What Does RRA Stand For?

The Short Answer: What RRA Stands For

On this site, RRA stands for Reconstructive Rearfoot/Ankle Surgery. It names a board credential in podiatric surgery: the pathway a foot and ankle surgeon follows to demonstrate advanced competence in reconstructive surgery of the rearfoot and ankle, beyond the foundation of the Foot credential.

If you landed here hoping for a quick definition, that is it. If you want to understand how the credential works, what the exam covers, who administers it, and what it takes to hold it, the rest of this article walks through those pieces in detail. For companion explanations of the acronym, see our short pieces on what RRA is, the RRA meaning, and what RRA certification involves.

Who Issues the RRA Credential

The credential is administered by the American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery (ABFAS). ABFAS runs the examinations, sets the eligibility rules, publishes the content outlines, and manages ongoing certification. Candidates sit for Part I at Pearson VUE test centers, and the later case-based component is handled through the board's logging and review process rather than a timed sitting.

Because the issuing body is ABFAS, the authoritative sources for any rule are ABFAS documents and pages. Before you rely on any third-party summary, including ours, confirm the current handbook and calendar pages on the ABFAS website. Handbook versions change, and the board has revised aspects of the case review process for 2027.

Why the Acronym Causes Confusion

Search for "RRA" and you will find several unrelated credentials and organizations sharing the same three letters. That overlap is the reason a page like this needs to exist. Candidates preparing for the foot and ankle surgery pathway sometimes find fee tables, pass rates, or exam lengths that belong to a completely different certification.

A few habits keep you on the right track:

• Check that any source names ABFAS and refers to rearfoot/ankle surgery or podiatric surgery.
• Treat any number that does not appear in ABFAS materials with suspicion.
• Use our what does RRA stand for and what does RRA mean pages as quick orientation, then verify details with the board.

How the RRA Pathway Is Built

The RRA pathway has two parts. Part I is a pair of examinations delivered at Pearson VUE test centers: the RRA Didactic exam and the NEW RRA CBPS. Part II is the RRA Case Review, in which eight selected surgical cases are evaluated through the board's PLS logging system.

Note that the Exam description often quoted for RRA, 80 questions in 120 minutes, describes only the Didactic component. The complete certification also includes the CBPS simulations and the case review. Candidates who prepare only for the multiple-choice portion are missing two-thirds of the credential structure.

The Five RRA Didactic Domains

The RRA Didactic exam is organized into five topics, each with an official target weight and an allowable range. These are the domains that most directly shape your content review.

For a full walkthrough of how these topics are tested, read our RRA exam domains guide. When you are ready to see how this material feels under timed conditions, the RRA practice test is built around these five topics.

CBPS Areas and the Nineteen Headings

You may have seen "19 domains" associated with RRA. That number needs careful handling. Nineteen is the count of serialized source headings in the board's content outline, not a single official 19-domain exam blueprint. The headings fall into three separate classifications, and their weights must not be added together.

The CBPS Content Areas are clinical categories that cut across the simulations: Complications/Revision, Congenital disorders (pediatrics), Congenital disorders (adult), Deformities, Perioperative management, Neoplastic disorders, Neurovascular disorders, Trauma, Wound/Infection, and Metabolic, rheumatologic, and inflammatory disorders. Because they overlap, a single simulation may touch several of them at once, for example a trauma case that becomes an infection case.

Exam Formats Behind the Name

The Didactic: computer-adaptive multiple choice

The RRA Didactic is computer-adaptive. You answer 80 multiple-choice questions in 120 minutes, and completed items cannot be revisited. That single rule changes your strategy: you cannot skip a question, flag it, and return later. Each answer is final, so pacing and first-pass decision quality matter more than they would on a linear exam. Some items may be unscored field-test questions, but there is no fixed split between scored and unscored items, so treat every question as if it counts.

The CBPS: twelve simulations

The NEW RRA CBPS is a separate examination of 12 clinical simulations, 15 minutes each, 180 minutes total. Instead of recalling isolated facts, you work through a case: examine, order and interpret studies, diagnose, and choose treatment. That maps directly to the Case Management Areas in Domains 6-9.

Scoring

Each Part I component requires a scaled score of 500 on a 200-800 scale. This is not 62.5% correct, and you should not convert it to a raw percentage target. Because the Didactic is adaptive, the number of questions answered correctly does not map in a simple way to the scaled score. Details are in our RRA passing score guide.

Exam day rules

Part I requires two valid matching IDs, and books or study materials are not permitted in the testing room. Arrive with your identification sorted out well in advance.

Who Can Pursue RRA

The RRA pathway sits on top of the Foot credential, and the dependency is strict: Foot qualification is required for RRA qualification, and Foot certification is required for RRA certification. Prerequisite Foot examinations and their fees are additional to the RRA costs.

Core requirements include:

• A DPM from a CPME-accredited four-year podiatric college
• At least three years of accredited residency with required PMSR/RRA training and surgical documentation
• Unrestricted licensure and applicable surgical privileges

Certification is normally required within seven years of qualification, with exceptions for certain pre-2014 residency cohorts. Eligible passed final-year in-training examination components may be converted for a fee, though that does not change what RRA covers. Our RRA requirements guide covers eligibility step by step.

Case Review requirements for 2027

For 2027 RRA Case Review, at least 30 logged cases must contain an RRA-eligible procedure, including eight selectable RRA core-procedure cases from unique patients. The board advises logging all required post-residency surgeon-of-record cases, not just the minimum, and there is an RRA-only logging exception for candidates already Foot-certified. These 2027 changes should not be backdated to the Spring 2026 cycle. Use the current Case Review authority, the September 2026 certification document, and the board's calendar pages rather than older summaries. Scheduling specifics are in our RRA exam dates guide.

Fees, Timing, and Maintenance

Remember that prerequisite Foot examinations and associated fees come on top of these figures. A full budget view, including how the pieces add up, is in the RRA certification cost breakdown.

Keeping the credential current

Initial certification lasts ten years. Maintenance includes annual fees, unrestricted licensure, privileges, a recent-surgery attestation, 100 Category 1 and/or CPME-approved CME hours per five-year period, and LEAD. New time-limited cohorts complete at least 12 LEAD quarters in each five-year period and meet the applicable performance standard. RRA requires its own MDT standard but no participation quarters beyond those required for Foot. Older cohorts follow transition schedules published on the board's continuous certification pages.

What the historical data says

Published cumulative pass rates through Spring 2025 were 54% (211/394) for 2025-residency-class RRA Didactic, 89% (353/398) for that class's CBPS, and 79% (19/24) for 2023-residency-class RRA Case Review. These are historical cumulative figures, not first-attempt rates and not 2026 rates. The gap between the Didactic and the CBPS is notable, and it fits the point above that the multiple-choice exam rewards different preparation than the simulations. See our RRA pass rate analysis and difficulty guide for context.

Where RRA Shows Up in Practice

The credential matters most to foot and ankle surgeons whose practice centers on reconstruction: deformity correction, trauma reconstruction, complex complication and revision work, and limb-related surgery. Employers and credentialing bodies that take board status seriously include podiatric surgery groups, orthopedic and multispecialty practices with foot and ankle service lines, hospital systems, and surgical centers. Board status can also factor into privileging decisions at facilities that handle complex reconstructive cases.

We do not publish invented compensation figures here. For a qualitative view of how certification relates to career positioning, read our pieces on RRA jobs, the RRA salary guide, and whether RRA certification is worth it.

Sequencing Your Preparation by Domain

You do not need a generic study system, but the structure of the exam does suggest an order. Here is one way to sequence a block of preparation around the actual domains, with the reasoning attached to each phase.

Because completed Didactic items cannot be revisited, include timed sets where you commit to each answer on the first pass. Our RRA study guide expands on this approach, and the RRA cheat sheet condenses the must-know facts for a final review. For timed practice questions across all five didactic topics, use the RRA practice exams.

Frequently Asked Questions