- Hydration, electrolytes, and sweat-loss planning
- Timing of intake before, during, and after exercise
- Evidence-based use of supplements and ergogenic aids, including safety and regulatory awareness
- Body composition and performance goals in athletic populations
Domain 2: Clinical Sports Nutrition (49 scored items)
Nearly as large as Domain 1, and where your RD clinical foundation meets athletic populations.
- Medical nutrition therapy considerations for athletes with chronic conditions
- Disordered eating, low energy availability, and related health risks
- Injury, illness, and recovery nutrition
- Special populations such as youth, masters, and female athletes
- Nutrition assessment and screening in an athletic setting
Domain 3: Nutrition Operations and Resource Management (20 scored items)
The smallest domain, but the one clinically oriented candidates most often under-prepare.
- Program design and delivery within teams, athletic departments, and organizations
- Working with coaches, athletic trainers, and other staff
- Food service and fueling-station operations for athletes
- Budgeting, resources, and program evaluation
The outline is the authority on specific tasks and knowledge statements, and our CSSD Exam Domains guide breaks down all three content areas in more depth. A realistic outline-aligned practice set is available on the main CSSD practice test site.
Pass-Rate Facts and Passing Standard
CDR publishes pass statistics by reporting period. The latest unambiguously dated period used here is July-December 2025:
| Candidate group (July-December 2025) | Pass rate | Examinees |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | 81% | 152 |
| First-time | 77% | 77 |
| Recertification | 92% | 50 |
On the passing standard: CDR uses an Angoff passing-point study with statistical equating across exam forms. There is no fixed percentage pass mark to chase, and a raw score that passes on one form may correspond to a slightly different number of correct answers on another. For more on what this means, see CSSD Passing Score and CSSD Pass Rate: What the Data Shows.
Renewal and the Longitudinal Assessment Pilot
Standard exam-based renewal
The specialist cycle runs five years. To renew the standard way, you must:
- Maintain your RD status
- Submit the eligibility application documenting 1,500 sports specialty hours within the preceding five years, with permitted substitutions
- Pay the fee
- Pass the specialist exam
Recertification candidates in July-December 2025 passed at a higher rate than first-timers, which is consistent with experienced practitioners returning to the exam.
The 2026-2028 Longitudinal Assessment pilot
CDR also runs a separate pilot that replaces the traditional renewal exam with quarterly assessments over three years. Key facts:
- Who it was for: Eligible CSSDs whose certification expires January 31, 2029 through June 30, 2030.
- Opt-in: The published opt-in deadline was January 1, 2026. Matching the expiration window alone does not mean enrollment is still open, so confirm directly with CDR.
- Requirements: Maintain RD status, document 1,000 specialty hours within the preceding five years, and pay $350.
- Reward: Successful completion earns 75 CPEUs toward RD maintenance, not an additional specialty CE requirement.
Key Takeaway
The pilot's reduced 1,000-hour requirement applies only to the pilot. It does not lower the hours bar for initial certification or for ordinary exam-based renewal, which remain 2,000 and 1,500 hours respectively.
Fees, Scheduling and Retakes
- Fee: $350, payable when you schedule your exam.
- Scheduling: Through Pearson VUE. The exam is delivered year-round at test centers, so there are no fixed national testing windows to plan around.
- Retest interval: The ordinary wait before retesting is 60 days, and reauthorization is required before you can sit again.
Budget for the possibility of a second attempt, and understand that the 60-day wait plus reauthorization can push your timeline out. The full cost picture, including what you may spend beyond the exam fee, is in CSSD Certification Cost: Complete Pricing Breakdown, and scheduling logistics are covered in CSSD Exam Dates.
Sequencing Your Review by Domain
Rather than a generic weekly template, sequence your review by how the scored items are distributed and where candidates typically need the most work. Here is one outline-driven way to organize an eight-week plan:
Domain 1 first
- It carries the most scored items (56), so give it the longest runway
- Drill energy, carbohydrate, protein, and fluid calculations on the on-screen calculator
- Work sport-by-sport scenarios, not isolated facts
Domain 2 next
- 49 scored items, with heavy overlap into clinical judgment
- Focus on low energy availability, disordered eating, injury and illness nutrition
- Practice choosing the best answer when several seem reasonable
Domain 3 deliberately
- Only 20 scored items, but it is the easiest place to lose points through neglect
- Review program management, staffing, food service, and budgeting concepts
Mixed timed practice
- Take full-length sets at roughly 72 seconds per question
- Review misses by domain and revisit weak areas from the outline
Use CDR's suggested-reference list, last updated November 2025, as a starting point for sources. These are suggestions only: CDR does not guarantee that they cover every exam topic, does not promise success, and does not endorse any particular preparation product. For a fuller plan, read the CSSD Study Guide: How to Pass on Your First Attempt.
Quick-Fire FAQ
There are 150 multiple-choice questions: 125 scored and 25 unscored pretest items. Each has four options with one best answer, and you have 3 hours of testing time.
The fee is $350, payable when you schedule. Scheduling goes through Pearson VUE, which delivers the computer-based exam year-round at test centers.
Domain 1, Exercise and Performance Nutrition, has the most scored items at 56 of 125. Domain 2, Clinical Sports Nutrition, has 49, and Domain 3, Nutrition Operations and Resource Management, has 20.
CDR does not publish a fixed percentage pass mark. It uses an Angoff passing-point study with statistical equating across exam forms, so the standard is set by expert judgment and adjusted for form difficulty.
No. Personal calculators are prohibited. An on-screen calculator and an erasable note board are provided, and a test-center handheld calculator may be available on request.
Once your hours are verified and your domain review is on track, you can pressure-test your readiness with timed questions on the CSSD Exam Prep practice test site. If you are still weighing the credential itself, Is the CSSD Certification Worth It? and the CSSD Salary Guide can help you decide before you invest the hours.