Assessment Questions for the RDN Exam — Practice Free

The Malnutrition Screening Tool (MST) is the most appropriate. It is highly validated for the acute care setting and is recommended by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. It consists of two questions: 1) Have you lost weight recently without trying? 2) Have you been eating poorly because of a decreased appetite? A score of 2 or more indicates nutritional risk. CDR Tip: MST is often favored in fast-paced clinical settings because it does not require objective measurements like height or weight to initiate the screening process.

Entire Arm: 5.0% Forearm + Hand: 2.3% Calculation Example: For a patient with an entire arm amputation and an initial IBW of 80kg: 80 * (1 - 0.05) = 76kg. CDR Exam Focus: The CDR blueprint prioritizes precise anatomical adjustments. Note that the hand alone is 0.7%. If a question specifies forearm but not the hand, look closely at whether the distal limb is included. Usually, forearm in RDN exams implies the forearm and hand (2.3%).

Pediatric Undernutrition / Failure to Thrive (FTT). Criteria for FTT/Undernutrition: 1. Weight-for-age falling across 2 or more major percentile lines (e.g., 75th down to 25th). 2. Weight-for-age <5th percentile. 3. BMI-for-age or Weight-for-length <5th percentile. Clinical Pearl: This specific case shows an acute drop, suggesting a recent nutritional insult, malabsorption, or increased requirements. The RD's role is to identify the cause (inadequate intake vs. increased losses).

Bitot's Spots; Vitamin A deficiency. Rationale: Bitot's spots are accumulations of keratinized epithelial debris and secretions on the conjunctiva. This is a sign of advanced xerophthalmia (dry eye). Exam Strategy: Vitamin A is a frequent topic regarding fat-soluble vitamin malabsorption (e.g., in Cystic Fibrosis or Celiac disease). Know the progression: Night blindness (nyctalopia) -> Xerosis -> Bitot's Spots -> Keratomalacia (blindness).

A Diet History is a comprehensive interview (often including a 24-hour recall, an FFQ, and questions about lifestyle/health) used to assess usual intake over a long period. A 24-hour recall is a snapshot of the previous day only. The Diet History accounts for seasonal variations and meal patterns.