- What This Cheat Sheet Covers (and What It Doesn't)
- The Numbers at a Glance
- Eligibility Checklist: Before You Can Even Sit
- The Seven Instructional Competencies
- Exam-Day Rules and Testing Mechanics
- Retakes, Waiting Periods, and Instructor Restrictions
- The Three-Year Renewal Cycle
- A Domain-Ordered Prep Sequence
- What Not to Memorize: Unverified Claims
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The written exam is 85 multiple-choice questions in three hours, with 80% correct required to pass.
- The initial application and exam fee is USD 950, and RETA membership in good standing is required.
- Eligibility includes six years of industrial refrigeration experience, RETA Train the Trainer, and Certification Committee approval.
- Renewal runs every three years: 24 PDHs, 25 student evaluations, and USD 735.
What This Cheat Sheet Covers (and What It Doesn't)
"RAI" appears as an acronym in several unrelated professional contexts. This page is about exactly one: the RETA Authorized Instructor, issued by the Refrigerating Engineers & Technicians Association. It is the credential for industrial refrigeration professionals who train others, not a general technical certification and not a finance or technology credential that happens to share three letters. If you want the broader definition first, see What Is RAI Certification? or What Does RAI Stand For?.
Everything below is drawn from RETA's 2026 RAI Exam Information Handbook (Revision 08, valid January 1 through December 31, 2026), RETA's certification pages, and RETA's Section 500 certification policy. Where sources conflict or could not be verified, this article says so plainly rather than guessing.
The Numbers at a Glance
Keep this table as your one-page reference. Each figure traces to RETA's published materials.
| Item | Fact |
|---|---|
| Issuer | Refrigerating Engineers & Technicians Association (RETA) |
| Written exam length | 85 questions |
| Time limit | Three hours (applies to the written exam only) |
| Question format | Multiple choice, in English |
| Passing requirement | At least 80% correct (handbook: a score of 80 or higher) |
| Delivery | Proctored computer testing via the Kryterion Testing Network and RETA Network Test Centers |
| Initial application/exam fee | USD 950 |
| Membership | RETA membership in good standing required |
| Testing frequency limit | Once every four months; twice in twelve months |
| Renewal cycle | Every three years |
| Renewal requirements | Membership, 24 relevant PDHs, 25 student evaluations, documentation, USD 735 |
The three-hour limit and the 85-question count apply to the written examination. They do not cover Train the Trainer or the review of your instructional evidence, which are separate parts of the path. For a deeper look at the score line, read RAI Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass.
Eligibility Checklist: Before You Can Even Sit
The RAI is gated. You cannot simply buy an exam seat; you must assemble an application package and win approval. The elements RETA specifies:
- Six years of industrial refrigeration experience, supported by a Verification of Experience.
- Documented instructor experience, showing you have actually taught.
- A resume reflecting both technical and instructional background.
- Four professional references, with no more than one from the same company or source.
- Curriculum and sample-lesson evidence demonstrating how you design instruction.
- RETA Train the Trainer completion.
- Code of Conduct compliance.
- Certification Committee approval.
- RETA membership in good standing.
The reference rule is the one candidates trip over: four references, but only one may come from the same company or source. If your professional network is concentrated at a single employer, start diversifying early. The full prerequisite picture is in RAI Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.
The Seven Instructional Competencies
The handbook's instructional-evidence section lists seven competencies. They are best used as an unweighted preparation checklist. They are not a published written-exam blueprint, and the handbook does not assign them percentages, so do not assume equal or unequal weighting. For a fuller walkthrough, see RAI Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 7 Content Areas.
Domain 1: Properly Doing a Needs Assessment
Before building anything, an instructor must determine what learners actually need to be able to do.
- Distinguish performance gaps that training can fix from those it cannot
- Identify audience, existing skill level, and job-task requirements
- Connect the assessment to measurable training objectives
Domain 2: Developing a Curriculum Appropriate for Adult Learners
Industrial refrigeration trainees are working adults, and the curriculum should reflect that.
- Sequence content logically from foundational to advanced
- Build in relevance, experience-sharing, and practical application
- Align curriculum modules to the objectives from your needs assessment
Domain 3: Developing and Using Lesson Plans
The lesson plan is the working document of an instructor.
- Define objectives, content, methods, materials, and timing per lesson
- Know how a lesson plan differs from the broader curriculum
- Be able to adapt a plan in delivery without losing the objective
Domain 4: Establishing and Maintaining a Good Learning Environment
Environment covers the physical setting and the classroom climate.
- Address facilities, safety, equipment layout, and distractions
- Encourage participation and handle disruptive or disengaged learners
- Maintain the environment across a multi-day course, not just on day one
Domain 5: Delivering a Training Message and Instruction Effectively
This is the presentation craft: how you communicate content so it sticks.
- Match delivery methods to content and audience
- Use questioning, demonstration, and visual aids deliberately
- Check understanding during instruction rather than only at the end
Domain 6: Establishing a Measurement System for Student Learning
Instructors must be able to show whether learning occurred.
- Design tests, practical evaluations, and other assessment instruments
- Tie every assessment item back to a stated objective
- Use results to improve both the learner's outcome and the course itself
Domain 7: Demonstrating an Ability to Establish and Maintain a Record Keeping System
Training that isn't documented can't be defended or improved.
- Track attendance, assessment results, and course materials
- Understand why records matter for certification renewal and evaluations
- Keep systems consistent so evidence is retrievable years later
Key Takeaway
The seven competencies form a cycle: assess needs, design curriculum, plan lessons, set the environment, deliver, measure, and keep records. Study them as a loop, because measurement results (Domain 6) feed back into the next needs assessment (Domain 1).
Exam-Day Rules and Testing Mechanics
Scheduling and Delivery
Scheduling goes through RETA staff, not directly through a third-party portal. Testing is proctored and computer-based, delivered through the Kryterion Testing Network and RETA Network Test Centers. Once approved, coordinate with RETA to book your seat. Timing details and windows are covered in RAI Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling.
What You May and May Not Bring
- Prohibited: outside books, copies of study guides, and phones.
- Required: a nonprinting, nonprogrammable calculator with memory cleared.
- Provided: issuer-supplied onscreen reference PDFs are available during the exam.
One small but real warning from the testing guidance: using CTRL+F inside the reference PDFs may trigger a security logout. Practice navigating references by table of contents and visual scanning rather than keyword search, so you don't lose time or risk your session on exam day.
Question Style
Questions are multiple choice. Because RETA's materials describe the written exam only as 85 multiple-choice questions and do not publish a content-weighted blueprint, the safest assumption is that questions test applied instructional judgment across the seven competencies, with industrial refrigeration as the subject-matter context. How demanding that feels is a common worry; How Hard Is the RAI Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 unpacks it.
Retakes, Waiting Periods, and Instructor Restrictions
Per RETA's Section 500 certification policy (Revision 14, approved March 21, 2026, and affirmed by the Board April 17, 2026), RAI testing is limited to once every four months and twice in twelve months. That makes each attempt expensive in time as well as money, which is the strongest argument for preparing thoroughly before your first sitting.
The Retake Fee Conflict
Sources disagree here, and it's better to know that than to be handed a false certainty. The retrieved 2026 handbook states USD 735 for re-examination. A previously reviewed RETA RAI application page was recorded as showing USD 685, but that page was inaccessible on the most recent recheck, so USD 685 could not be newly verified. Before paying a retake fee, confirm the current amount directly with RETA. The initial application/exam fee of USD 950 is the figure that is consistently stated. For the complete money picture, see RAI Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
The Two-Year Teaching Restriction
If you take the CARO, CIRO, CRST, or CRES exam yourself, RETA's policy triggers a stated two-year restriction on teaching candidates for the exam you took. This is narrow: it is not a ban on all instructor activity, and it applies to teaching candidates for that specific exam. Instructors who also hold or pursue those technical certifications should plan around it.
The Three-Year Renewal Cycle
The RAI is not a one-time achievement. Renewal happens every three years and requires all of the following:
- Continued RETA membership
- 24 relevant professional development hours (PDHs)
- 25 student training evaluations, submitted directly by the students
- Required documentation
- The USD 735 renewal fee
Two details deserve emphasis. First, evaluations must come directly from students, so you can't collect and forward them yourself. Second, an average training-evaluation score below 4.0 requires repeating Train the Trainer. This is where Domains 5, 6, and 7 pay off for the life of your credential: good delivery earns good evaluations, and good record keeping makes the renewal package painless.
Key Takeaway
Start collecting student evaluations from your first RAI-credentialed course. Waiting until year three to find 25 qualifying evaluations is a avoidable scramble, and a sub-4.0 average carries a real consequence.
A Domain-Ordered Prep Sequence
RETA offers no RAI-specific Study Guide or Practice Test. Its handbook points instructors toward the CARO, CIRO, CRST, and CRES study resources, but those exams' domains are not the RAI syllabus, so use them only as general refrigeration background. Your real syllabus is the seven competencies. A sensible order follows the instructional cycle itself, and for the broader plan see RAI Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt.
Needs Assessment and Curriculum (Domains 1-2)
- Start here because everything downstream depends on objectives
- Practice writing objectives from a sample training need
Lesson Plans and Environment (Domains 3-4)
- Draft a full lesson plan from one curriculum module
- List environment risks for a hands-on refrigeration class
Delivery and Measurement (Domains 5-6)
- Review delivery methods and when each fits
- Match each assessment item to a stated objective
Record Keeping and Full Review (Domain 7)
- Map which records support renewal and evaluations
- Take timed multiple-choice practice at 85 questions in three hours, aiming above 80%
Because you cannot bring outside materials, timed practice matters more than rereading. The RAI practice test lets you rehearse the 85-question, three-hour pacing, and you can drill weak competencies by revisiting the main practice question bank after each review week.
What Not to Memorize: Unverified Claims
A cheat sheet is only as good as its accuracy, so here is what this article deliberately leaves out:
- Domain weights. None are published for the seven competencies. Any percentage breakdown you see is invented.
- A pass rate. No current issuer figure was verified.
- A confirmed retake fee. USD 735 versus USD 685 remains unresolved; verify with RETA.
- Salary specifics. No RAI-specific earnings data was verified for this article. For a qualitative discussion of value, see RAI Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis and Is the RAI Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026.
The credential's practical value flows from what it signals: that an industrial refrigeration professional has both field experience and demonstrated instructional competence, which matters most to employers, training programs, and RETA-affiliated course providers. For role context, see RAI Jobs.
Frequently Asked Questions
The written exam has 85 multiple-choice questions with a three-hour limit. That timer applies to the written exam only, not to Train the Trainer or the instructional-evidence review.
RETA requires at least 80% correct. The handbook phrases it as a passing score of 80 or higher. This is a passing threshold, not a pass-rate statistic.
No. Outside books, study-guide copies, and phones are prohibited. You may bring a nonprinting, nonprogrammable calculator with cleared memory, and issuer-provided onscreen reference PDFs are available. Using CTRL+F may trigger a security logout.
The initial application/exam fee is USD 950, and RETA membership in good standing is required. For re-examination, the 2026 handbook states USD 735, while an earlier application page was recorded at USD 685. That discrepancy was not resolved, so confirm the current retake fee with RETA before paying.
Every three years you need continued RETA membership, 24 relevant PDHs, 25 student training evaluations submitted directly by students, required documentation, and USD 735. An average evaluation score below 4.0 requires repeating Train the Trainer.