When making risotto it's best to use risotto rice for the risotto to turn out perfectly.
However you don't have to use risotto rice to make risotto but the risotto rice will turn out much better and taste even better when you do use risotto rice for making the risotto.
Risotto should be a bit hard and also al dente.
When you cook the Risotto it takes around 18 minutes to fully cook and when fully cooked the fully cooked Risotto dish should be al dente which means that the Risotto should be a bit firm when you bite into the Risotto.
If the Risotto is still too hard then you should cook the Risotto a few more minutes.
But if the Risotto is just a bit firm to bite but still easy to bite and chew then the Risotto is fully cooked and ready to eat or serve.
The general cook time for Risotto is 18 minutes which is how long it takes me to cook Risotto fully.